what box do you fit in?

i was recently sent a link from a quilt related company whose mailing list i was on. they asked (nicely) to follow the link and take a quilting survey. okay...the promise at a chance to win an accu-cut was helpful in that decision :)

they asked lots of questions; what skill level did i think of myself, did i quilt my own quilts (i giggled), how much did i think i'd spent on fabric in the last year (Da Nile is a river in Egypt)

but one question left me perplexed:
do you consider yourself a modern or traditional quilter?
ew- that's a toughie....ever since i've fallen into blogland and i see what's being created there- i would put myself in the 'traditional' box....but then i go to my LQSes and guild sponsored shows and after leaving i'd put myself in the 'modern' box.... then there's the whole what's-old-is-new-again argument...*sigh*

that got me thinking- where do i find my personal footing in the quilting community? what am i? i use to call myself a 'contemporary traditionalist' to me, that meant that i used nontraditional fabrics and color combinations in traditional pieced blocks and quilts. that worked for a while, then i grew as a quilter and embraced new techniques and became a better piecer. i was attracted to the more challenging nontraditional designs and patterns where my bright colors fit in perfectly...hmm...so i'm not longer a traditional quilter?

now, i'm all confused....then it hit me:
i am a quilter. period. i express myself with fabric, needle and thread- it doesn't matter what color or what pattern as long as i am expressing  myself. it's been a long (fun) journey to get where i am and i'm okay with where i am right now. my quilts are mine. the initial idea came out of my head and i love getting it from my head into a quilt. quilting is my passion and i want to share that passion so that you might get bitten and we can be insane together. that's why i started this blog- to inspire and help others get 'there'.

quilting is my therapy- seriously- i can't begin to pretend that it hasn't saved a few lives along the way :) i haven't found a bad day yet that can't be saved by petting fabric. even when i'm in a slump, i find myself sitting in my studio floor. just being in here is soothing. many long winded phone conversations have taken place with me laying in the floor under nemo...i've joked that if i had a bathroom and a refridgator, i'd never leave...i don't think that's too far from the truth. my haven requires quilts.

i'm not going to worry about those boxes anymore...unless they contain fabric!