Mothers Day is very special to quilters, because often it is our mothers or
grandmothers who taught us to sew and quilt. As we become mothers and
grandmothers ourselves, we get to experience the teaching process from the other
side of the table.
Often time shared together at a sewing lesson, is
special simply because it is precious one-on-one time spent with someone you
love. Whether we are baking cookies, planting flower seeds, drawing a picture or
stitching by hand… those hours spent together are the stuff of long-lived
memories.
The last few weeks I spent with Sophie's 5th grade class,
coming twice a week and slowly working through the process of designing,
cutting, and sewing quilt blocks. On the last class this week, at the end of our
time together, the kids proudly stacked up their finished blocks in a
substantial pile of red, cream and blue. They've been studying the Civil War, so
we talked about community quilting, fabric scraps, and precious needles, as we
slowly pieced together our group quilt.
As with any kind of teaching, I
found that I learned as much as the students. The things I take for granted as
an experienced quilter, suddenly revealed a deeper joy in simple tasks like
threading a needle. As with any creative endeavor, you have to let go of the
past and the future, and just be in the moment, to be immersed in the creative
process.
It was the kids who made mistakes and had to rip out seams, who
had the biggest smiles as they turned in their finished blocks.
It was
the kids who finished first, who discovered the joy of teaching what they had
learned, to the kids who had fallen behind.
One kid was nearly in tears
last week, unable to thread a needle. This week after his buddies finished their
own blocks, they all pitched in to help him finish his stitching in record time.
The little girl who asked more questions than all the other kids
combined, was the first to finish, and then went on to answer the other kids'
questions.
We find some of our greatest joys in sharing what we know with
others, and that is a gift we learned from our moms and grandmas.
Here's
to all the moms who take the time to pass on their knowledge and creative
passion to their kids. It's the gift that keeps giving down through the
generations and across the years.
Hey, did you hear about Meg Cox'
article in Friday's Wall Street Journal, about the Modern Quilt Guild and
QuiltCon? I was just tickled to be interviewed for the piece, and I also
contributed photos from QuiltCon. Woo hoo! Photo credits in the WSJ! Thanks
Meg!
For our friends in Europe, I hope to see you at the Birmingham UK Festival of Quilts
in August. I'll be there with Bonnie McCaffery shooting videos, and perhaps I'll
see you at the fashion show, or on the Shakespeare evening outing?
This
Tuesday I'll be flying up to Penticton
BC for the Canada Quilt Festival, and I'll send my Creative Nudge once I get
there. I won't get to spend time with Libby there as I had hoped, but we'll
continue to send her prayers for healing.
from Ricky Tims:
"Libby Update for Saturday –
During Lester's visit this morning Libby was
awake and a bit more responsive than yesterday. She is unable to speak right
now, but she communicated by blinking her eyes in order to answer questions. She
also smiled at Lester a few times. She is moving her head left to right a bit
and she squeezed Lester's hand several times – once was a strong squeeze. She
remains in critical condition, but we can celebrate another baby step in the
right direction this morning."
Upcoming Travel and Shows:
May 15 – Canada Quilt Fest in Penticton
BC
May 17-19 – Quilt Market in Portland OR
May 20 – CostumeCon in Denver CO
May 24 – Quilt National in Athens OH
May 30
– Deadline SAQA
Andover Design Contest
July 20 – Not
Fade Away – Quilt Alliance
– in conjunction with Sacred Threads
Aug 8-10 – Birmingham UK Festival of
Quilts
