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Re-introducing myself - the Quilt-Maker
Jan. 20th, 2020 12:06 pmMe - Shayzamn.... I quilt, I write, I make costuming and clothing, I dream, I am TRYING to learn the ukulele, and so on (LOTS of "and so on".
Currently, I am struggling to hand quilt an overly-large quilt called Crazy Diamonds. It is only 10' x 10' square. It is the same size as my room when I was growing up. When I think about that, it weirds me out a little.
I am not a traditional quilter, nor am I an art quilter. Nor am I a modern quilter. I just... quilt what I want to. Rarely do I actually make other people's patterns - that means following directions. :) As you might guess, I struggle with following directions. I stumbled into quilting, really. I have learned to crochet and knit repeatedly, but they never stick. I sketch, but badly. Quilting is the one craft/art where the pictures and textures in my head can become real. Apparently my brain is good at fabric, and I am okay with that.
I come from a family of makers. I don't remember a time when at least two of us, whether parents or sister or grandparents, weren't making something. It varied widely, from drawing to painting to needlework, to woodworking. I own a metal box that my father made - cut, welded, painted, the whole thing. My grandfather made an aluminum tray for my grandmother when they were popular (1940's), out of a random piece of aluminum he got somewhere. My family has built houses, patios, treehouses, computers, robots.... I feel like just the latest in a long line of makers. To me, that is how things should be. There should always be makers.
I used to lament that I wasn't as good a maker as the people in my family. My mother painted. My sister made clothing without patterns. My dad could look at the area he wanted to put a shed in and calculate the needed lumber with little problems and no calculator. When I finally found quilting, I found my spot. I may not be a contest winner, but I can get what I want (and the math makes sense to me!).
This has been ridiculously long about me and quilts. So...
Currently, I am struggling to hand quilt an overly-large quilt called Crazy Diamonds. It is only 10' x 10' square. It is the same size as my room when I was growing up. When I think about that, it weirds me out a little.
I am not a traditional quilter, nor am I an art quilter. Nor am I a modern quilter. I just... quilt what I want to. Rarely do I actually make other people's patterns - that means following directions. :) As you might guess, I struggle with following directions. I stumbled into quilting, really. I have learned to crochet and knit repeatedly, but they never stick. I sketch, but badly. Quilting is the one craft/art where the pictures and textures in my head can become real. Apparently my brain is good at fabric, and I am okay with that.
I come from a family of makers. I don't remember a time when at least two of us, whether parents or sister or grandparents, weren't making something. It varied widely, from drawing to painting to needlework, to woodworking. I own a metal box that my father made - cut, welded, painted, the whole thing. My grandfather made an aluminum tray for my grandmother when they were popular (1940's), out of a random piece of aluminum he got somewhere. My family has built houses, patios, treehouses, computers, robots.... I feel like just the latest in a long line of makers. To me, that is how things should be. There should always be makers.
I used to lament that I wasn't as good a maker as the people in my family. My mother painted. My sister made clothing without patterns. My dad could look at the area he wanted to put a shed in and calculate the needed lumber with little problems and no calculator. When I finally found quilting, I found my spot. I may not be a contest winner, but I can get what I want (and the math makes sense to me!).
This has been ridiculously long about me and quilts. So...
