Retirement and The Pursuit of Leisure: Have You Thought About Quilting?

 

Your retirement years may very well represent the first time in your life when you can pursue an interest outside the realm of job or family. You may not think you have a particular talent, but down deep I think there has been an idea tickling the back of your mind forever.  You may have dabbled a little bit during your working years, but more than likely you couldn’t fit one more thing into your already busy days. I know that feeling and can remember thinking that someday, when my life wasn’t so hectic, I would try again.  Now is the time to reexamine your interests and look for new ways to involve yourself.  Frederick T. Fraunfelder, M.D. in his book “Retirement Rx,” contends that mental and physical works, in the context of leisure activities, are major factors in keeping your mind alert and functioning. I think finding something that you really love to do qualifies, don’t you?

 

My college roommate enjoys quilting and she has been kind enough to write a note about how she discovered the joy of making something truly timeless that is also beautiful. Talk about a labor of love.  I grew up in a home that often had a quilting frame set up in the living room and while I can hardly sew on a button, I am grateful to Diane for sharing observations about something that she really enjoys.

 

 She writes:

I don’t remember exactly when I became interested in quilting, but it was several decades ago.   At that time, quilting supplies were hard to get.  When I first started I had to improvise a lot, which I suppose is creativity at its best.  When I needed to do something like cut bias strips I would head to my husbands workshop and come back with his carpenters square.  I usually forgot to put it back, so that would create quite uproar, but you never know when you are going to need something again.  Over time quilting has made quite a comeback and naturally specialty stores have too. Now you can find tools that have been designed especially for quilting. A few of the tools like the rulers that make it possible for you to cut at various angles and rotary cutters take a lot of the frustration out of working with fabrics.

 

My 10 year old granddaughter made a baby quilt for a gift (with the help of the grandmothers).  She seemed to enjoy the process, but with both grandmothers being avid quilters it is a natural progression I suppose.  I love seeing the generations learning from each other because we all have so much to share.

 

I teach 4-H quilting and am delighted that the kids are interested in this age-old craft.  Some kids try it and get hooked, others don’t care for it.  I would never force them to continue but I do try to get them to finish one project because of the cost of the supplied they have purchased.  We can’t make our kids love everything that we care about, but we can expose them to a variety of experiences.  They can pick and choose, and who knows, when they reach retirement age they may want to try it again.

 

Diane went on to talk about taking quilting classes at the county technical college and attending Quilting Guilds get-togethers.  Just browsing through fabric stores is really fun.  You will find fabrics, kits, and an unbelievable array of tools.  The stores usually have completed quilts made up and on display and you will want to make them all.  The history of quilting is truly amazing and you will feel part of something bigger than yourself.