stories
I've been thinking about the stories I hear every day. A lady came in to my store the other day to buy some fabric, because she was making bumper pads and things for a new baby in her life. (a story in of itself) I was showing her around the store and she saw the quilt I was working on on the longarm machine. She asked me if I ever had a hard time working on quilts I didn't like. I thought about my answer for a little bit and said truthfully that there are very few quilts I didn't enjoy working on. And so for days I've been trying to figure out why that is.
I believe it is because each quilt has a story.
Each quilt has an important story to the person that created it and which, I believe, is a vital part of that quilt. You may not be able to see it, or feel it, but it is there in every one. I absolutely love that part, and it makes every quilt interesting to look at, think about, and ultimately quilt it on the longarm machine.
The quilt I was working on at the time of the previously mentioned visit was really great and different, an art quilt, with hundreds of different fabrics from the traditional cotton to velvets and even see thru silks. I loved working on it, especially because I've done several quilts for this same person and I've gotten to know her, know her quilting style, what she likes and doesn't like, and I feel like I can contribute to her work. And they always tell a story.
I think of the probably hundreds of quilts I've finished for people that have inherited unfinished quilts. They are some of my favorite stories, becasue I always hear at least a little bit about the person that made it and is no longer with us. Some are very old, but the person bringing it to me wants it finished so that it can be used and enjoyed or given as a gift to another family member. I also believe that the person that made that quilt top would love to know that something they put so much time and thought into has been finished and can be enjoyed instead of kept in a bag or closet somewhere. I just finished an absolutely lovely green and white tree quilt that will be given to son and new daughter in law. What a special story that she will have to tell.
Last week I had a woman come in with a little applique quilt that she wanted me to finish for her. She was going to give it to someone having a baby in her family. She came in clearly frazzled and kept saying how hard this was to do, and she was glad she had finished her part. She told me more about how hard she had worked on this thing, how HARD this was to do, and she couldn't believe we did this all the time! I could tell it had been hard for her but I could also see the story in it, I could see how hard she had worked, and how important it was for her to have finished it. It was beautiful. Then she proceeds to tell me that all she knew and understood was nuclear engineering! That fortunate baby got a true labor of love, a gift of many hours of thought and work. A great story I think.
There is a story with every quilt, no matter how exquisite or easily pieced, what I hear, and what I see is, the fact that someone cared enough to not only spend a lot money, but even more important, a lot of time to create something. It may be created as a gift, or out of sheer love of a certain fabric, in the simple need to create, even in celebration of a certain person or occasion, each one unique and different. Quilts are great story tellers.
Let's go create something, and write our story!
What story does this quilt tell?
I believe it is because each quilt has a story.
Each quilt has an important story to the person that created it and which, I believe, is a vital part of that quilt. You may not be able to see it, or feel it, but it is there in every one. I absolutely love that part, and it makes every quilt interesting to look at, think about, and ultimately quilt it on the longarm machine.
The quilt I was working on at the time of the previously mentioned visit was really great and different, an art quilt, with hundreds of different fabrics from the traditional cotton to velvets and even see thru silks. I loved working on it, especially because I've done several quilts for this same person and I've gotten to know her, know her quilting style, what she likes and doesn't like, and I feel like I can contribute to her work. And they always tell a story.
I think of the probably hundreds of quilts I've finished for people that have inherited unfinished quilts. They are some of my favorite stories, becasue I always hear at least a little bit about the person that made it and is no longer with us. Some are very old, but the person bringing it to me wants it finished so that it can be used and enjoyed or given as a gift to another family member. I also believe that the person that made that quilt top would love to know that something they put so much time and thought into has been finished and can be enjoyed instead of kept in a bag or closet somewhere. I just finished an absolutely lovely green and white tree quilt that will be given to son and new daughter in law. What a special story that she will have to tell.
Last week I had a woman come in with a little applique quilt that she wanted me to finish for her. She was going to give it to someone having a baby in her family. She came in clearly frazzled and kept saying how hard this was to do, and she was glad she had finished her part. She told me more about how hard she had worked on this thing, how HARD this was to do, and she couldn't believe we did this all the time! I could tell it had been hard for her but I could also see the story in it, I could see how hard she had worked, and how important it was for her to have finished it. It was beautiful. Then she proceeds to tell me that all she knew and understood was nuclear engineering! That fortunate baby got a true labor of love, a gift of many hours of thought and work. A great story I think.
There is a story with every quilt, no matter how exquisite or easily pieced, what I hear, and what I see is, the fact that someone cared enough to not only spend a lot money, but even more important, a lot of time to create something. It may be created as a gift, or out of sheer love of a certain fabric, in the simple need to create, even in celebration of a certain person or occasion, each one unique and different. Quilts are great story tellers.
Let's go create something, and write our story!
posted by nicole dunn at
7:37 PM
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