Friday 9 January 2015

Use Your Words Quilt.


I have my first finish for 2015! And I usually try to avoid clothesline photos, but when your new clothesline is old wobbly fencing wire woven through old timber planks, next to an old rusty bath tub and blue shipping container, it's worth a try, right? Add to that a husband away for the week, and a break in the rain, and it's practically fate!
This was my already cut, post Christmas haze quilt. No thinking. Just plug in and play. So while I fed fabric through my machine, I let it's therapeutic hum take my mind around all the events of the last few months, and various things that lead to me being here today.


When I was about 15, I wrote a music essay for school. I remember putting a lot of thought into how I would frame the arguement and bring it all together. My teacher handed it back with high praise. She told me she thought I should pursue journalism as a career. It meant a lot to me and I thought about it seriously. I chose all my subjects the following year that involved a lot of writing so I could improve. And then at the end of the year, I applied for a week long work experience with the local News station.
After a week talking to people about their pets, listening to the police radio chatter in hope of some disaster and doing a story about a school musical, I was utterly discouraged. What was the point?
I finished school the following year, tired of writing and completely bewildered as to how I could use it in a 'real' job and I went to Poland instead and became a missionary in an old Polish castle.


It wasn't until recently, when I was considering my name change, and thinking about what I love most about this part of my life, that it was the writing that stood out to me as a really important process of my making. I enjoy quilting most when I'm doing it to say something. Not necessarily preachy things or teachy things. I just like telling my story and having your share yours.
I chose these texty prints because I thought the Drunkards Path blocks in circles might look like thought bubbles. They don't. But I still like how graphic it is. And almost 3-dimensional. Unisex. Grown up. All those parts were pulled off like I hoped!


And here I am, 20 years later, enjoying the fulfillment of those encouraging words way back then, and in such a different way than I could have ever imagined. Proof that if you use your words kindly, you never know the long lasting fruit that can grow ever so slowly inside someone's heart.  


Linking up with Finish it up Friday

16 comments:

  1. Well said. I love that you have a laundry line. I dry my clothes and quilts on mine.
    Your quilt is a great idea, but too much yellow for me.

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  2. I love everything about this. The quilt is perfection and so is your story. A beautiful finish!❤️

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  3. Beautifully said, we definitely need to cherish and encourage our youth to find something they love and hopefully it will impact their lives in a positive and lasting way, regardless of the shape their lives will take.

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  4. Love this quilt! And I too enjoy the wordy aspect of being a blogging quilter. Although my words are few and far between lately ;) xx

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  5. Beautiful. Quilt and words. As always! And I love that you found something industrial as your background. Missing the steel city?! Xx

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  6. I watch a sermon once were the lady preached on a verse about how our speech should be edifying to each other, can't remember the verse but her driving point was that our words should be like " a little present wrapped with a silver bow" (a child's explanation of the verse). I've been thinking about it lots recently, How our words can so easily lift up or tear down. I'm working on making my words more like gifts and less like weights. Your words are lovely as always x

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  7. Such a pretty finish. I love the graphic feel of this quilt. Your kindness and friendly personality really shine through in you posts. Thank you for sharing your stories!

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  8. Gorgeous quilt -love your writing too.

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  9. You do write so beautifully and I love that you can describe the emotions that are behind your quilt making. I am utterly useless at expressing myself in words, but I too have found that quilting helps me to express my emotions in a different way and allows me time to process in my head what is going on inside.

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  10. Your choice of colors and words inspire. Thank You.

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  11. I love the look of the modern quilt against the 'rustic' backdrop!

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  12. Gorgeous! I love the way you put colours together. I find that the hardest part of the process. Enjoyable but scary :-)

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  13. Lovely quilt and lovely words!

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  14. Thanks for your thoughtful and personal blog post. I dreamed to work in a chemical laboratory. After a first practical training I was so disappointed that I started studying something entirely else :o) I am very thankful that companies offer hands-on trainings - one never knows if reality can live up to our expectations!

    I have several texty prints in my stash and your beautiful quilts makes me want to cut into them at once. Thanks for sharing, it is a great inspiration!

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  15. Your quilt is beautiful. I love your fabric and design choices.

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I so love your comments! I read all of them and reply when I can. If you don't hear back, I'm lost under a mound of scraps or outside jumping on the trampoline with the kids. Jodi. xx