A Guest blogger

Dear Blog Readers

I have written a guest post at Quilting Gallery today. There I described my "journey" from Quilter to quilter/digitized embroiderer. For me the two still go hand in hand. Quilting is my life and machine embroidery is just another way to make my quilts special and unique.

For me this is always important- to make quilts that is ME. What would it help me to duplicate a quilt already made? If I see a beautiful quilt I admire it and it can inspire me and I might want to try this pattern- but I will never duplicate some one's else fabric or colors. When my daughter saw my sixpoint star/babyblock quilt, her comment was that my quilts do not look like that anymore. But she can tell it is a quilt I made because it do have "my look".

A few photo's that I could not show on the guest blog due to the fact that I could sent only 6 photos. Here is a bigger piece of the sampler quilt with machine embroidery.

And here is some more of the applique blocks I digitized from Aie Rossman's patterns.

I read two blog posts today that made me think. The first is a wonderful thoughtful post written by Quilt Artist Elizabeth Barton. This post can help you get in your sewing room/studio and be more productive.

The other post saddened me. Unfortunately I did not bookmark it properly and cannot find it now. This quilter was writing about how guilty she feel when she spent time on her sewing projects. She cannot do that without feeling she should rather give attention to her child or husband. Or she felt she should be busy with household tasks.

Luckily for me I have been quilting before my marriage. My husband married me as a total package and this was part of me. The first few years I thought I could make a living from quilting. I wrote a book, "Machine Patchwork" in 1991 and I taught classes in piecing and later quilting.

The book did not really make money- neither did it bring me fame or make my classes more popular. When my children was between 3-14 they needed more attention and I have to give class less often. As it go, other teachers became more popular and were nearer to the demand of quilters to be taught. On the farm I was 100 km from Cape Town and I really struggled with issues about the validation of my work.

I wasn't a quilt artist and the time spending quilting did not bring in money. Bed quilts could not even be sold at the fabric cost and I started to feel that my quilting was worthless.

Society value a person often on the monetary value of one's work. Then one begin to value yourself on this terms. I felt that I should earn money to have a valuable life. I worked out side the house at the PPC cement factory. Although I enjoyed this I missed my quilting and I made time for that between all the other demands on my time.

I have realised that time spent creating is valuable for myself. Even if it did not bring in money, without quilting in my life- my life was without meaning. I am a better mother and wife if I have lots of quilting and enough time to spent on my projects than without it.

Do you feel that you have to validate your quilting- or is quilting for one self a valuable thing to do?

I would like to hear your views?
Marié