I love quilting. When I made my first quilt, I hand quilted it. I was self taught and really had no idea what I was doing but I was hooked after I finished the quilt. I then made my second quilt. All the blocks were hand pieced and I sewed the blocks together on the machine. I then hand quilted it. My 3rd quilt, I took a class and discovered rotary cutters and mats! WOW!!! what a difference those little things made. Anyway, I hand quilted that quilt also. I entered it into the local county fair and won a blue ribbon it. I was shocked!! It took me a year to get it finished. A friend of mine took the class with me and had hers done within a few months because she sent hers out to be quilted. I was devastated when I saw her quilt come back with a panto pattern on it. I swore at that time that I would never have a quilt machine quilted. I went on to make several more quilt tops and hand quilted a couple more but by this time I thought I had to make every neat quilt I saw so I was getting the tops made faster than I could hand quilt them. Then I saw what they were doing with machine quilting! WOW They were quilting tops and focusing on the quilt pattern, not doing pantos!! I had to have one of these machines and shortly after my discovery I bought my first longarm. I began quilting focusing on the pattern of the quilt, giving them detail. I still do that today. All these years later. Sometimes I wonder if I should do them faster and simpler but then I remember why I quilt and I put the extra hours in them because I want the quilt to be the best that it can. I am proud when I see quilts hanging at the county fair with blue ribbons on them and I’ve quilted them. Or at a local quilt show where a quilt that I’ve quilted has a ribbon. I love quilting and I take pride in what I do. I guess I don’t quilt mainly for the money although I do have to quilt to pay bills but I quilt because of the love I have for it. To see the look of pleasure on the customers face, to hear the words “I was going to give that away, but now I think I’ll keep it!” or just getting a hug because I’ve taken what they called an ugly quilt and made it into a beautiful swan! Yes, I LOVE what I do. Why do you quilt?
Theresa
Always Quilts 