Oh, No! It's Happening Again!

I've got a new addiction. Here's how I know I've been bitten by the quilting bug: I'm beginning to buy quilting books. I can't go into a store without looking at the selection of quilting books. Late last spring, I realized storage space in my sewing room was disappearing, so I sorted through my collection of sewing books and donated lots of them to the public library. I was very proud of myself. Now I'm buying more books. Of course, I knew this would happen. I just didn't think it would be quilting books.

As a beginning quilter, these are the books I've found most helpful.

1. Quilter's Mix & Match Blocks: This book contains instructions for 50 blocks. Some blocks are very easy and some are more challenging. As a beginner, I appreciate the step-by-step block construction directions. I bought this book a few years ago, but never found the motivation to use it. Now, I'm really glad I bought it. It also includes directions for borders, batting and binding.

2. Start Quilting: This was the reference for the quilting class I took last spring. It covers all the basics, including directions for 6 easy blocks. As with the Mix and Match book, it has all the information you need to make a quilt from beginning to end.

3. Machine Quilting: As in garment sewing, there are certain quilting "celebrities" and Alex Anderson is one of them. I think the actual quilting (as opposed to piecing) is going to be the hardest thing for me to learn. I bought this book hoping Alex would make it easier. She didn't. It just takes practice, practice and practice.

4. The Quilting Answer Book: The subtitle of this book is "Solutions for Every Problem You'll Ever Face - Answers to Every Question You'll Ever Ask" and I really think that's true. Whenever I've had a question, I found it covered in this book. This book 6 1/2 x 4 1/2 and 1 inch thick - small enough to stick in my purse and carry around.

Book buying is not the only sign of my addiction. This week I drove TWICE to Steve's Sew and Vac in King of Prussia, PA – a notorious black hole shopping/traffic area, especially during the holiday season. And, after Steve's didn't have what I wanted, I drove 25 more miles to Hayes Sewing Machine Co. in Wilmington, DE. I had to get just the right fabric!

A few years ago, I got hooked on soap making. After the initial thrill wore off (and I had almost 100 bars of soap), I settled into making soap only when the mood hits me. I think the same thing will happen with quilting. So, I'm not worried that quilting will replace garment sewing as my major obsession. I will always, always be primarily a garment sewer. Quilting just gives me more of a variety of projects to sew.