A
quiltmaker is a
person who
makes quilts.
There are different types of quiltmakers, including:
The one that is easiest to define is the last one. Simply put, many people have layered fabric and filling to make a covering under which to sleep. The top and bottom of the quilt can be simple or complex, lovely or utilitarian or lovely anduseful.
Some people make quilts for money. It's hard for me to understand this -- it is painful for me to give away my quilts; I don't think I could sell one. But needlework is a traditional female pursuit, and I suspect that women turned to this as a way to earn so-called pin money. Or because their work is so exquisite, as in some of the quilts made by Amish cultures, that buyers emerge, making it economically required for quiltmakers to sell. (If someone offered you an exorbitant price for your work, you'd probably sell it, too, thinking maybe the buyer is nuts. If you do this, you do not value the fruits of your labor.
I make quilts because it is fun. I feel clever when I produce something made by my own hands. Some quiltmakers just enjoy the hand of the cloth, the interplay of colors and textures and shapes. Or because it is not housework.
Some artists make quilts. It is a valid art form in the same way watercolor or marble is a medium. Fiber arts lend themselves to myriad opportunities at self expression.
Some people make quilts because they cannot stand not doing it. The result or its use is not important. The quilt is important.