Crazy Quilting

When I was just a little girl, my mom showed me the family quilt that women from my mom’s side of the family had been working on for almost a century. The quilt had several different patches, and each patch was sewn by a different family member. It was then that I started learning how to quilt. When I was just sixteen, I had become quite the seamstress, and already had my patch for the family quilt completed. Together with my mom and her embroidery supplies, we sewed on the patch and then for several years, the quilt passed to my aunt who had her own daughter.

While I think it’s still a long way off, I hope to one day teach my daughter how to quilt and carry on the tradition of our family quilt with my own family. Quilting is a great practice that can help you to get in touch with your heritage and know a little about your ancestors. For example, my Great Aunt Janne loved to play soccer! On her patch there was a soccer ball sewn in the corner.

Anybody who has tried to make a quilt is very aware of the fact that it’s a difficult endeavor. Quilting takes an amazing amount of precision, and even if you’re sloppy with one portion, the entire thing can be thrown off and skewed. But there are tricks to be learned that will help you to make the neatest, most precise quilts possible. And many of those tricks are learned either through years of practice or direct lessons.

In terms of the latter, quilting is often passed down through the generations. From grandmother to mother to daughter, the art and tricks of quilting are often kept within a family. If you know how to quilt, take the opportunity to teach a relative or friend some of your trademark embroidery quilt designs. It’s a great way to bond, and you will also develop a skill that you can take with you for the rest of your life.

In days of old, the sewing circle was more than just a place for women to get together and hone their stitch work. These were social forums where ladies would meet to talk about the pressing issues of the day – both personal and political. The social side of arts and crafts groups is often overlooked as people tend to focus on the educational and productive sides.

Even if sewing in itself doesn’t appeal to you, there are other creative outlets that can get you involved in group activities. Pick up a paper or surf the Internet for crazy quilting sessions. In some cases, instructors will hold workshops at community colleges and neighborhood centers. Crazy quilt embroidery is as creatively fulfilling as it is fun. No two people ever end up with the same finished design.

No matter the art or craft, there will always be that one task that hobbyists hate to perform. Whether it’s because of perceived difficulty or the physical exertion required, some duties just seem like too much to bear. Even the burliest, most experienced do-it-yourself types hate hanging drywall in a new home. It’s back-breaking work, and one slipup can be very expensive indeed. In the realm of embroidery, the French knot is the rough equivalent.

But while sheetrock is undeniably straining, French knots are actually easier than one might think. They require skill and dexterity in the fingers to be sure, but with the help of a few embroidery books, you can learn to accomplish and even master this daunting quilting feat. Of course French knots are not just infamous because of their degree of difficulty – they are just as celebrated for their visual appeal.