Quilting

I’m not much of a seamstress. Actually, I think I’m missing the domestic arts gene in general. I don’t like to clean (who does?) and I’ve never kept a garden. The other day some friends were talking about flowers they want to plant this summer, and I felt like they were speaking a foreign language. I said, “Wow. I’m so out of it when it comes to this stuff.”

And my friend Jill said, “You’re a writer. You don’t have time to garden.”

She had a point, although it’s all about choices. When I’m not working or spending time with my children, I most likely want to be writing, and keeping a garden would distract me from that. While some people gain huge satisfaction from being outside, working with the earth, planting seeds, nurturing them and watching them grow; I get my fulfillment from typing away on a keyboard.

Which leads to today’s subject. When I found out this week’s blog gang was on quilting, I felt just even more lost than I would had it been on gardening. The last time I made a quilt was when I was in Girl Scouts, and that was with the pre-cut square, simple pattern formula.

But last spring my dear friend Christina made a quilt for my baby Pauline. It just might be my favorite baby gift because it’s beautifully done, but more importantly, it was made with love especially for Pauline. I asked Christina to share with me her thoughts about quilting.

 “It seemed like a tradition moms pass down to their children,” Christina said. “I wanted to make a quilt for Justine (her daughter)… she’d always have it and know her mom made it for her.”

“It’s an accomplishment that lasts,” she continued. “When you cook a good meal, at the end it’s gone. But a quilt is a physical reminder of how much you care. Nowadays time is more valuable than money. Putting time into something shows how much you care.”

When Pauline is old enough to understand, I’ll tell her the story behind her quilt. I’ll let her know how happy Christina was for me when I told her I was pregnant, and how invaluable her friendship has been over the years. I didn’t make quilt to pass down to Pauline, but the one made by Christina means just as much.