Are you quilting more? Or less?

If you’re like me, you’re not willing to give up your favorite activities in life just because you have a tighter budget. I’m a ballroom dancer, and what used to be once-a-week private lessons, expensive costumes, and annual competitions has now shrunk to monthly lessons and assisting with classes in exchange for four hours of free dancing every week. I won’t give up my passion! But I’ve had to adjust…

How has the economy affected your quilting pursuits?

Do you have more time to quilt? Less time?

Do you buy patterns instead of books? Downloadable PDFs or traditional printed copies?

Are you pulling from your stash or swapping with guild members instead of buying new fabric?

Are you taking one-day classes, locally, instead of traveling to weeklong retreats?

Are you finding answers and community online instead of traveling in your car to meetings?

How are you cutting back, recycling, reusing? What is your resourcefulness?

I have been labeled a perennially upbeat person, so it’s hard for me to be down for long. To me, this economic situation is a challenging opportunity for resourcefulness. We may not be able to work at our passion in the same way as before. We may have to put more effort into figuring out solutions and finding ways to achieve our goals, but we will do it. With such a great community of quilters at hand, we can learn from each other.

So tell us, how are you coping? We’d like to know!