The Quilt

I am a tragic knitter.  I do love all the colors and textures, but I fully admit I get lost in the lingo, I am not always the best at patience and research when it comes to learning something new. I want to cast on and knit a hat.  I still have no hat. I have some great scarves, and even a pair of mitts, but still no hat.  :)  My needles sit lonely and idle.

Still I felt the desire to learn a craft. Something I could get lost in, find my rhythm in. I remember my mom always sewing when I was young.  Embroidery, clothing, something always in the works and always beautiful. I think I longed for something tactile that I could be good at,  but once again a lack of knowledge and patience kept getting in the way and stopping me from beginning.  Then I saw a simple quilt.  Simple squares sewn together. For some reason the want of a pretty quilt pushed me to start.  I ordered some vintage squares of fabric without even having a machine to sew them on.  My mom brought over her sewing machine and gave me a few quick lessons in the basics. How to thread a bobbin, what to do if it gets stuck… The last time I had run a machine was in high school in home ec! I kept giving myself pep talks, “you can do this” played on in my head as i struggled, made mistakes, pulled out long lines of stitches gone wrong.  Each stitch closer to my goal.  First attaching those pretty fabric squares into long rows. Then attaching those rows to one another strip by strip, eventually achieving a blanket sized quilt top. It felt like such an accomplishment as I held it in my hands.  A quilt!  I made a quilt! Well a top,  I made a quilt top… Then I had the task of fumbling my way through making the quilt “sandwich” and binding it together.  Again in my own silly way, making mistakes, I kept on going.  Sticking my fingers with pins.  Ironing out what seemed to be an insurmountable number of seams. Trudging along. “You can do this…. you can do this…  you CAN…..” And eventually I did.  I was so proud and suddenly so motivated!  This is it!  This is MY thing. I can do this.  I DID do this! I loved the weight of the finished product in my hands.  Of course it is full of mistakes and imperfections, but it was made with determination and love and now  rests on the bed of my youngest daughter,  giving her warmth at night.
It was not the last, I quickly began quilt 2… and then 3…  Slowly.
One step at a time.
Finding my rhythm I so hoped I’d find.
All I needed was to begin.

What have you been longing to try? Go ahead, try it!  All you need to do is begin.

See more from Everyday Storyteller –Kristin Zecchinelli here.