Interesting post...

Thank you JudyPete, for sharing your thoughts here. I must say I agree with what you say. I'm a quilter who enjoys making and giving useful (and I hope attractive !) bed quilts to friends and family.

I came to quilting after years of working with wool. Spinning, knitting, felt making weaving etc etc. Just loved the fabrics and the colours available in fabric after working with shades of white wool through to black , for all those years. The wool scene changed too. Originally the groups were formed to encourage and inspire. After a period of time they became more competitive and "arty". The majority of us didn't want or enjoy that scene. Consequently , that spelt the end of Wool Festivals, Symposiums etc. I hope the same thing doesn't happen to the quilting scene.

I don't belong to a group, but have two very special friends who share the same enthusiasm . We try to meet once a fortnight for a days sewing ... We pay over $20 a metre for quilting fabrics here, consequently , not many of us have huge stashes, we tend to buy for whatever we are making.
Even so, I have enough fabric to make several scrap quilts, when the time comes !!!

I've just finished a wall hanging and am now working on a "Garden" quilt. Lots of different sized blocks of flowers and floral materials.. that will keep me happy through the flower-less winter months !

Marion.