Too many is never enoughI recently saw an Instagram reel where a happy quilter pulled Christmas quilt after Christmas quilt out of a chest. There were at least nine of them. All of them unfinished, of course. I’m sure the casual observer would say, “That is a ridiculous number of quilts, let alone Christmas quilts”. If the same video were shown to the average quilter, I am sure they would conclude, “That’s not so many quilts”. Why so many quilts? The answer is simple.
To a quilter, a quilt is not just a practical thing which keeps you warm and toasty in bed at night. For that purpose, you’d literally need one quilt, maybe two if you had a summer one and a winter one in a diverse climate. But to us quilters, a quilt is not a mere utilitarian object, it’s a work of art! Hours are spent choosing the design, the layout, the color scheme, the type of stitching, the type of binding and more. Maybe we are choosing the perfect arrangement as a gift for an important life chapter such as a birth or a wedding. Maybe we are making a gift following a theme we know the recipient will love. Maybe we are creating a wall decoration to emit a certain vibe. Maybe we are honoring a loved one with blocks made from cherished bits of clothing.
No matter the motivation, every quilt is different. Each has its own personality and its own purpose. For that, we are going to need a lot more quilts!