Monday, August 16, 2010

Finding peace in the piecework.

I started a new quilt top on the weekend. 

This one will be for a friend who has a long six months of chemotherapy ahead of her. I hope that a small lap quilt, while not the most practical offering, is something that will bring a bit of comfort, beauty and a reminder that she is loved and prayed for.

I've wanted to try playing with triangles since the first issue of Fat Quarterly came out. So this weekend I chose the fabric from my stash and made a stack of half-square triangles. I decided to cut first, design later. It's just how I roll.



I surprised myself by enjoying the process. Usually my head is racing ahead to the next step and the next, impatiently wishing I was done with the 'preliminary' steps, wanting to see the whole thing come together. Instead, I got into the rhythm of cutting, marking, pinning, sewing, pressing. Perhaps the spirit of monotasking is really beginning to sink in.
I especially loved the pressing. I must have spent an hour last night lovingly ironing imperfectly-aligned points into the appearance of almost-perfection. It was weird. And then I spent a good while gazing affectionately at my little stack of raw-edged half-square triangles. As though they were my children.


Hmmm. It could be the monotasking. It could be the frontal lobotomy. You decide.

17 comments:

  1. you are the sweetest!
    you are doing it with love so it will be fun.
    wishing her strength.
    hugs to you sweet girl ♥

    ReplyDelete
  2. There is so much beauty to be appreciated in this world when we take things slow ... and when we're not taking what we have for granted. All my best wishes to your friend.

    ReplyDelete
  3. It is going to be gorgeous and so full of love.
    I have a friend in a similar situation who I think I might crochet a lap rug for after reading this. I have to admit that crocheting it may be therapy in dealing with it for me.
    Lots of positive thoughts for your friend and for you. X

    ReplyDelete
  4. Excellent idea, and something that will be appreciated for sure. Healing thoughts to your friend.

    ReplyDelete
  5. It doesn't matter what you make someone who is sick. It's the love and happy energy that we put into it that makes it special. That what I was trying to teach Moo when we were knitting for charity last month. The value of handmade far outways any other gift... Oh except for a hug... Hehe

    Xo Steph

    ReplyDelete
  6. A beautiful gift for your friend Gina, she will always have love in her lap.

    ReplyDelete
  7. A beautiful quilt beginning.
    A lovely and very thoughtful gift.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Monotasking sounds utterly fantabulous to me right now. I feel like there's lots of manic-tasking going on here! I imagine a growing stack of cut bits and then sewn bits and then pressed bits is particularly satisfying, too. And I think she'll definitely get the purpose and the intent behind it.

    ReplyDelete
  9. What a superb thing to make for your friend Gina. It's a perfect offering during a time where as a friend you can often find yourself feeling powerless. And I know what you mean about the pressing. I can't tell you how much I hate ironing. I NEVER iron my clothing and yet I love pressing a seam or two when sewing. Love it. Weird.

    ReplyDelete
  10. you so crack me up! oh and hey, i might need some help and advice - i think my next project is going to involve some quilting and really i have no idea how to do it! nothing like starting something off without any sense of how to get to the finished product in your head! i'll pick your brains soon when i get stuck (i get the feeling i am going to have to find out more about something called a "walking foot")

    ReplyDelete
  11. Gina, what a wonderful gift to give your friend. A constant reminder in tough times of the love that is always there. xxx

    ReplyDelete
  12. The fabric looks so elegant. Looks like a peaceful process- enjoy! xo m.

    ReplyDelete
  13. What a lucky friend she is!

    I just popped in and I'm so glad I did. What an awesome blog you have here. I'm very pleased to meet you!!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Gina you are a true friend :-) So much love going into that quilt how could it not help your friend thru a hard time. Glad to see you are enjoying the process and taking the time to soak it all in :-)

    ReplyDelete
  15. Oh Gina! What a wonderful gift you will give. Its so beautiful with all those linens.
    Now, I cant believe you when you say you want to see more of my quilt! It is so lame compared with your wonderful works. Ill do a link to the bigger pictures I had posted earlier in the year for you then! x

    ReplyDelete
  16. Haha Gina, you're the best. Can you please write more instructional posts on how to monotask. I'm still doing the racing/freaking out thing and short of starting to drink wine around 9 in the morning I'm not sure what the cure is. Although I did find the machine quilting I did on the weekend strangely soothing. So maybe I need to do more of that! xx

    ReplyDelete
  17. So glad you are having a crack at the triangles (they are really not that scary)!

    ReplyDelete

“Three Rules of Work: Out of clutter find simplicity; From discord find harmony; In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.”
~Albert Einstein