The Sexual Morality of Quilting

Photo from Oh, Fransson!

This is a blog of vices, my vices. A vice, according to Mirriam-Webster Dictionary, is a "a habitual and usually trivial defect or shortcoming." It is also "sexual immorality; prostitution." This will not be a blog of defects or prostitution, but it will be blog of shortcomings. It will also be a blog of addictions, something I'm sure many people would consider a shortcoming. But my addictions are a little different than most. There are some common but harmless addictions like reading and writing. But then there are my odd addictions, one being crafting. That's right, crafting: knitting, sewing, scrapbooking, and baking. I just can't get enough of it. And my most recent crafting foray is quilting. After everything else it seemed like a natural progression. Within days of becoming interested in quilting, I found my first project: Elizabeth Hartman's Tokyo Subway Map Quilt.



Photo from Oh, Fransson!



Photo from Oh, Fransson!

Elizabeth Hartman is pretty well-known in the online quilting world and has even published a book on quilting, The Practical Guide to Patchwork: New Basics for the Modern Quiltmaker. On her blog, Oh, Fransson!, Elizabeth hosts a number of quilt-alongs that, unlike traditional quilt-alongs, can be joined at any time. I love the look of this quilt and, if given the opportunity, would likely buy it. Unfortunately the quilt is not for sale. But there are step-by-step instructions to make one of my own. So that's what I'm going to do.

I am new to quilting meaning I have never quilted before in my life. So why would I be embarking on a quilt that looks like this and not one that's much simpler? Because I'm an over-achiever. Also, Elizabeth says this on her blog:

"A note about difficulty level . . .The construction of this quilt is both incredibly straightforward and deceptively complex.  The fact that every block is made only of squares means that we'll only be cutting squares and sewing with straight seams.  However, the small size and large number of the squares, as well as the unconventional arrangement of the subway "lines" running through each block, demands a certain amount of precision.  In particular, it will be imperative to keep seam allowance consistent throughout the quilt. Please let your own comfort level be your guide in deciding whether this is a project for you."

Instead of letting my comfort level be my guide I'm going to ignore any trepidation I feel and go for it. I've sewn for years. I own a sewing machine. Sewing a whole bunch of straight lines can't be too hard, right?

The quilt is made up of 1 600 small squares, twelve different colours and, I imagine, infinite patience.



Photo from Oh, Fransson!

 Elizabeth has thoughtfully supplied a colour guide so quilters unsure of themselves (me) can easily buy enough fabric. Unfortunately, breaking it down does not make me feel any better about there being 1 600 squares. What does make me feel slightly better is that Fabricland has all their quilting cotton on sale right now. So 1 600 squares is going to cost a whole lot less than I though it would. Unlike most seasoned quilters, I don't have a stash of fabrics to pull from and need to purchase every piece of fabric that will be going into this quilt.

I doubt many people would consider quilting "a habitual and usually trivial defect or shortcoming" or "sexually immoral" but it is definitely something I would consider a vice. I spend money I don't have on it, I probably shouldn't be doing it, and it is probably going to be bad for my health. But I enjoy it and, unlike some vices, I'll come out of it with a (hopefully) gorgeous quilt. Sexual immorality has nothing on quilting!