Yard Work and Quilting

While I was mowing tonight (yes, I'm one of the few people in the nation who believe it is a perfect time to mow when the heat index is 98! Don't worry, I hydrated all day in anticipation of my evening activity) I was struck with the similarities between yard work and quilting.

Stick with me, readers. Both of you.

I was surprised tonight by how much I like to mow. I mean, I remember that I like to mow, but it had just been so long since I've done any mowing that I forgot how much I like it. Which for some reason made me think of quilting (one of the reasons I like mowing: my random mind gets even more random and has time to just wander...) because I was surprised at how much I liked quilting when I started that a few years ago. So that got me to thinking about the similarities between the two.

Here is what I came up with:

• Results: Both quilting and yard work have nice results, and the results are pretty immediate. You can do your projects in chunks, but you can always see the instant results of what you have just done.
• Detail: Yard work and quilting both have various levels of detail. You don't necessarily have to be uber-meticulous to do either, but the more meticulous you are, the better your results are.
• Cost/Time: Quilting and yard work can both get pretty expensive, depending on how much you want to put into it. It can also take a lot of time, depending on how much you want to put into it.
• Socializing: I realized tonight that I probably only quilt because it is a social activity for me. Which is funny, because quilting most likely did not start as a social activity (I'm assuming it was just much more practical and necessary than that in the beginning). I rarely break out my quilting supplies to do it by myself; I just wait until the retreat and quilt for an entire weekend while I talk, eat, and laugh. It is AWESOME. And while I don't mind mowing by myself, I realized that I would probably do a lot more yard work if it became a social activity. I could imagine taking up gardening if I had a friend doing it with me (not that I need another hobby....and not that gardening runs in my family at all.....). So while quilting and yard work probably seem like solo endeavors, I really prefer them as social activities.

Some men probably don't understand why some women love to quilt so much. And some women probably don't understand why some men love their yards so much. But maybe they're actually very similar at the core: detailed, results-oriented, and they provide a great sense of accomplishment. No wonder I like them. So, if you ever want to rake some leaves or whip up some baby quilts, I'm your gal!