Did you see the article by that name by Gigi Khalsa in the August/September issue of Quilters Newsletter magazine?
If not, I suggest you read it and think carefully about the comments she makes in the article.
What value do you place on your work? Do you even think about it?
It seems like women especially, have a difficult time asserting that what they do is of any value at all. Why is that? Low self esteem perhaps?
How much do you value your time? What about the skills you have worked on improving for the last 5 - 10 - 15 - 20 - 30 - 40 or more years?
Do you say things like: "Oh its nothing at all" or "Its just something I do once in a while". Comments like that devalue you and your work.
We should be proud of our accomplishments. Many people have no idea how to do what we do. Others just wouldn't take the time that is necessary to make a quilt.
We need to help educate others so they realize what they have when they receive a hand made quilt. If we don't value the quilt, why should others?
We can start by keeping track of the number of hours we spend working on a quilt. And how about tracking how much money we spent on that gorgeous fabric, thread, batting, quilting service, etc. Maybe we should keep a journal with the details of each quilt we make - including notes about why we made the quilt; what inspired us; what and whose pattern we used; or notes if it is an original design; everyone who worked on the quilt (piecing, quilting, binding); what we felt at the time; what special occasion it commemorates, etc. And don't forget to include pictures of the quilt - during the process and after it is finished - and maybe even when it was given to someone as a gift.
Let's start treating our work as "art" and not just as a "craft"!
If not, I suggest you read it and think carefully about the comments she makes in the article.
What value do you place on your work? Do you even think about it?
It seems like women especially, have a difficult time asserting that what they do is of any value at all. Why is that? Low self esteem perhaps?
How much do you value your time? What about the skills you have worked on improving for the last 5 - 10 - 15 - 20 - 30 - 40 or more years?
Do you say things like: "Oh its nothing at all" or "Its just something I do once in a while". Comments like that devalue you and your work.
We should be proud of our accomplishments. Many people have no idea how to do what we do. Others just wouldn't take the time that is necessary to make a quilt.
We need to help educate others so they realize what they have when they receive a hand made quilt. If we don't value the quilt, why should others?
We can start by keeping track of the number of hours we spend working on a quilt. And how about tracking how much money we spent on that gorgeous fabric, thread, batting, quilting service, etc. Maybe we should keep a journal with the details of each quilt we make - including notes about why we made the quilt; what inspired us; what and whose pattern we used; or notes if it is an original design; everyone who worked on the quilt (piecing, quilting, binding); what we felt at the time; what special occasion it commemorates, etc. And don't forget to include pictures of the quilt - during the process and after it is finished - and maybe even when it was given to someone as a gift.
Let's start treating our work as "art" and not just as a "craft"!
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