Patience and Persistents

One thing you can say about quilting, It is not for the faint of heart.  It takes a lot of work, a lot of patience, and a lot of time.  Fortunately, it my experience, quilter's are not easily deterred.  One day while working at the quilt shop, the power went out.  Without lights, our shop is dark, even during the day.  There are few windows, and they are all in the front of the store.  Plus, picking out fabrics is kind of a visual thing.  One would think that this would be a hindrance to any costumers who might come in.  They came anyway.  One after another they came into the door, stopped for a moment, asked if we were closed and, after being assured that the power was just out, continued with their shopping.  Some went back out to their cars to get flash lights so they could more easily navigate out shelves, but not one of them turned around and went home.  Eventually, once all of the costumers cleared out, we did close up early, but I was still surprised at how determined our costumers could be.

The thing is, if quilting was all about finishing projects, no one would do it.  Don't get me wrong, there is a great deal of satisfaction to finishing a project, but if you didn't enjoy the proses, it wouldn't be worth it.  I have often heard that quilting is not a race.  It isn't about how many quilts you get done, it's about having fun while you do it. You can buy a quilt, but you can't buy the experience of making something with your own hands.  It is the journey that makes the destination worth while. 

Let me start by saying one thing, English is great.  You use it everywhere.  Regardless of your occupation, hobbies, or social/economic situation you will at some point need to read, write, or talk.  Those who chose English as a major can usually go on to do anything: publishing, teaching, law, medicine, construction, bricklaying.  A background in English can help with all of these.

I didn't want to be a bricklayer or a teacher when I grew up. I wanted to be a writer.  So English seemed to be the way to go.  The problem with being a writer, you need a day job.  Few of us become overnight successes right out of collage.  And when I graduated with my bachelors and no offers to become a rich and famous author, I set out to find myself a day job.

A quilt shop may not be the first place you would expect an English major to work, but that is exactly where I ended up.  I must admit that after four+ years of reading and writing, it was a nice break to spend some time cutting and stitching.  Plus, as I said earlier, English prepares you for everything, even quilting.  Here are just some of the ways quilting is like Writing:

1. There Must Be Order to All Things. Remember how in elementary school they taught you to make an outline before you start writing? (I was never really good at that, by the way, it wasn't until I started working on ten page papers that I really understood the reasoning) Well, the same is true in quilting you need a plan. Even if your making it up as you go along, it helps to have something to refer back to when you get lost.
2. Everyone Has Their Own Opinion. Not everyone likes the same kinds of books or the same kind of writing.  I prefer creative writing and fiction books.  Yet I have know some people whose main focus was technical writing.  I've know people who can only read non-fiction.  Fiction just doesn't appeal to them.  Quilters are the same way.  Some lean towards bright colors and contemporary prints.  Others like the dull colors and traditional prints.  Everyone is different and they all lean toward different things. It doesn't make them wrong, just different.  And differences are good.
3. It Takes Determination and Hard Work to Complete a Project.  It takes a lot of time to finish a book.  Then it takes even longer to go through and edit it and rewrite it to get to where you want it to be.  Quilting takes just as much time and dedication.  Piecing the top, stitching the layers, binding.  But in both cases, when your done you have something you can be proud of.
4. You Have to Enjoy What Your Doing.  It is ten times easier to write a paper when you are actually interested in the subject.  Try writing an essay on watching paint dry and you'll see what I mean.  the results will be better if you enjoy what your doing as well.  If you don't like the fabrics or the pattern you are working on, the quilt will not be as much fun to work on.  The results may be technically just as good, but you still won't like it as much

There are probably more correlations between the two activities.  Of course these lessons apply to more then just writing and quilting.  Everything we do need to have the same degree of organization, cooperation, dedication, and fun!