What do i need to let go of?
The old way: the standard was a 5/8 inch seam; and the new is 1/4 inch seams.
Too much or too little means the corners don’t match and the resulting square or rectangle is not square. Not a huge problem for small items but magnified by inches with every foot that is added to the construction of a full sized quilt .
How do we learn something new?
During the last months, life has been a bit different. Challenging? Rife with Possibilities? Hanging onto the shore? Swimming toward new horizons?
Our time and our activities seemed to occur in different universes, sometimes parallel, and sometimes nonsenical tangents.One new area for me was quilting. After a 30 year hiatus I was finally sewing again. I’ve felt the thrill of accomplishment as I completed dozens of hot pads, over 60 table runners, and now four quilts.
Following a sewing pattern is still sometimes challenging. Creating my own designs is exhilarating when it works. And oh, so frustrating when it misses the mark.
Life is hard. Learning is hard. And yet life and learning go hand in hand. .
A tweet credits this visual to Shana Frazin at TCRWP and last week’s Reading Institute.15
All of these mantras fit my life and often cause me to pause..
When have you had to “lose sight of the shore”? What new horizons were waiting for you? Which mantras fit your life?
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I thought I was going to pull out my old sewing machine this summer, but I haven’t yet. Maybe this slice is the impetus I need. I love how there are words that apply to the task of learning as well as life. Good luck with your sewing projects.
Get it out. Oil it up. Take it for a spin.
In making a quilt the seam is so important be it a 1/4 inch or a scant 1/4 inch. Attention to detail leads to a well done completed project. I believe that that kind of attention to detail is important in all we do.
Love that whole ” scant” measurement.
Fran, I’m use to nature providing metaphors. NOW you have shown me how quilting provides metaphor too! The idea of a seam being ok at a small squale but not at a large scale. Such the way with life too. You capture so well the feels related to learning, when it works and when it needs more practice. Thanks for sharing.
An initial 1/ 8 off might be off by a whole inch six squares later.
As soon as I get the lighting worked out in my new crafting area in the basement, I’m going to get out my sewing machine and see what happens. It’s been a long time. Will we still be friends?
I took my machine to the shop.
So worth it.