What I Like

I got a fabulous little book as a gift recently, and one of the lines in it really got me thinking about my quilting aspirations.


It's called "100 Tips from Award Winning Quilters" by Ann Hazelwood. All of the tips are fabulous! But one really struck me... it basically said to do what you like to do. If you like applique, then go with it. If you prefer to hand quilt, then don't feel like you should start machine quilting.

I got to thinking. Sometimes I feel like I am not "doing it right", or that the quilts I make are not good, because they are not splashy, or artsy, or intricately pieced or quilted. I am so glad I read this tip, because it really made me think. And I think that I like my quilts just the way they are!

I like to piece, I like foundation piecing, and I like fusible applique. I like to do my work by machine. I like my quilts to be symmetrical. I do like experimenting a bit, but I'm not very adventurous. I like simple, easy piecing that goes together nicely. I like simple overall quilting on quilts. I will likely not ever make a spectacular applique quilt, using a photo as a base and making my own templates and using my own hand-dyed fabrics. I don't like to do any of those things!

So from now on I am just going to do what I like, and let those people who are inspired to make spectacular applique quilts from photos, making their own templates and hand-dying their own fabric do their thing too! I certainly enjoy looking at those quilts, and I am in awe of the time it took and the creativity it takes to do such a quilt! But it's not for me. And that's OK.