30 June, 2009

"Let's Talk" Tuesday...

"Quilting friends are the BEST". We've all heard that phrase, we've probably all said it; and it's true, they are! I had the opportunity to spend all day Saturday at an "in-town" sew day with some of my best quilting friends. That event prompted the question for this week's discussion topic:

"If quilting friends are the best, are your best friends quilters"?


My best friends do happen to share my love of quilts, fabric and quilt-related activities. This common interest, no doubt, leads to that fact. I do have plenty of friends, old and new who are non-quilters, too. Plus, I have even turned friends who were formerly non-quilters into quilt-making crazy women! When I first moved to Puerto Rico in January of 1995 I cried buckets for the first few months, I didn't think I'd ever have another friend again. By January of the following year I was hosting and teaching quilt making classes at my home, piecing and applique were taught in the warm Caribbean sunshine to a crowd of women who packed themselves around a patio table beside our pool! One of these former students remains a dear and treasured friend to this day, and she continues to make quilts. We are lucky, we really can have our friends and quilt with them too!
...and sew, let's talk...
Life is Good!


15 comments:

*karendianne. said...

Super fun question!

How about developing but not in the BEST category yet. That, I think, is a function of time. From all those years of Dog Training/Showing I was fortunate enough to develop two very close and long lasting friendships that have held even though I couldn't participate after MS. Of course, the love of the Sport remains.

I can only hope I'll continue to be blessed in this way. I already feel lucky to have a Second Chance at a Passion/Hobby. It is my prayer that I'll continue to live up to the honor of developing long-lasting friendships

Grateful to be Taken In, hee!

*karendianne.

Karen Newman Fridy said...

Of all of my friends that I consider closest, I do have to say that the BEST ones are my quilting friends. No one else understands the obsession with cutting up fabric just to put it back together, or the pleasure of meerly HAVING the fabric in the first place! And aside from the common interest of quilting, we have shared much of life's ups and downs, celebrating each others' vistories and uplifting each other when the world comes at us with its seam ripper. Yep, my quilting friends are the BEST!

Quiltdivajulie said...

I think that our deepest relationships are with those who understand what makes us tick . . .

Nancy said...

I would have to say that my dearest and closest friends are quilters. We started out as simply sharing the love of quilting, but then the relationship has developed into one of those that you know when the other is down or needs a hug or needs to celebrate something. It is totally amazing how quilters can relate to one another...... unconditionally and honestly.

Salem Stitcher said...

Oh yes, quilter friends are the best and I am blessed with best friends who are quilters. They understand me and I understand them. I do have a couple of dear old friends that are non-quilters. They have obsessions of their own and, therefore, understand, to an extent, my passion.

I am blessed with my soul sister - a quilter who has become the perosn I call on, knowing I will find a safe haven, an understanding ear and a whack on the head if I am being stupid (though, often, she will join me in that stupidness and we find ourselves have a fine ol' time in the process). You know who she is. You love her too.

Marianne Penner said...

Yes, my best friends are quilters or scrapbookers. I think common interests definitely draw people together.

The Calico Cat said...

Let's talk about, "Wow, I never knew that you lived in Puerto Rico!"

blushing rose said...

How lovely for you ... my range of friends is so vast, little do they have anything in common with one another. TTFN ~Marydon

Domestic Designer said...

My closest friends and I have varied interests and in fact none of them quilt or even sew. I do have friends that I have made in classes or block of the month clubs. I also have friends from sewing clubs and knitting groups. Have a great day!

quiltmom anna said...

Debby,
I have some very good friends that are quilters- they do understand the need to feed the creative spirit and buy fabric and gadgets and such. They also understand why one wants to cut things up into smaller pieces of fabric to recreate something else with it. My dearest quilt friend understands the benefits of retail fabric therapy LOL. We often go off on fabric adventures together.
I have been blessed to know some wonderful women quilters who I can count on to support me in good times and bad. They in turn, know that they can count on me to help them in anyway that I can. It is one of life's gifts.
I do have other non quilty friends who enjoy my quilts. They have other interests that feed them the same way that quilting feeds me.
It is indeed good.
Regards,
Anna

quiltmom anna said...

Debby,
I have some very good friends that are quilters- they do understand the need to feed the creative spirit and buy fabric and gadgets and such. They also understand why one wants to cut things up into smaller pieces of fabric to recreate something else with it. My dearest quilt friend understands the benefits of retail fabric therapy LOL. We often go off on fabric adventures together.
I have been blessed to know some wonderful women quilters who I can count on to support me in good times and bad. They in turn, know that they can count on me to help them in anyway that I can. It is one of life's gifts.
I do have other non quilty friends who enjoy my quilts. They have other interests that feed them the same way that quilting feeds me.
It is indeed good.
Regards,
Anna

Quilting Memories said...

My most longstanding friend has NO interest in quilting or anything to do with sewing, as a do-it-yourself project....However she loves the finished work. Her Dh and her and My Dh and I have been dear friends for almost 50 years, and really haven't lived that close to each other much of that time. But we have always managed to see each other at least twice a year, as we get older DH and I try to go to where they live 2 times a year and they to see us, that makes it nice. Old friends are a great commodity in ones lives.
My sister and I are quiet the buddies also, and she is the one who started me on this quilting frenzy...Her DH and my DH get along quiet well also. She lives in the town where our friends live.
So when we go see one of them we get to see the other family.That is nice!
I am also blessed to have a couple ladies that quilt that live here, and although we don't see each other as often as I would like, I feel our friendships are more than aquaintences. Hope they do to. As you know, we travel so it has been hard for me to be able to cultivate friendships, but I am trying.
When I am home, sometimes I have an opportunity to help at our LQS, and I also get to see a lot of ladies there, and there are several of them that I heve really grown fond of. So for Quilting friends, I am working on that, I like to think that in a few months or years that I will have some very close friends that do quilt.

Nan said...

Most of my close friends sew, but they are not quilters. I have one dear friend that lives far away, and she is an avid quilter. We have long phone conversations about quilting. Those talks energize me, and I feel ready to tackle any project! Quilting friends are the BEST! Of course, I do have many quilting friends in the blog world, and they definitely inspire and support me on my quilting journey. Someday I hope to meet many of them face to face.

SHORTY'S QUILTS said...

Mrs Goodneedle, I am looking forward to reading a lot of these quilt blog. You all have such wonderful ideas. I hope I can find my nitch and create something nobody else has done.

Shakerwood said...

My bestest, bestest friend is Dear Hubby and although he doesn't quilt, he is my biggest quilting cheerleader. He loves everything I make He doesn't mind going fabric shopping with me nad even giving me suggestions. My longest, dearest girlfriend can't even thread a needle but we do like antiquing and prim shopping together. We live 400 miles apart so we don't see each other often. I visited her last month at her home. I was suprised at how many things I had made for her over the years that she still had out. She really appreciates my work. Can't ask for a better friend than that!