A Maker's Thought

The other day, I joined a group of friends mid-conversation, and immediately realized that one of them was telling about the 'knitted' hat and scarf combination that she was wearing. I burst out with 'did you make it?' She looked at me funny and then shared what the others already knew: she had purchased it on her recent trip to Peru. It was creative and lovely, and she had bought it directly from the maker, and even had gotten the opportunity to take a photo with the maker, and I thought all of that was very cool. But as I walked away, what struck me was that my mind immediately goes to the thought that something might be handmade and that everyone could be a maker. And I reveled in that moment where anything was possible, and in my little world sometimes even probable. And I kinda liked that. All that to say that I'm glad to be immersed in a community that allows and encourages and sometimes even presumes that to be the case. Of course we need to be careful about that presumption bit, but anyway, that's my thought for the day....

What They Don't Know

You've surely seen that the premier issue of Curated Quilts is out in the world. I'm still perusing my own copy and thoroughly enjoying it.... nicely done!



Two of my quilts are included in the Gallery - a showcase of sorts spread throughout the issue with quilts focusing on the theme - in the case of this first issue - "Linear". Of course I'll admit to showing the journal around a bit to a few family and friends, and an interesting thing happened.



And I don't mean this negatively necessarily. It happens and I think we're all used to it and can handle it. But one person, when they saw my two quilts - Monochrome (above) and Yay or Nay (below) - instantly said of Monochrome, "oh this one's better."



Now please don't feel like you have to stand up and defend me or either of my quilts. Please. That's not the point. I totally get that folks may like some of my work better that others. My work may not appeal to them at all. And that's ok! But what struck me about this comment was the fact that others can't usually know what lies within a finished quilt. I'm not talking batting and stitches, color or pattern. I'm talking the process.... the raw emotion that was felt in the creating. Sometimes it's the spirit of adventure, sometimes dabbling with a new technique. With Yay or Nay, it was deeper - being true to myself and not being afraid to do something wrong, to try something just to see what happened. It was a profound moment for me, and truth is, no matter what quilt you put up against it, Yay or Nay is likely to win out for me because of that experience alone.

Of course, most folks won't see that and they definitely won't feel it. Again, if nothing else, it's a reminder to me - and hopefully to you - to let folks see what they see and be ok with that. But also to acknowledge that what we do and what we have is something pretty special. And to savor it. It's easy to get caught up in the stash, the new thing to try, the deadlines, the wips. In fact I'm in the midst of that sort of whirlwind right now. But what I want most is to drink in the process, to acknowledge the gift of creating that I've been given, to cherish the ways that my work reflects a bit of me that noone else may see.