Wikipedia defines the term "hobby", as, "a spare-time recreational pursuit", that is practiced for interest and enjoyment, rather than financial gain.  Examples of hobbies include:  Collecting, creative and artistic pursuits, making things, etc.  Engaging in any hobby can lead to acquiring substantial skill, knowledge, and experience, however, the primary objective of a hobby is simply personal fulfillment.

     A hobby can be many things to many different people.  Persons participating in an activity for profit is usually deemed to be a professional, versus one who participates for the enjoyment (a hobbyist).  What is a hobby to one person may be a profession to another.  And then there are those that fall into both categories or somewhere in-between.

     Many hobbyists that continue to take their craft to new levels evolve into professionals.  As far as quilting goes, there are many people (men and women) that are experts in their field, yet they choose to remain a hobbyist, versus going pro.  Reasons for this vary, and include, but are not limited to:  1) Perhaps the hobbyist does not have the monetary resources to finance the hobby into a profession, 2)  Perhaps the hobbyist does not want to pursue the hobby as a profession simply because it is for enjoyment, 3) Perhaps there are time constraints that prohibit a hobby from becoming a profession, or 4) Perhaps there are other circumstances (such as family obligations, etc.) that prohibit a hobby from becoming a profession.

     Quilters fall into many categories, from true quilters to collectors to everything else quilt-related that you can imagine.  In fact, there are quite a few quilters that have actually made very few quilts, but love the collecting of quilts (many are antique quilt collectors), patterns, and fabric.  These quilters are no better, or worse, than the quilter that cranks out a lot of quilts.  There could be much discussion as to whether an antique quilt collector can be deemed a "quilter" or not, but that is not for me to decide.  A hobby is a hobby!

     As for me, I take great pleasure in many aspects of quilting:  Fabric shopping, designing, making the quilt top, and lastly, the quilting.  Ironically, it is the actual quilting process that I least enjoy!  I even take quilting to a different  level, which some of you may not agree with, in that I count the time I spend "quilting" on my laptop designing, writing about, managing, etc. as part of my quilting hobby, too.  In fact, it eats up a great deal of my time, but the joy that I derive from it is as real to me as it can be.  True, I would rather hold in my hands a literal quilt that I have designed and finished over a picture of a quilt that I have designed in Electric Quilt! 

     Quilting is truly not just a hobby for me; I also own a commercial Web site, YOUnique Designs, in which I sell patterns and also design and/or make quilts on commission.  And as if that is not enough to keep me busy, I am also the lead Staff Writer for Quilting By Design!  As you can probably see, I take away a lot from quilting:  It is my outlet for many different areas in my life that I love, including writing, as well as the designing, creating, etc.

     Quilting is one of the best solutions to relieve stress that I know of.  And the really amazing thing about quilting is that anyone can learn how to quilt!  In fact, believe this or not, I hate to sew!!!  Yes, you read that correctly:  I HATE TO SEW.  To me, sewing a quilt top together does not equal sewing!  I equate "sewing" with making garments, and garment-making is one of the most stressful things I have ever tried my hand at.  Weird, I know, but that is how my brain operates!  You may be asking yourself how I became hooked on quilting since I hate to sew and the answer for that is outlined in my biography.

     This leads to one question:   What is quilting to you?

     Comments are appreciated and may be left regarding this article on Quilting By Design on or after 05/04/07.

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