Cheaper than Therapy

By tirane93. Monday, 15. May 2006, 14:18:34

Over the past twenty-five years or so I've been asked alot, "Why do you quilt?" There are some fairly obvious answers; it's a great way to use up scraps from other sewing projects, it's a rewarding way to create a handmade gift for someone, and it's a hobby that produces a useable result. Those are the answers I give to people who really wouldn't care about the truth anyway.

I quilt because it's cheaper than therapy.

For a mere $20 at my local fabric store, I can purchase six or seven yards of fabrics in colors to match my mood, attack it with scissors or rotary cutter, smash it flat on the ironing board, sew it back together in a configuration that pleases me, layer it with as much or as little puffy stuff as I care to add, put a back on it, and "draw" all over the sandwich with quilting stitches until my little graffiti-ing heart is satisfied.

If I'm mad, I can quilt reds. If I am feeling under-appreciated, I can make a gift for someone. If I need a personal boost I quilt something in black and grey (my favorite colors). If I'm frustrated by my complicated life, I make a small, quick quilt. If I'm feeling creative, I take on a brand new technique.

I can quit quilting in the middle of a project, put it on the UFO (unfinished objects) shelf and let it sit there until it learns it's lesson. Quilts don't go bad. As far as i know, they have an infinite shelf life when stored with a little sense. I can come back to a quilt five years after it was started and pick up with it as though I'd put it on the shelf yesterday. Quilts don't mind.

So there may be a few therapists out there with too much time on their hands.

I recommend that they start quilting.