Last week, I had to take my husband to the hospital so he could get his L4-L5 shot up with cortisone. Good times. The poor guy can’t seem to keep that disc from bulging, but the injections are helping, so that’s good news. Anyway, these trips to the hospital are not quick. Check-in is at least an hour before the “procedure” (a.k.a. the five-second needle poke), which leaves me in the waiting room with time to kill. The solution? Q.I.P.-ing!

Q.I.P.-ing, or “quipping,” if you like, doesn’t have anything to do with sitting around and spouting off witty remarks, as the term would suggest. No, quipping is short for Quilting In Public. Ever done it?

I have to admit, this was my first time. I had to hand stitch the binding of a small art quilt–my contribution to the QN staff slice quilt that will be on display at the Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum later this summer. Working on a quilt in that busy waiting room, I caused quite a stir. Nurses, doctors, patients, patients’ friends and family members–tons of folks asked what I was doing and requested that I show them my work. And when I did, their eyes lit up! Everyone has a story about quilts, or about someone they love who quilts, and they were eager to connect with me over this simple little project. How cool!

Now, many years ago, before the quilting bug sank its needle-like fangs into my fingers, you would have been very likely to find me “K.I.P.-ing”–knitting in public. Besides a few sideways glances, there was no real personal reaction to my knitting. The contrast amazes me. I just love how quilting–especially quilting in public–invites conversation, connection, and the sharing of memories. It just proves to me that quilts have a power that other forms of fiber art are missing. Don’t you agree?

What’s your Q.I.P. story? Email it to submissions@qnm.com and write Q.I.P. in the subject line. I can’t wait to hear from you!