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Calm Days Ahead

Last night I finished pinning Oliver's birthday quilt, and got started on the hand quilting. I'm using a plain white quilting thread to do that:

This is my favorite part of making any quilt. I begin stitching the block in the very center of the quilt, and work my way out to both sides before I repeat the process with the center block in the next row.

Obviously machine quilting would be faster, but quilting for me isn't about producing tons of projects that look perfect. I'm not perfect, and neither is this quilt. In a way being forced to go slower by hand stitching gives me time to appreciate the process, and pour as much love into it as I can. I wish I could do that with everything in life, because I think I'd probably be a lot happier.

Last night as I was stitching I felt like my quilting mojo finally came back to me, too. I know the world is in a terrible state, and here in our country things are only getting worse. I can't do anything about these problems, and that sense of helplessness is not easy for me (or any of us) to endure. Quilting provides me with calmness and clarity. It reminds me that there is more to life than masks and hand sanitizer and being afraid all the time. I truly needed that.

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nightsmusic said…
It's going to be so pretty when it's done.

I've never machine quilted. I find the rhythm of the needle in my fingers very soothing. I'll piece the top like you did, but the quilting has to be all me.
June 14, 2020 at 5:44 PM
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