Sew More

Spring quilt made with fabric given to me by my grandmom

One of the many blogs I read is Sew, Mama Sew! It is a great combination of tutorials, inspiration and introductions to other crafters. I was very inspired by two recent posts. Here are a few quotes I wanted to share:

This ain’t Little House on the Prairie and none of us are Laura Ingalls. We don’t have to sew if we don’t want to. We can sew whatever we want as many times as we want in whatever fabric we want

When people are learning, they’re often not happy about it because they’re uncomfortable, but a tolerance for discomfort is required if you want to learn or master anything. (Which doesn’t in any way mean that it can’t also be fun.) The wonderful thing is that when you challenge yourself it leads to growth and mastery, which most people find deeply satisfying, which is why we keep doing it.

9-Patch Quilt given to my SIL this past Christmas

These two quotes are from an introduction to this post also containing great quotes:

I love the unbelievably wide range of design. I love the way twenty people can make the same thing and have it turn out completely different. .... I love that it is both creative and productive. I love that it can be therapeutic in both its simplicity and its complexity.

It isn’t about doing things the “right” way, it’s about increasing your skill set so you have the tools to create what YOU want to create.

While repetitive sewing is soothing, focusing on complex sewing can allow you to shut off those endless loops of worries in your head and give you confidence that spills over into other parts of your life.

The joy you receive from quilting is worth a little struggle, a little challenge, a little effort.

Plus Quilt given as a wedding gift

It's hard to believe, but I've been quilting for nearly two years. According to my best count, I've completed 18 quilts, and have several in various stages, 1 only needing binding, 3 finished tops, 2 nearly finished tops and a bunch of fabric all chopped up. I love that quilting is something I can grow in for many years to come. I also love that what I make is useful, not only pretty! There is so much more to try and even more to master.

How good to remember that doing something difficult can be enjoyable! So true in much of life.