Why?

It's not a new idea to quilt for the therapeutic benefits, and there are plenty of quilt bloggers who play off the addiction /therapy/illness meme.

There's also the vision of quilting as a charitable endeavor, with lots of worthy organizations setting out to blanket the world in lovingly-placed stitches.

Then there is the school of highly skilled artisans and crafters who wish to be recognized (usually in monetary terms) for their creativity, and who produce patterns, books, tutorials, tools, oh, and sometimes quilts too.  And they calculate the costs of every piece of material and tool and tally their hours and conclude that that baby quilt has a value of $400.

I'm not any of those quilters.

I'm a cognitive surplus quilter. I quilt because I like to, and yes, I have been heard to say that while quilting is an expensive hobby, it's cheaper than therapy. I do give quilts to worthy organizations and auctions and various people I  love or like.  I don't devalue my skills (which I rank as better than intermediate, but less than master-craftsman/woman).  But I have no aspirations to write a book or monetize my hobby, nor do I make quilts for sale.

So what am I doing with a blog?

Well, I think there is room in the world of quilting for people like me.  But we're under-represented. And because by definition the cognitive surplus quilter is not out there promoting that mindset, there are a lot of quilters who end up feeling like they're not doing it right. 

So why do I cut up perfectly good pieces of fabric and then sew them back together again?

Because I can.  Because it makes me happy.  Because I end up with cool things that are unique, and people (usually) like.  Because this is how I choose to use my cognitive surpluss. *

I'm going to post photos here because in my real life I have a shockingly limited number of people who appreciate the needle arts.  This probably has something to do with being the mother of 4 boys. And I will share techniques and links, because I always appreciate finding a blogger who is generous with the "how-to"s.  If I review a book or a product, I'm doing it because I have an opinion -- no affiliations or sponsors here.

So -- that's me.  Quilting with the smattering of brain power and small chunks of time I carve out of a busy life.

* Cognitive surplus = the leftover brain cells and time that you have after doing and thinking what is essential for survival.  You have cognitive surplus (even when you have no discretionary time). Everyone has CS. Lots of people use theirs watching TV or surfing the web. If the concept interests you, read Clay Shirky's book.