Welcome to the Utah Quilt Guild

When I started making quilts in my late teens (and yes, that is close to 100 years ago), it was very difficult to find much of anything to aid in the effort. All cotton fabrics were not readily available, and when you could find them, there was not much variety in color and style. Rotary cutting equipment had not made the leap into the quilting arena. There were a few books, most of them very old and out of print. Quilter’s Newsletter Magazine had just begun publication. There were no quilt guilds to my knowledge, and I knew a very few women who claimed to be quilters. I taught myself via trial and error how to piece blocks.

A trip to procure fabrics for making a quilt would take me to a local department store, which had, amongst the myriad of other items, a few cotton fabrics. My quilt designs were limited by what was available. I was using my yard stick, scissors, and a pencil to cut my fabric strips, or tracing a shape onto the cereal box to use for a template. It was a very slow and tedious process.

My, how times have changed! There are now so many fabrics, books, tools, and publications available that it is overwhelming. My happy place is inside one of our many local quilt stores, wandering around and fondling the many beautiful fabrics as I dream of what I want to create next. There are so many choices out there, it is at times difficult to make a selection.

Rotary cutting has drastically changed the process of quilt making. I can cut all of the pieces needed for a large quilt in a few hours.

Speed piecing techniques have streamlined the process while increasing accuracy. A visit to any quilt show reaffirms that I am no longer one of the few interested in this craft. There are many quilters out there, and they are very good at their craft.

Tools have been a particular weakness of mine. I have to make myself step back and really think about whether I really need the newest tool on the market.

Krisanne

Krisanne Watkins, President UQG 2014