I’m really liking that quilting course GC and I are taking. We’re five weeks in, with three to go.
I need to pick up the pace of production, though, since I’ve only finished four of the twelve blocks.
But I have to say this: quilting is hard, slow work for me.
I have to think about everything before I do it. I mentally work through and double check and triple check every little thing, because if I don’t, my pieces will be upside down or backwards or sideways, and then I’ll have to unsew them. Even after all that thinking and triple-checking, I still end up with wonky bits that have to be unsewn.
I think it’s a spatial reasoning thing. You know that part of the IQ test where you’re shown pictures of pieces of flat cardboard and you have to mentally manipulate them and identify what shape box they’ll fold into? I had to guess on all of them, because my brain can’t do that.
Quilting uses that part of the brain.
Even though quilting is hard for me, I like it. It’s full of surprises. I’m delighted when something works. I follow the instructions and cut and sew and fold and cut and unfold and voila! It’s a real pinwheel!
I also like seeing the whole thing coming together, bit by bit. Not just mine, either – it’s fun to watch GC’s quilt taking shape, as well as all my other classmates’. Even though we’re all making the same sampler quilt, our fabrics are completely different, which makes them all unique.
Here’s the teacher’s sampler quilt, by the way. So far I’ve made the first and third squares in the first and third rows. GC has made those ones, plus the second square in the first row.
I’m very happy with the course. It’s a good group of people, and the teacher is excellent. I don’t think I could have taught myself how to quilt from books, which is how I learn most stuff. As an added bonus, I’m learning how to sew at the same time*. (I’m learning how to iron, too. I used to think you just went swish swish swish, back and forth all over the fabric until the wrinkles were gone. But no. Ironing is an art.)
*I love the sewing machine, Connie. Thank you so much.
I’m glad you like the machine. I am not able to create things like that easily either, and I get too frustrated to continue. I admire you for sticking with it. Show us pictures of your squares!
I learned to quilt by taking a course just like the one you’re taking 12 years ago now (yikes!) and I wouldn’t change that for anything. There’s lots of stuff you can learn on your own, but that course taught me so many important techniques that I never would have figured out on my own or understood from books.
Are you quilting by hand or by machine? I took a hand-quilting class in a previous lifetime – back in the dark ages when the fanciest thing most sewing machines did was zigzag. We practiced techniques by making pillow tops. (Guess what everyone got for xmas that year.) I liked hand quilting and liked how portable it was. I eventually stitched together an entire bedspread, but have never quilted it. It is one of those projects waiting for me to retire. Can’ wait to see your quilt squares, zoom, and GC’s. (That is one special guy you have there – I don’t know many other men who would be interested in quilting!)
I don’t confess this to just everyone, but I don’t mind ironing.
And I have some ironing essential accessories, like a sleeve board, a ham, and best of all, a clapper. However, what I lack is a really good iron. I am making do with one that dribbles water sometimes and only steams full blast – no such thing as a little bit of steam. I have to get a new one some day. And I know you don’t have to spend a fortune to get a good one. I have to do some research.
I’ve never seen one of those fold the cardboard to make a box questions before, but after looking at the example you give for five minutes, I’ve come to the conclusion that I have no spatial reasoning skills either.
I made a quilt once with help from my neighbour. I enjoyed it a lot, but have never felt the urge to do it again. It was a lot of work.
I’m curious about the art of ironing though. Could you write a post about that? I’m totally serious and not teasing…I kind of like ironing and would appreciate some tips!