Quilt Making

Musings while hand sewing the binding on Michael's Manly Nap Quilt ...

All of the steps in making a quilt are pleasing and satisfying in their own way; even the tedious parts.

Choosing a pattern, choosing colors, picking out the fabrics, all the creative steps that go into making the perfect quilt for a particular person or event get my head involved.

Cutting, piecing, stitching, running my favorite power tool, quilting by machine or by hand, these are parts that get my hands involved.

But the final step of binding -- the binding style I always use is to machine stitch one edge (front or back as dictated by the rest of the quilt) and then blind hem stitch the other edge by hand -- is my favorite part. All the rest of the quilt has come together as it should be -- not necessarily as *planned*, just as it was meant to be, you understand, eh? This step simply cannot be hurried, cannot be rushed through, even when the baby shower or graduation or birthday is hours away. Note: that's the main reason I have learned to never promise a quilt for a specific time :-)

The slow, steady, even stitching gives me time to think, to reflect: on the process, on the learning opportunities (not mistakes, learning opportunities!), on the person who will soon receive the quilt. This is the time to reflect, think, dream, pray, wish; the time for my heart to add its part to the whole.