No matter what you're itching to make, Nina’s Quilt Barn is here to keep you rolling to the next quilt. Quilters Narrative
This is my journey through stitches, millions, and millions of them...
It all started with a quilt I saw, made with appliqued hearts. I thought, “Cut them out and sew them on white blocks. Now what?" It took finding a book to see what else I could do with these squares. The
problem was, words like sashing, cornerstones, borders, batting, backing, binding, and quilting jumped off the pages at me and seemed quite intriguing. "Wow, that seems like a lot to do." Just how far away am I from seeing the outcome? If you are a quilter, then you know what I am talking about. If not, allow me to elaborate. This is a familiar internal dialogue we have with ourselves. As a quilter, we are always looking for instant gratification. But I ask, "Why?" I say, let the feeling last. Be picky when choosing those fabulous fabrics. Swim in the colors and feel the design. Build the palette, piece by piece, and watch it. Help it come to life. Next, comes cutting all those pieces. Maybe a few and maybe hundreds. Remember, these cuts are stepping stones to a creation that represents us as quilters. Now comes the piecing. The machines- Janome, Bernina, Phaff, Viking, Singer, Elna, and Brother. Which do I use? Who cares as long as it sews! This is what truly matters. There is no such thing as, “I own the best machine.” The machine simply helps me walk the pieces through the process of making an incredible, unique creation. Piece after piece, the picture begins to emerge. Time for another decision, the borders! Do I slap them on? Should I pause and rethink? What else can I do to make this part as important as the rest of what I’ve just created? Add another fabric, contrasting perhaps? Complimentary? Should it be scalloped, mitered, or add corners? At this point I say to myself, "I am close, it’s almost a quilt. We're almost finished!" That lovely feeling of accomplishment is near. Whether I pin, tie, or baste, it’s yet another decision to make. "Shall I quilt it? Could this be the last decision between me and the finish line?"
At this point, perhaps a bit weary, I turn to my fellow quilters and ask, “What do you think?” I listen to as many suggestions as there are pieces in my project. This is our community. In the end I do what feels right. It's always a feeling. With so many decisions now behind me, I’m faced with yet MORE decisions. The binding, "what color should it be? Width of the fabric? Which fabric? Ok, done! I’ve sewn it on, but wait, do I turn it over and now hand-sew?!" Really, these are all true thoughts. "Must I use a needle and thread? Then sit for hours to get to the final, truly finished quilt?"
It's true. This has to be done. I smile. At last, I am here, the finish line- the last stitch. I now get to hold it up umpteen times to show it off and watch the faces of my fellow quilters express their understanding of what it took to get here It's funny, I am sitting on my chair with my quilt on my lap and my head is swirling. The pattern, the colors, the size, the fabrics,the cutting, the pieces, the sewing, the borders, the quilting, the binding… These are all thoughts of the NEXT quilt I am going to make tomorrow. Truly yours, just a Quilter Nina Anderson
12/9/12
