Handwork and Slowing Down

Dress for Caitlin

Quilt for Eileen

So much going on in this small head of mine and none of the goings on has to due with my paying job…thank goodness. No, what I have on the brain is quilts and small peoples’ knits. I have one blue quilt on the machine, two quilt tops almost done, and two other quilt tops ready to be quilted, not to mention the quilt that I have been hand quilting for the past 3 years…oh dear me, yes it is true! I know quilters that are big “goal setters” to get all their projects completed. I am not one of them. Goal setting to me is like, well work. I’m under daily deadlines at work and that screams stress to me. I have to set goals at work yearly and constantly check them, (at least I am suppose to check them several times a year). I quilt and knit for enjoyment, I want to savior each and every moment, every stitch, thinking about the person said quilt or knit is intended for. Setting goals around my favorite past time would just ruin the meditative value I experience doing the process. I don’t want to “produce”, I want to slow down and enjoy, value my time doing the “thing” I have a passion for. Surprisingly, the more I slow down, the more progress I make. When I am able to fully concentrate on the project at hand, so much more gets accomplish-funny how that works.

So I challenge you to slow down, breathe deeply-often, while sewing and enjoy the process.

Everything gets done that is supposed to get done.