Quilting

Quilting is a craft that began thousands of years ago. At the beginning of its history, it was primarily used to create bed coverings, window coverings, garments to be worn under armour and, later on, decorative pieces. These days, most quilters no longer make quilts because they need them to stay warm, but because they enjoy the process of making quilts and sharing their creativity.

Many choices go into making a quilt. For this reason, when two quilters use the same pattern it is more than likely that they will end up with two very different quilts (with the exception of kits, of course). There are so many possibilities for variation; different fabric combinations, thread selection, the pattern of the quilting stitches and wadding choice to name a few. It is through these opportunities for creativity that we see the infinite potential of quilting, even from a single quilt pattern.

This freedom to choose any variation of the required materials contrasts with the precise nature of quilting, and how meticulous quilters have to be in order to create even a passable looking quilt. A lot of things have to be done exactly right to make a quilt pleasing to the eye, from making sure the fabric colours will go together in the context of the quilt at the beginning of the process, to choosing the right binding method at the end. This fusion of infinite potential and rather strict practice is what drew me to quilting, I was curious to see how people could create these wonderful things in a medium that has so many restrictions, compared to other mediums like painting or drawing. Having worked with other mediums, I can say that it is easier to get a more realistic image from paint or pencil, but quilting is ideal for creating big, colourful and unique compositions.

Like any activity, challenges do come up when I’m quilting, the biggest struggle for me being the constant need for perfection. Every cut, seam and stitch must be perfectly placed or the whole quilt will suffer. If there’s one thing I dislike about quilting, it’s how there isn’t room for even the slightest mistake. What I like about painting and drawing is that mistakes can be turned into features of a work, but with quilting, they have to be taken out and redone as per the pattern. Even though I don’t like that there’s not much compromise to be had, I understand why I have to be diligent when quilting if I want a decent result. Being an artist that works with multiple mediums, I recognise that no one medium is perfect, but, in my opinion, quilting does have more limitations than most of the mediums I have experience with. One might wonder why anyone would quilt if there are several things it can’t do, but I would argue that the usability of a quilt makes it a unique medium and definitely worth working with.

It is a combination of the aspects of quilting I’ve mentioned that keep me coming back to my quilting group every week. I love being able to sit there, scissors snipping and machines sewing, and share what I’m making, learn from others and contribute to the discussion. Quilting might have a few more restrictions than some other art forms, but that’s part of what makes it special. Getting to use my creativity to make the quilt my own through all the possibilities for variation, overcoming the challenges of the process and having it all come together to make something beautiful is really inspiring and, for that reason, I’ll be quilting for as long as I can.