Reasons

Sometimes I wonder what I'm doing everyday... I work. I am sort of a housewife. I take care of animals. I make quilts. It seems like I should be doing more, especially in the patchwork department, and I'm not talking about quantity. I turn out a lot of quilts of all sizes. It makes for a lot of pondering and the end result is very fulfilling. It's nice to see those finishes.

But why am I making quilts? Sometimes the only reason I'm making them is to use up fabric. This seems like a dumb reason to me. Sometimes the reason is because I want to see if I CAN follow the directions or use the challenging fabrics.

"That's a new technique... Can I really make that quilt?"

Like solving puzzles I want to see IF I can do it. Another reason is because I am gratified by the praise I get... from friends nearby and blog.

These don't seem like good reasons to be making quilts. It all seems so selfish.

I haven't gotten involved in charity quilts except for the Prayers and Squares quilts that I make for people I know who are in need of one. My production is pretty sporadic and I don't think I'd be able to commit to a certain number of quilts a year etc. I even notice that when making a quilt, if I don't have someone in mind, my heart isn't in it and it is a boring sewing process not an act of giving. The piecing and quilting go much faster if I know so-and-so is going to receive the quilt.

It's a quandary. I am happy to see the many quilts that get made but embarrassed that they all belong to me. What would I be doing if I wasn't making quilts? Watching TV...

Why do you make quilts? Am I the only one who feels like I'm having too good a time just making?