Making time for quilting

My latest quilt block, in progress

I’ve had a sick husband, sick cats, and bouts of vertigo in the last several months, but I refuse to forego my quilting passion.

The way I figure it, enjoying quilting doesn’t mean I need a thimble on my finger or a foot on the sewing machine pedal. Sometimes my love of quilting is much less subtle. Oh, it is great to carve out some time to actually work on the pastime I love, but when that isn’t possible, I do the next best thing. 

I immerse myself in quilting videos on You Tube, visit a quilting blog or two, or thumb through a myriad of quilting magazines I’ve collected. Sometimes I even sit with pen to paper and doodle, hoping to create a new or practice an old quilting design. There is always so much that goes into quilting from concept to completed project that actually making a quilt is really only one small part of it.

Such has been my story of late. There just hasn’t been time for me to quilt, until today. I decided to bite the bullet, which in my case means leave the sink full of dirty dishes, hold off on folding the dryer contents, and even offer just fast food for supper.

I’m working on the paper-pieced project that is the 2019 Block of the Month designed exclusively for members of The Quilt Show, designed by Becky Goldsmith, as described in my previous blog post https://chquilts.ozarkattitude.com/2019/06/this-one-will-be-next_1.html

Becky is a stellar designer and the directions in her pattern are detailed and easy to follow. I’ve been quilting for about 20 years and have done paper-piecing numerous times, so you would think this would be a piece-o-cake for me. Nope.

It is difficult to jump back into a project after a long hiatus. Skills need practice. I had expected not to do stupid things, like trim the foundation on the sewing line instead of the cutting line or sew the fabric wrong side up, or cut the wrong number of pieces, even though cutting directions are clearly spelled out. I guess all isn’t lost though; I did get to hone my seam-ripping skills.

All I know is it was just good to sit in that chair today; my brain, in perfect harmony with my sewing machine while all the cares of the day just disappeared. I was even in sync with the dirty dishes and laundry—both cooperated by promising to wait for me.