My quilts tell stories. They consist of fabrics that tell stories.
Memorabilia, worn clothes, bedlinen, curtains, tablecloths, fabrics that were given to me as presents, fabrics I had to hunt down, fabrics I shopped online late at night in bed as a reward, fabrics I exchanged with sewing friends, fabrics I inherited, fabrics that were given to me to turn them into something special, and so on.
Some fabrics came free, some were cheap, some were expensive because I bought them overseas which comes with high packaging, freight and custom fees.
The way I work with the materials and the reasons why I choose the appropriate patterns is a completely different story.
Patchwork and Quilting is so much more for me than just spending my free time sewing.
I am loving it and it loves me. When I sew, I am totally with myself, and the rest of the world is simply irrelevant.
Working with textiles is a special form of expressing oneself. It is play, composition, tradition, handcrafting, art, tenderness, endurance and concentration training, mindfulness and it is also therapy in a way.
I really started sewing patchwork when I was a single raising mum. Collecting the fabrics, hunting them on the internet or in local shops, organizing them, patting them, washing and preparing them for sewing, making plans on how to turn them into something wonderful, etc. fulfilled me and gave me a warm feeling of perfect well-being It brightened up my late evenings when the kids were asleep and when, what felt like really the long days, were over. Then I had time to turn to my fabrics and to my works.
To be able to turn to pieces which you can control completely, pieces which can grow bit by bit in a calm way, or at least in my tempo, was fulfilling. And what I made remained – unlike cooking, laundry, and cleaning. Also, when it´s done you have something warm to cuddle in and with and something you can gift to a loved one.
I love that I can live a self-determined life as a woman and that I can love freely whomever I choose and for as long as I want. I like to celebrate this fact by sewing quilts using traditional techniques. And I am thankful to all my wonderful, strong ancestors who were hard-working women who had to endure a lot to raise their kids, feed their families and hold them together or who also worked in family businesses. Their diligence and impact prepared the ground for the progress and prosperity we see around here today.
Sometimes I have the feeling that they are looking over my shoulder while I sew, or they gather around me and spend time sewing on their own works.
During my first ten years of sewing I learned all the skills that now enable me to sew the way I like. And I have been able to become familiar with and buy almost all the materials I use nowadays – I am loving it!
Do you know the art of David Hettinger or Andrew Wyeth? I like them a lot, and I like the way they painted their world.
