Recently, I was asked for a sewing machine contest by YCQT to share why I love quilting. So, I stopped to really think about it.

I thought about how it gives me a diversion from all of the crazyness that life has to offer at times. If you quilt or sew, or really do any type of crafting, you can relate; just by planting myself in front of the sewing machine, or by handling fabric, I can feel the tension begin to melt away. There is something tranquil, almost therapeutic in the cutting and arranging of fabric, or in the soft whirring of the sewing machine.

I thought about how, while quilting is something I do in solitude, I can also do it with others. Sometimes my daughters quilt and sew with me.

I thought about how sometimes I quilt and sew with my sewing circle (our group is mentioned in previous posts on this blog) in our quest to provide quilts and other sewn items for those in need in our area. We have sewn for families of deceased infants, abandoned babies, the elderly, the homeless, families living in shelters–the list goes on and on. We do not have outside financial backing, and many of us are not much better off than those for whom we sew; our fabric comes to us through donations. (If you have any fabric you’d like to donate, by the way, let me know; we’d be ever so grateful.)

I thought about how it would be great to work with a brand new machine. New machines often sew faster, and, for the most part, do not need frequent repairs, so you can sew more in the same amount of time. But whether our machines are new, fairly new, vintage, or otherwise, we will continue with our mission. Even with older, vintage machines (from the 60s, quite often), we do all that we can for the babies, children, women and men of our community.

Go to YCQT’s website here and share your own story–and enter the contest, too!