Serious quilter?

A couple of people (non quilters) had remarked that, "You are serious about your quilting."

I heard the remark and let it sink in. What does it mean to be a serious quilter?

Perhaps I should say that one commenter noticed that I "went sewing" on New Year's Day. I didn't realize it was New Year's Day when I made prior arrangements. We meet up every Tuesdays and that Tuesday was not going to be any different. Afterall I was in good company. The activity is stimulating, the conversation almost always interesting and the things I learn from my quilting friends are valuable, mind you not just about quilting techniques but life lessons as well.

And nobody's going to look at me funny when I tell them about my frustration of not being able to sew or not getting corners meet. For us going out buying fabric is a good reason to congregate and hangout.

Not all of them share my zeal when it comes to pre washing, ironing and starching fabric. But the moral support from fellow quilters and how much they are willing to share information is phenomenal.

I cannot honestly call myself a serious quilter because I don't enter competitions nor do I even sew enough to qualify as one. I didn't finish a whole quilt last year. Only a top. But yes I am passionate about quilting. I can spend hours with my fabric, arranging them, looking through books and patterns looking for inspiration, surfing through other quilting blogs for ideas and inspiration. I trawl through the net looking for a manual for my sewing machine. I make my DH drive for a couple of hours or 3 so that I could get the needles and the feet I needed.

For me quilting is not about making a blanket for use in cold winter nights. Quilting is about a work of art. I put my heart and soul together in different colors of fabrics to create something with my hands. It makes me aspire to try new things. It allows me to translate or recreate something I have seen into something I have made.

Quilting is part of who I am, it is what I do and what I love. My passion.

Now I just have to figure out a way to make money from my passion.

Arggghhhhh

Finally my sewing machine is seeing some action. I haven't used it for so long that I forgot how to adjust the speed!! Shame on me!

At the moment I am working on the following:

1. Lone Star project, thanks to Ev@lyn. I stared this project I think 2 years ago but abandoned it. Goos time to pick it up again I guess.

2. My challenge quilt. I have to start and finish it soon!

3. Crumb quilt. I am getting a bit obsessive about not throwing out any form of scraps! At first I kept the crumb/scraps for The Little One's collage. Just something to keep her busy while I sew. Then I saw Kumiko Sudo's pattern about Temari balls and I wanted to do one. [She had used scraps and crumbs at the center or heart of the temari balls.] ANd then I saw Patti's tutorial about crumb quilts and I am inspired to do one!

3. My demo for AWC
At first I thought I'd just do Hidden Wells because I had done the demo for the Guild last year. Then I remembered that some members found my handout confusing and thought perhaps I should do a new one. I tried using Excel to do the new one but got stumped. So I thought why don't I sew a new one and take step-by-step pictures and put the pictures in the handout. But my camera is missing! I have been looking for it for the past 2 days with no luck!

I have started cutting new strips of fabrics for the demo.

But now I am thinking perhaps I should just do a Rail Fence demo instead.

I am undecided!

I still need to buy felt to be used as a design board. I should look at the location and start planning for my demo! Do I need to construct my own design wall?

Argghh!

4. My demo for the Guild

I had an idea of what I wanted to do but changed my mind about doing it because I don't want to reveal my challenge quilt pattern.

I guess I can fall back on the scrappy quilt I made last year but I am not sure if I will add value to the members who show up. Is it good enough for them?

Or perhaps I can take up a theme of scrappy quilts for the evening. Which means I have to sew up the quilt prior to the demo. Argghhhhhh.

Hence I started sewing the crumbs scrappy quilt.

5. Autumn leaves paper piecing
I saw the pattern awhile back and thought that perhaps I would like to do it someday. Ev@lyn has a class but I couldn't really go because I thought it would be too much for The Little One for me to be out 2 evenings in a row in the week. But I went ahead and bought a package anyways. Because I love how she put different fabrics together and I thought that since its a package I don't have to wreck my brain and my stash deciding what colors to put together.

6. BOM from the Guild
I spent one hour sewing the blocks the other day. I am still behind. They are on the 5th month now but I've only done 1.5 months. I have to catch up! I have decided that any design with small triangles in them are too taxing for me. [Which was why I started on the crumbs scrappy quilt project.] It was my own "anti accurate triangles" sewing movement hahahah.

And with every moment I sew I feel guilty that I am not spending my time with The Little One. Perhaps I should have brought her to the play park myself instead of sending the nanny to send her there?

Am I missing out watching her develop and play while I devote my time to some sewing?

But it is thoughts like this that caused a halt in my sewing the past few months. I feel guilty that I spent all the money acquiring the "other baby" and then just letting it sit in front of the window to collect dust.

Decisions/choices/priorities!

I am just so torn into so many directions!