by Beverly Hicks Burch

Created on: February 17, 2009   Last Updated: February 18, 2009

Quilting: A creative process or pattern regurgitation. When you first read this theorem was your gut reaction the same as mine - "OMG! They're kidding, right?"

You may be asking why I reacted so strongly. Well, let me give you a little background. I've been quilting now for 23 years, so I know a couple of things about the process. Not only do I quilt, but I teach, have judged in quilt shows, spoken before groups and served on the board of guilds and organizations whose purpose was to promote, educate and support quilters.

Now let me explain why I find viewing quilting as just a "pattern regurgitation" so preposterous. Maybe it would be better explained by posing some rather pointed questions:

1. Would you view the work of an artist - any artist, known or unknown as the regurgitation of color or subject? Why or why not?

After all, artists use (regurgitate) the same colors every other artist has available to them in their palette. Uh, that would be every color under God's green Earth and the rainbow - and every color every artist before them has used or may use.

Furthermore, an artist may use the same subjects - landscapes, people, animals, buildings, etc. - other artists have used and will use. An artist may also be using techniques and styles employed by other artists.

Instead of a regurgitation, we choose to view and value the work of an artist and appreciate it for the use of color, technique, light and subject. These are all creative interpretations of the artist and his art form. Question: would you view Van Gough or da Vinci's work as regurgitation?

2. Do you view the work of a photographer as regurgitation of film, technique and subject matter, or much like you would an artist? I would suggest once again we value the work of photographers on the interpretation and creative use of all the factors that went into taking that photograph.

3. When you listen to great music, do you just hear a regurgitation of musical notes and/or compositions?

After all there are only so many notes on the musical scale and every musician must use those very same notes. It would appear given those parameters we would have a very limited musical selection, but no, music is alive and thriving after thousands of years and we have many styles and interpretations. These styles evolved out of the creativity of musicians using the same resources other musicians also had available to use.

Think of all the versions of your favorite classical composition, be it Beethoven's Ode to Joy, Pachabel's

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