I'm thick into the process of quilting this this top,
inspired by a wonderful quilt in Roderick Kiracofe's new book,
I usually approach machine quilting with a "grin and bear it" attitude.
"Just do it." It'll feel good to have it done.
I decided to stitch in the ditch, "every stinkin' seam," as Cindy Needham
teaches in her excellent Craftsy class.
So, I was going along, a few minutes or an hour at a time, trying not to rush myself.
Noticing my stitches weren't perfect, and forgiving myself for that.
Stitching, stitching, more stitching...
And then I started to fall in love.
Slowly stitching around every piece brought the stories to mind.
Oh, there's that red flower that T gave me from her mother's stash. How sweet.
I love it next to the gingham I bought in Norway!
And there's that piece of men's shorts I bought at Goodwill with S. That was a fun trip!
And the men's shirts that M and I have shared across the globe.
Oh, and the golfer shirts that T sent from Florida.
There's a tiny sliver of red and white. How'd that get in there?
Did I really put a scrap of bark cloth in this? I like it!
Now I really don't care how the quilt looks overall.
It's the stories, the connections to sweet friends,
the memories of the design process that matter.
I'm sure we've all experienced this.
It's one of the greatest joys of quilt-making--
working closely with our fabrics and remembering the stories behind them.
Wishing you finishes and love this season!