Don't be afraid!!!

So I have a little bit of a rant today.

Last night I went to my monthly scrap club meeting at Prickly Pear Quilts in Helena, MT, http://www.pricklypearquilts.com/.  I absolutely love this group!  Every lady is amazingly talented, gloriously different, and all around awesome.  I leave feeling refreshed and ready to start something new....LOVE them!

We had a discussion though regarding the actual quilting of the quilt.  Now, I truly feel we should not do something we hate in regards to quilting and there are individuals who hate the quilting part on our domestic machines, (or dislike it intensely if hate is too strong a word).  Then there are others that do not enjoy piecing, I know.... gasp! I think if that is the case you should do what you enjoy.  The piecers of the world unite and take your quilt tops to the longarmers of the world and it makes the world a better place.  Both are just as talented as someone who enjoys both parts of the process, (and yes there are lots of people who vary on the spectrum of what they do and don't like, crossing into both sides, me included) .

What I don't want any quilter to feel though is that they can't.  They can't quilt the actual quilt so they don't try, or they are scared to try because the results have not been good.  This makes me sad because at one time that was me....When I was younger I didn't paint because my brother was so good I couldn't compete.  I didn't quilt because my grandmother and aunt were so amazing.  I didn't garden or try rollerblading.  Probably because I have a personality that says, "be the best".   When I was 25, after divorce, I said to myself.....life is short, this is it, if your scared- do it anyway, if you know you will be bad, do it anyway and don't judge whether its worth doing based upon the result but how it made you feel!  Just give yourself up to the process.

I followed that motto and it led me to painting which I thoroughly enjoyed.  The gardening bug hit and I am still gardening.  Quilting came along and I danced a happy dance, though I was atrocious at the start.

Then I discovered FMQ and I fell in love, despite tension issues, ugly stitches, and breaking thread.  All of which sometimes continues to this day.......I have quilted every quilt I have made because of this love and given myself permission to not be perfect.  It does not look as good as a longarmers quilt but it's mine.  I take classes because I enjoy them, I am constantly striving to be better because it's a challenge...and now with my new frame I would like to tackle a different way to FMQ....

So end of rant .....  I pray that the fellow quilters of the world will be gentle with others of our kind, but most especially ourselves and not be scared to try free motion quilting because sometimes it is a catharsis to our soul.