The reasons why, let me count the ways...

I was laying in bed this morning (4am) after a fit full sleep, dreaming about Dear Jane Quilts and Civil War fabric and thinking about why I have become totally obsessed with quilting.  I think it is pretty simple.
Quilting is and/or "What I like about Quilting":
#1 Neat, as in tidy
#2 Clean, as in NOT covered in food or mud
#3 BEAUTIFUL
#4 Obedient- if you cut correctly, sew accurately, press well, it turns out exactly as planned... or better... mostly...
#5 You can leave it for a bit and it is exactly as you left it.
#6 BEAUTIFUL- and other people think so too
#7 Cuddly, if that is what you need them to be
#8 WARM and cozy
#9 If you don't like them you can give them away....
#10 If you really like them, in a sort of strange and obsessed way, you can keep them.
#11 You can make whatever kind you want, how ever you want!
#12  FABRIC is AWESOME to play with and it's PRETTY!!!! (see #1, 2 & 3) .....and 4 & 5 too
#13 If you mess up, you can take a seam ripper to it and fix it... or ignore it... or start over
#14 I can't eat while I quilt, at least not very much and no messy, gooey fattening stuff!!!
#15 I can do it any time of day or night.... even at 3am, quilts don't care, as a matter of fact, I think they like it!
#16 There are SO many "parts" that I don't get bored.. cutting, pressing, sewing, pressing and cutting some more...
#17  Rulers.  They are straight and crisp. (OK- 17 is weird, but true.  I'd buy them all if I could....)
#18 If I get tired of one quilt, I can put it aside and play with another one, or another one...

So there you have it.  I am sure there are more things to add, but for now this works.  Life can be messy, UGLY, complicated, disobedient and unruly.  The end.  Have a nice day.

(I was going to say something profound about quilting, but "the end and have a nice day" just seemed to fit)

ps- I am going to go get on the elliptical.  You know, I do have one complaint about quilting, it should burn WAY more calories!