Like A Quilt

I've been getting back to some quilt projects that I started long ago. So long ago I can't even remember. At least two sewing machines, three houses, over maybe ten years, perhaps more. Anyone's best guess. Those quilt blocks have waited patiently, and Lord knows I considered pitching them a time or two. Mostly when I was packing to move to one of those three houses. It's been so long that when I bought fabric to do borders, we had to look at reproduction fabrics to find colors that coordinated. Many things, including color palettes, change over the years. 

Now I look at the blocks and see where they will never lay smooth, where my pressing was not neat, where the points are off. Where my seam allowances were too generous. I am not the most precise quilter.

 

Life is like that, I've had some bumpy patches, areas that got knotted and frayed, pulled out of shape. There were parts that were broken and had to be reassembled. There were times all went effortlessly. Times I was, metaphorically, packed away in a box only to appear years later. 

I'm still not the most precise quilter, or person for that matter. I am a work in progress. Sometimes my tension is off, those who sew get what I mean. Things get messy then. Other times I come apart a bit at the seams. It may take a while for my colors to coordinate again, but all I need is a little help with that. 

In the end, this project will be a thing of beauty, soft and warm. It will hold stories in the layers of fabric. Much like we hold stories in our layers. Those layers need the light of day and gentle smoothing. They need acceptance for what they are not, and appreciation for what they are. So, I keep working on this, knowing it's far from perfect. Perhaps that adds to it, rather than takes away from it. Take the pieces life gives you and make something out of them. May they be soft to the touch, bring warmth and comfort. Much like a quilt.