Hazzards of Quilting

It's not nice of me, but then I'm old enough to have outgrown the need to always be a "nice girl" although there are residues, like a twinge of guilt at posting this picture although I took it with the thought of posting it.

I do not know any of the women in this picture. They are all quilters who are examining a table full of art quilts that Louisa Smith talked about. At the Empire Quilters Guild, and now at the Bayberry Quilters Guild I am comforted, in a selfish way, because so many of the women are weighty -- and it shows up most obviously across the broad beam as in this picture. Quilting is definitely not aerobic exercise. It is sedentary and the sitting body, especially after the mid-40s begins to spread. Some of us spread mostly across the butt and others mostly in front. I'm a front loader myself and it distresses me. I haven't worn a tucked in blouse in ages and I wish I could.

I'm sure the girth wherever it accumulates is more complex than merely having to do with quilting. Of course, some women are slender, a lot is genetic and comes from individual metabolisms. Nevertheless, being among women who have substantial bodies comforts me in a purely selfish way. I compare my relative slenderness with such as these women and go home feeling a little lighter on my feet -- an illusion that fades rapidly. So I make a real effort to take my walks and keep my calories reasonable. It certainly won't make me a better quilter but it may help me to be able to quilt for more years of my life.