Therapeutic Quilting

There are lots of reasons I quilt.

Of course I quilt for my family and friends. I enjoy the process of deciding what kind of quilt I want to make for them, choosing fabrics and actually doing the piecing. I feel like I am putting a part of me in every stitch and my hope is that they will feel my love every time they use the quilt.

At times, I quilt for profit. There is a wonderful feeling I get when I see the reaction of customers who see the finished quilt that they only saw as a pencil sketch, EQ sketch, or just a pile of fabric. It ALWAYS makes me smile. :-)

Many times I quilt for donation. I've made quilts for Quilts for Kids, Quilts of Valor, Honor Flight, Hands2Help, etc. I make lots of quilts for local organizations, including quilts for auction or raffles. I enjoy making these quilts. Not only do those in need get quilts, it allows me to try new patterns or techniques. I think it's a win/win situation. :-)

Another reason that I quilt is because it's therapeutic for me. Today's quilting is for therapy.

This quilt is for Brandon's family and it's meant to be a celebration of his life. He loved Star Wars and was studying to be a history teacher. Each of the squares has something to do with Star Wars, geography, history, movies, etc. He was a really nice young man who was taken from us far too early. http://www.pfeilfuneralhome.com/notices/Brandon-Preece

I started sketching this Christmas Eve night and pulled fabric last night. I cut squares late last night and started putting it up on the design wall. I started sewing this morning and now I'm auditioning borders. I think I'll add the wide grey border, a narrow dark border to the top and bottom, and then another border of one of the Star Wars fabric to make this more of a rectangular quilt. I'll add what's here and then audition the others to make my decision. I should have this finished later today and will get it quilted and give it to the family Monday.

I'm thankful to have this skill and passion. I hope that it is not only helpful to me, but to others as well.

Hug your loved ones!