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Quilting: the story of an obsession.

Article Excerpt
We all have hobbies. Some of us dedicate a large part of our lives to them while others just dabble from time to time. I know people who spend hours in their admittedly impressive gardens. My neighbor paints portraits; his wife loves writing haiku. A former colleague specialized in turning large blocks of wood into smaller blocks of wood without creating a single worthwhile thing. He just enjoyed the time spent with power tools in his workshop.

Me, I'm a stripper. I can't help it; it's a hobby-turned-obsession. When I first started down this compulsive path I was naive enough to think that I could quit any time I wanted. But I can't. I've joined chat groups and participated in local gatherings at the nearby church, but nothing seems to help. In fact, it's only gotten worse.

Asking my husband isn't helpful, either. He just shrugs. "What do you expect ... your mother is a hooker."

There is a big difference, I argue. You can't tar us with the same brush! My mom only uses 100 percent wool for her hand-hooked rugs. I sew with nothing but pure cotton. No compromises. Sure, we both use strips, but her mechanical cutter is a specialized one with a .25 mm blade, while I prefer 2.5" widths with a rotary blade. Shopping with her is a nightmare; she swears by Dorr Mills in the Northeast U.S. while I stay loyal to Keepsake Quilting in New Hampshire.

Yes, I am a quilter. I have not reached the point yet of joining Quilters Anonymous (a real quilting guild in Washington state), but my husband has warned me that buying fabrics "just because I might use them some day" is a cause for concern. Especially since I once promised I would never do such a silly thing--buy something I wouldn't use right away? Ahem.

I have always been fascinated with the geometry upon which so many quilts are based. Straight lines can be made to appear wavy, and the entire appearance of a quilt can vary based on how the blocks are structured. Quilting exhibitions are great for seeing examples of work; one show I attended had an entire room dedicated to the basic Log Cabin block. Every quilt was different, from colors to block size to layout.

Quilting has started making a comeback, partially as a result of the events of 9/11. People began to think about home and family; one outlet for the need to affirm tradition and homespun values has been sewing. Quilters use many techniques, such as stripping (my personal favorite at the moment), piecing, applique, and hand-sewing. Each has its own benefit and drawback, of course, which is why professional quilters use all methods. Regardless, the basis of every quilt is the block.

Take a close look at any geometric quilt. Closer. No, closer than that! Look for the main seams--not the ones that may appear as the main seams based on color placement, but the lines that allow the quilt top to be segmented into equal-sized blocks. Many baby quilts are three blocks wide by three blocks long, for example. The individual piece you see recreated over and over is the block, the basic foundation of a quilt.

The appearance of a quilt will differ based on how the block is laid out. The basic Log Cabin block can be set in patterns such as Fields 'n' Furrows or Barn Raising. Experts in the quilting world estimate that this block pattern dates back to the time of Abraham Lincoln, but no one really knows for sure. Quilting itself dates back to the First Dynasty in Egypt (about 3500 B.C.). About.com has a multipart article on the easy Log Cabin pattern. Be sure to check out the fourth part to see the various patterns that emerge based on the layout...