Today’s Featured mom has stepped outside the standard interview format as we had a nice, casual email exchange instead. I asked her only one question and I thought her response was natural and conveyed a lot of truth so here she is, Featured mom Debbie Davis:
While I always enjoyed being creative, I have found that my projects take on special meaning when they are done for my family. No, I don’t have as much time to work on things, but it fills my heart with pride when I see my sons curled up in the quilts I made for them. Yes, the 14 year old waited years for his to get done (I stopped to make several baby quilts as nieces and nephews came along)…. but it is still a big deal to him.
While my family ultimately gets most of the material creations, I gain a lot from the process. Designing the quilts, sewing and then seeing the person enjoy my creation. Quilting or needle crafts are also stress relievers for me and it gives me a chance to release some creative juices which I might not otherwise do.
Quilting is also a way to channel my emotions. When I was concerned my twin nieces would be born early, I made preemie quilts for them — so that they would have something from me while in the hospital. Fortunately, they weren’t — and now they use those quilts for their dolls while they themselves use larger ones I also made for them.
Another recent example is a quilt I made for my step-father. This summer he was told that his cancer had returned and he needed to undergo more treatment. I felt helpless being two hours away from my mom and step-father — so I turned to quilting. I made him a special quilt with all of his favorite things in it (dog, sports teams, etc.) and gave it to him before his treatment started. While I can’t be there to give him a hug and physically check in on him, I know he has a warm quilt to curl under when he comes home from his treatments. A little bit of me is there with him all of the time and I feel a little less helpless.
I do projects that are also for myself — in fact — I just finished one, but ultimately I get the same benefits out of creating something for others.
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I decided to do this Jeopardy style and put the question second to the answer so that you could read her response without context – but here it is, just in case you were curious 
H: Does the very act of creating support your individuality as a person – even though you often put yourself second? Do you sew for yourself, even though the end product is not for you?
Thanks for your thoughts on being a Creative Mom Debbie. I enjoyed having you! See some more of her quilt work here .
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Related posts:
- Featured Mom – Valarie of Fodeo
- Featured Mom – Andrea of Quirky Bags
- Featured Creative Mom – Heather Garcia
I think quilting is a gift and the ones her sons have are so nice. I like the way she explains the enjoyment she gets from it. Very nice. I’ll check her out.