Weekend doings

I had a blast this past Sunday working with a small group to learn cool ways to play with fabric. We are in the third week of the Intro to Modern Quilting workshop and that means we have assembled tops and backings and are exploring the ways to quilt these layers together.

It is so very cool to watch people discover the excitement of designing and executing their very own quilt. I'm sorry if that sounds Pollyanna, but I get great pleasure from sharing all the myriad possibilities one can play with, to sew together pieces of fabric in a way that creates both beauty and function.

It has been a long and challenging winter here in Maine. The snow was relentless in January and February. Combined with frigid temperatures and short days, it made for some difficult days for those of us who choose to live up here.  I was also challenged by a lingering cold that totally disrupted my days with vertigo and general tiredness.

The little ray of sunshine through all this was the times when I could sit down with my fabric and my sewing machine and create. The fact is that life can be hard. But sewing, the basic act of pulling thread through cloth, isn't. It is a simple skill, one that can be calibrated up or down depending on your desire for expression and execution. Yes, you can piece together intricate blocks, or tailor shaped garments, but the basic act of attaching, connecting, two pieces of fabric to make something new, can be so rewarding, so satisfying, so engaging, that it can make all that other crap fall away.  At least for a moment or two....

Watching these lovely students recognize the endless permutations, the expansive possibility in quilting this weekend was pure joy. It's one of those feelings I hold onto for the more difficult days.....

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