Quilting: My New Obsession
How it's come to this.
It seems I've fallen hard down the quilting rabbit hole. This recent obsession has me reflecting on how I ended up here because it wasn't as simple as flicking on a light switch. No, my friends, it all began a few years ago with just a trickle, but it wasn't until a few months back that the floodgates burst open. And now, here I am, cranking out quilt after quilt.
I came to quilting about five years ago. I watched Jaclyn Salem's YouTube Tutorial and thought it looked fun!
The first quilt I ever made was with a 5" charm pack (pictured above). I just sewed all the squares together into one big square, got some batting and pre-made binding from Amazon, and used an old bed sheet for the backing. The finished quilt isn't perfect, but the process of piecing it together and watching my cat Bella claim it as her own scratched an itch I didn't know I had. This may sound weird but there's something about piecing a quilt block together that triggers a dopamine release in my brain. By the way, my cat still curls up on this quilt today!
While I saw more quilting in my future, the bug came and went. I had plenty of knitting projects to keep me busy and was also very much into garment sewing. The thought of throwing another craft into the mix overwhelmed me but then... enter the Pandemic!
My knitting mojo hit an all-time low and had a growing disenchantment with garment sewing. With everything happening in the world, all I wanted was to look at pretty fabric and sew straight lines. Quilting was calling out to me once again!
However, the finished quilt top sat in my linen closet for over two years before I finally sent it out to a long-armer. To be honest, I wasn't eager to tackle free-motion quilting on my Janome again. Plus, Missouri Star (not sponsored, just a fan!) did an incredible job. They couldn't have selected a more fitting motif - it complements the fabric prints perfectly! I'm head over heels for this quilt, so much so that I hung it up on our dining room wall. Being a huge William Morris fan, I was excited to decorate with it!
It wasn't until recently that the quilting bug struck hard — REALLY hard. I don't know what opened the floodgates but I suddenly find myself churning out ALL the quilts! Since June of 2022, I can count eight:
Baby Kisses by Missouri Star (FO - quilted on my Janome, gifted to Bella)
Winter Star by Missouri Star (FO- Gifted to my in-laws)
Night Vision by Modernly Morgan (Currently at the long-armer)
Montana Primrose by Laundry Basket Quilts (FO)
A Scrappy Irish Chain using leftover fat quarters from the Montana-Primrose (Finished Quilt Top)
Getaway Quilt by Lo & Behold Stitchery (FO)
Connected Stars Table Runner by Missouri Star (FO)
Cozy Cabins by Missouri Star (Finished Quilt Top)
I'm listing these projects here for future reference because I'm hoping to write separate blog posts for them at some point.
Even though knitting is and forever will be my first love, quilting has found a place in my heart. It's here to stay! I even pulled the trigger and upgraded my sewing machine to a Juki TL-2010Q which is a BEAST and a dream for quilting! What I once found annoying or tricky to sew on my Janome, is pure joy to sew on my Juki. Isn't it amazing what having the right tools can do?
And that, my friends, is how I came to quilting. I'm having so much fun learning about all the different techniques, quilt blocks, and history behind quilt making. Looking back on all the places knitting has taken me, I'm excited to see what doors this new rabbit hole will open.