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Tuesday, November 18, 2008

I Used to be a Quilter, but now I melt glass!


I ran into the owner of a quilt shop here in town. I used to be there frequently, happily sewing, until I began to melt glass. Sally looked at me and said, "Where have you been? You haven't even been in the new store." I did tell her that, for the most part, I have quit sewing. I have many UFO's sitting in the spare bedroom now with no desire on my part to go back to them. I keep them thinking, "I'll finish these someday." It's been over 2 years now, and they aren't finished. The packages haven't even been opened. Now, that doesn't mean that I don't love quilted work. It doesn't mean that my appreciation for the quilter has decreased. Nor does it mean that I don't appreciate the time and talent that goes into making each quilt. No, I really do admire the quilter. Pieces of a quilt must be cut precisely to fit together. They must be sewn, for the most part, with a 1/4" seam. After all the quilt pieces are sewn together, they must be quilted, either by hand or machine, to a batting and backing. Then, my least favorite task, the ends must be bound. Quilts take a lot of time and energy to complete. I never thought I'd loose interest, but since I started to melt glass, that has become my passion. There are never ending challenges with glass. There is always something new to try and learn. So, now, I've found a way to incorporate my passion for glass with my appreciation for the quilted works. I make glass thimbles! Now, I find even more satisfaction in my work.

3 comments:

  1. Great thimble, Mallory! I admire you for ever having the patience to quilt! I cannot do it. I do think I know why you can't go back to it after discovering glass melting though-- there is nothing like the immediate satisfaction you get from melting that glass! The wait to get it out of the kiln is a bugger, but man, oh, man, the satisfaction at the torch is terrific!

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  2. Mallory - you did good with the thimble! I am still getting the hang of my thimble mandrels!
    You are not alone on the quilting front: my Mum STILL hasn't finished my quilt from my 21st!!!

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  3. Mallory, your thimble is wonderful. And as a quilter, you must know where you can advertise them to other quilters.

    What fun it would be to make them so they go with quilter's favorite fabrics or color paths. I bet there could be a wonderful amount of custom orders in it too.

    Marcy

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