Over the last few days I’ve been piecing a quilt top. For a quilter this doesn’t seem particularly unusual. I mean, we make quilts right? I’m a quilter, a self-described hard core quilter, allow me to clarify, quilting, for me, is defined as the pretty stitching on the top. It’s what I love to do, to practice, to play, to experiment, to figure out what works, and what doesn’t. I have batting piled a mile high, drawers full of thread in so many glorious colors, and a bit of fabric. There are colors of thread, and fabric I don’t particularly enjoy because deep down I get that they bring something beautiful for the party. And seriously, not every quilt can be purple and orange. Can it?
Side note, my Sweetie still doesn’t get my need to paint one of my walls orange.
On TerifiCreations I speak of something shifting, not entirely certain what, or why.
So this particular quilt top uses gradation fabric originally intended for my book, charm packs from Quilt Markets past of designers I adore, a line of fabric of one of my favorite designers that I had all the fat quarters from her first collection. Oh and one simply cannot forget the striped batik, swoon! There’s no plan. I didn’t even know (and am still not quite sure, the size of the finished quilt – 108” square.
The joy of the Lord is my strength
And there it is, Joy. The return of Joy in the work. It is water to this parched soul, a light breeze on a summers day, a spiritual consolation. As evidenced by the expulsion from the Garden of Eden work is meant to be, well, work. It’s not necessarily supposed to be easy. That’s fine. I get it. The fruit of our labor is often a mixed bag, ranging from well formed and tasty, to well formed and rotten, or ugly and tasty to ugly and rotten. Our work can nourish, and feed our bodies, and soul, this same work can be debilitating, causing angst. The work can feel so very intense, difficult or the work can feel light, freeing, and good.
Right now the work is easy, and complicated. And that is how I love it. Flowing freely from my brain to my fingertips. It’s refreshing at this moment. Working on this quilt has led to working on this:
I finished this quilt last night, it is a work intended to be a sample for a coworker. When finishing the stitching last night there was a sense of this is the work I’m supposed to be doing. There is a sense of joy, and freedom in the stitches. There is the same sense of joy as I’m learning the embroidery side more fully. Watching a cosmetic pouch being stitched out in the hoop, knowing at the end a useful, and pretty object will be available for use offers a sense of accomplishment.
While I’ve felt disconnected from this work over the last couple of years due to life stuff, the work has continued, not my best work, and not particularly edifying or satisfying. I’ll take it with gratitude for the gift of work.
God bless,
Teri
A Quilter's Heart 