Instant Gratification

Hi. I’m Erika.

I guess I should begin by welcoming you to my brand-spanking-new-most-fabulous(maybe?)-quilting-blog. I love to write and I love to quilt, so this blog was an obvious step for me. I also think that, as someone relatively new to quilting, it will be useful for me to journal my progress and hopefully share what I’ve learned with others who may be interested in sewing or quilting.

I received my beautiful baby sewing machine as a graduation present from my wonderful boyfriend! I barely knew how to sew when I received it, and am pretty entirely self taught with the help of a few books and many more wonderful blogs out there. I’m hoping to share my successes and failures with the e-world, here, as I continue to learn to quilt.

Why Quilting?

I’m not sure what exactly gave me the itch to quilt. I don’t have any friends or family members that quilt (that I know of). I’ve always admired and enjoyed well-put together, beautiful quilts. I’m also obsessed with color and playing around with contrasting/complimentary patterns. Quilting, however, still isn’t an obvious choice of a hobby for me. Even though I am crafty and like to make cards, scrapbook, knit and crochet, I have always been an instant-gratification type of person. I have very little patience. Evidence: This morning I had microwaveable chicken fingers for breakfast even though my fridge and cupboards are stocked with eggs, bacon, bread, and pancake mix, because I literally could not wait the amount of time it takes to scramble an egg to eat breakfast. (Oh, the shame.) I do not take delight in having to wait for anything. Ever. I’m sure everyone who knows me can attest to this.

Anyone who quilts or is close to anyone who quilts knows that it is not a quick-and-dirty type of hobby. Hours upon hours of work go into a quilt and there are many stages. For me, I think the number of stages that go into quilting help me keep motivated to finish and move on. I know that the cutting phase can be tedious, but I also know that as soon as I’m done I’ll be able to start piecing, which is way more exciting. Piecing my backing together is always pretty boring, but I know that it’s an easy step that I just have to get past. Basting is exhausting and involves a lot of frustration for me (no matter whether I choose to stitch, pin, or spray baste), but I’m so excited to get that quilt sandwich under my machine and start designing my quilting that I push through. Etc. Etc.

Another reason why I should never have taken an interest in quilting: I am a procrastinator of the highest degree. I will put off doing unpleasant tasks until I literally have a panic attack and cannot put them off anymore. On my last pair of clean underwear? Ok, now I’ll do the laundry. Out of cups (and mugs and anything else that will hold liquid)? Okay, now I’ll wash the dishes. During my undergrad years, I think I started less than 5 papers (and as an English major, I had to write a whole lot of papers) earlier than the night before they were due. I literally wrote multiple 10 to 15 page papers the night before they were due. There are aspects of quilting that are unpleasant to me. I am terrible at cutting straight lines, despite the aid of my mat, rotary cutter, and rulers. Why don’t I procrastinate? Because I can’t if I ever want to get to the fun bits like piecing.

I think what I’m trying to convey is that you don’t have to be an overly patient person who pays meticulous attention to details in order to enjoy quilting or in order to quilt well. I think my whimsical and light-hearted attitude toward quilting has made it one of the most enjoyable hobbies I’ve ever had.

Stay tuned for my next post and some amusing anecdotes about things I’ve learned the hard way.