The Point of Quilting

As quilters, we strive to keep a perfectly straight, scant quarter inch seam allowance when piecing.  We use a hot iron and press to keep our piecing nice and crisp and flat so that we can "square up" our units.  In general, we are doing everything humanly possible to make sure the end result is a perfectly pieced, pressed quilt that has all the nice sharp points it is meant to have.

I think we are just kidding ourselves if we think we can achieve all of this perfection in each quilt.

I want to ENJOY the piecing and quilting process.  I do not want to stress over keeping those points to the point of pulling out my hair to achieve it. Don't get me wrong-I want my quilts to be oohhhed and aaahhhed  by my peers and family.  I want my quilts to be loved---well loved by those who are worthy of receiving them.  (I am kind of stingy with it comes to giving my quilts away though.)

Remember the quilter's saying--"Only God can make things perfect" or "Finished is better than a perfect UFO".  These are the adages I quilt by.

I love quilts period!  All quilts!  

Old quilts are especially fascinating to me. 

 There are so many unanswered questions with old quilts.

Why did the quilter use THOSE colors? 

Was this her first quilt?  There are no points ANYWHERE!

Why was that top not quilted?

Why is there no border on the left side of the quilt?

And then there is the fabric in the quilt--

Oh how I wish I could find a reproduction of that fabric.

This one is hideous!

And scrap quilts are amazing. 

What was that piece before she used it in the quilt?  Hummmm!

I know our quilting ancestors had none of the modern conveniences that we have today. 

I wonder what our quilts would look like without rotary rulers and cutters.  Without a quarter inch foot for our machine with needle down and auto threading.

And to piece a quilt with just a paper template

and

no ott light!

No wonder there are no points. 

My point to all this is-we are still in love with all quilts.  All of the things wrong , still keeps us talking about them.  Every time I pull out one of my old quilt tops, I find some fabric I hadn't noticed before.  I keep going back to them over and over again.  Some are in such bad shape,  there is no way they can ever be quilted.  But do I throw them away. 

 NO-NOT ON YOUR LIFE 

Someone at some time spent hours and hours piecing that top by hand to cover her loved ones.

It will lovingly go back on my shelf to treasure and admire.

My point to all this rambling is that I can only try to do my very best when quilting.

Some days my best is really good.

Some days my best is not so good.

But I know in the end, my quilts will one day be just as loved by not only family,

but strangers as well.

Just as I love all those quilts and tops made by those who names are unknown to me,

 sitting adoringly on my shelves.

Back to a great day of quilting.

Jan