When I watch a quilting video, the teacher always seems so calm. Everything runs smoothly and any little hiccup is met with a small chuckle and an amusing comment. We all know that is not what real quilting is about. I would hazard a guess the most quilt studios have been witness to at least one massive meltdown and have echoed with the sounds of the English language being used in ways not appropriate for civilized company. It has been my experience that the same creativity that can result in a one-of-a-kind quilt is sometimes used to express the quilter’s frustrations in creative and unusual sentence structures.
Real quilters know that there is always going to be times when a project is just not going well. No matter how hard you try, the situation does not seem to improve and the frustration just builds. This is the moment in the video where the director calls cut and everyone takes break to regain their equilibrium before restarting the filming. Unfortunately real quilters do not have a director to tell them to take break and they are often juggling a number of things while trying to squeeze in some quality quilting time, such as cleaning or cooking (yes, some quilters do these things as well as quilting).
Let’s compare video quilting and real quilting in a few common situations.
Thread Breaks
In video quilting, the camera stops, the teacher goes for coffee and fixes her make-up while an assistant rethreads and tests machine before the filming starts again.
In real quilting, the quilter rethreads the sewing machine, the thread breaks again. The quilter looks for new thread and rethreads the machine. The thread breaks again. The quilter reads the manual, adjusts her machine and finally starts quilting only to be interrupted by their spouse , children or pets, who are hungry for dinner.
Wrong Pieces are Stitched Together
In video quilting, the camera stops, the teacher goes for coffee and fixes her make-up while an assistant unpicks the stitching and the camera restarts.
In real quilting, the quilter stops quilting and refers to the pattern in a state of denial. After a short period of grieving she unpicks the stitching, answers the door bell, brings in the mail, restarts quilting and makes the same mistake again at which point she is interrupted by her husband (Dan the Quilter Man), children or pets, who are looking for dinner.
Are you seeing the difference yet?
Let's take a look at one more scenario for comparison.
Pressing During Quilt Construction
In video quilting, the teacher reaches below the table and brings out perfectly cut and pressed pieces for the next part of the pattern. The pieces are laid out on the table in perfect geometric order, a magic iron that requires no heat is applied to the fabric resulting in the perfect piece for the next step.
In real quilting, the quilter reads the pattern and goes looking for the material that is required for the next part. The quilter cuts the appropriate pieces and turns the iron on in preparation for pressing. Hearing a noise in the other room, the quilter investigates to find that the cat has hacked up a hairball on the carpet. The quilter returns 15 minutes later to press the fabric only to realize too late that the fusible web on the appliqué is facing up and spends the next half hour cleaning the fusible web off the iron.
..and Finally, The Clean-up
The difference between the video quilter and the real quilter is also obvious at the end of the day. When filming is done for the day, the on-line teacher leaves the set, an assistant completes the project overnight and the teacher shows up the next morning to begin filming with the completed project all ready to be displayed. Our real life quilter admits defeat at the end of the day with the quilt half done. She leaves her studio to be confronted by her family members who inform her that they are out of groceries. The quilter orders pizza, has a libation - or two - of her choice (alcoholic, of course) and goes to bed exhausted, hoping for a better day tomorrow.
No wonder real quilters aren't calm.
There is quite a difference between the "reality" you see on video compared to how real quilting actually works. You don't see the seam ripping or hear the cursing that occurred, thanks to the magic of editing, which makes everything appear easy and seamless. Video instructors never appear ruffled or upset. Don't be fooled: there is a lot of "real quilting" going on behind the scenes in instructional courses and videos.
Chatterquote: “Don’t Do Drugs – Do chocolate and an occasional glass of wine”
Creatively,
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