I have always been the guy that enjoys doing anything, taking risks and trying new things. I’m not scared of failure or my inability to succeed. Never have I thought, I don’t think I want to try that because it’s too girly, or it’s too boring, or that’s not for me.
When I first met my wife I noticed that she had some amazing quilts all over her place. I knew that she was talented and that I wanted in on this talent. I wanted to learn how to do this and eventually make a quilt myself. Who’s to say guys can’t make quilts right?
I once made one of those famous Utah patchwork jean quilts. Taking old jeans, cutting them into squares, then sewing them all together. I made a king size in 24 hours because once I start something I can’t stop until it is finished. So I knew I could make an actual quilt, but I just didn’t know how.
Here in Utah we have what’s called Shop Hop where all the different quilt shops connect with each other and do sales, games, and other fun deals. You get a fun little punch card and if you get stamps at all the different shops you get entered into a drawing.
Okay great, so I could win a prize, but tons and tons of women participate in this so I figure my chances weren’t that great at winning. I just enjoy doing this event because it’s what my wife enjoys doing and I want to spend time with her doing something she loves.
So we were 6 months pregnant and this shop hop comes up. My wife was excited because she had all these baby quilt ideas that she wanted to make for our son and we would be able to get great fabrics at great prices. While attending this Shop Hop, I was super into it and decided to participate in one of the games. I won a pattern and thought, “If I am going to win a pattern I am going to make it.”
The rest of the Shop Hop I was all about picking my fabrics and enjoying every minute with my wife by my side teaching me about bringing fabric collections together. I was excited to take big pieces of fabric, cut them up, and put them back together. I mean maybe it’s the OCD in me and wanting to make sure everything was lined up, ironed, clean, and crisp.
I finally found some free time and got this quilt going. I was going to be making a throw sized quilt for my son, like a father son quilt. Fun idea right? For sure! So I purchased some of the colors that were in his baby quilts and was able to create a larger version that wasn’t identical but similar to his. I took the fabrics, cut them up, sewed them together, ironed, and tried to figure out how this was really going to look. I got a little frustrated with it because I wanted it a little bigger and to really all come together. It is not an easy task- this quilting stuff.
Well my wife, being the amazing woman that she is, took the quilt I had started, added a trim around what I had pieced, added the back, and sewed an edge. (Now in quilters terms, she added borders, backing and binding.) Then she machine quilted it.
She took it to the next level by making this amazing tag and gave the finished product to me for my first Father’s Day. It was truly the greatest gift I had ever received because I had put in so much time piecing it together, and finished the great quilt that I can share and cuddle together with my family.
The moral of the story is, do things that you think you can’t, but that your wife loves to do: quilting, scrapbooking, yoga, baking, etc. You can do these things and you can do them with your wife. It is a great way to spend time together and why not broaden your horizons and try something out of your comfort zone. If you do it together you cannot fail.
