I tried to make a dress for Lucy once. It was really horrible. So horrible that my mother had pity on me, told me she would finish it for me, then promptly remade the entire dress in to something that was actually wearable. I wasn't sure I should ever get out my sewing machine again. Fortunately though, there are other things to be sewn besides frilly collars, zippers and hook and eye closures. I can make quilts.
My mother has always been a quilter. An amazing quilter. She has an eye for color and an attention to detail that makes her quilts prize winners. While I have always admired her skill, there was a point when I just wasn't sure I had it in me. I saw my sister and sister in law begin quilting. They seemed to get it. They enjoyed those trips to the fabric stores, when I would feign interest and wonder if I would ever have time to actually try.
Then finally, I did try. It was rough, at first. My seams would not line up. My measurements were not as accurate as they should be. My seam ripper became my very best friend. Yet, somehow, I could not give up. I pressed on, and eventually, my seams became straighter, my measurements more precise. I began to get it. There is something amazing about taking things that are just pretty on their own and putting them together to make something truly extraordinary. In a way, it's therapeutic. There may be days when I cannot make sense out of life, but I can always make sense out of fabric. I can create something, and in just a little bit of time, see progress. That is encouraging and can actually lend a hand in encouraging me through life's challenges as well. That may sound weird, but I bet there are other quilters out there who understand.
My mother has taught me a lot of things. She taught me how to be a Mom and how to be happy with who I am. She taught me how to make bread, how to write a good paper, and how to laugh at myself. And she taught me how to quilt. I will always be grateful, and will think of her every time I compulsively buy fabric simply because it is pretty, or stay up until two in the morning because I have to know what something will look like finished.
