Unlike many quilters, I do not name my quilts. Once I have put the last stitch in the binding, I am ready to move on to the next one. I am ashamed to admit that although I always take a picture of each quilt that I make, when I look at the pictures of quilts I made a while ago, I do not remember them unless they were made for a particular individual, or were of a new and different technique or pattern.

For me, the process is the thing. It starts with deciding what kind of a quilt I want to make, pictorial or traditional, either designing it myself or following directions for making one I’ve seen somewhere. Then, comes choosing the fabric either from my unending stash, online, or at my local quilt shop. Next, is figuring out a new technique if necessary, measuring and cutting the pieces, and finally stitching them together. That’s what it’s all about; even the actual quilting once the top and backing are completed, seems anticlimactic.

I am an admitted technique junkie; I love to experiment with innovative ways of doing things, trying blocks I’ve never made, and fabrics I have not used before. Sometimes, things work out the way they are supposed to, but sometimes they do not. What really surprises and delights me is when, deep in the middle of trying to master an unfamiliar maneuver, an idea pops into my head for applying the same technique in a completely different situation in yet another quilt!

Because I am also cursed (blessed, perhaps?) with a low boredom threshold, I often have several quilts going at once in various stages of development, each utilizing a different quilting tactic. I can go from one to another, focusing on its unique features without getting burned out.

No, I don’t worry about UFOs, for I always have them. In fact, I would get quite antsy if I didn’t have something that was not yet finished. For me, however, they are WIPs, (Works in Progress.) In fact, it is my dearest wish that when I go to the Great Quilt Shop in the Sky, I will have a quilt that I am in the process of completing to take with me.

©2004 Patricia Littlefield

www.thequiltercommunity.com

Editor’s Note: We have included two photos of Patricia’s many quilts. It just happens that she did name these two quilts, both of which were donated to charity.