My Journey: The Quilt

Last April I was inspired by my little sister to make a rag quilt.

Like THIS

She finished hers in a weekend. It looked really cute and I wanted to make one.

I found soft flannel fabric that I liked and bought it.

And since last April I have been working on this blasted quilt!

It took me forever to choose the size and where I wanted each block. I printed out graphs and colored them in with the patterns of each kind of fabric.

Time went by and I started cutting the squares. I had to cut enough squares for 3 quilts, because you have to use 3 layers when making sure the edges 'rag-out' well. After you put the 3 layers together have to sew an X on the fabric.

During this time I realized that I didn't have enough of the lime green polka dotted fabric.

I stuck a sample in my purse and searched the fabric stores close by for more of the same fabric. Each store had polka dots in EVERY other color, but no green.

After several months, I finally resolved to find another type of fabric, and I settled on pink dots.

I had seen it at one of the stores, but of course..

when I went back for it, it was gone.

I found it at another store for $9.97 a yard, and there was no way that I was going to pay that price.

Finally at Christmastime I was down in Provo with my sister and found some pink polka dots at the local Walmart.

I snatched it up and we waited for thirty minutes to find a worker who knew how to use the pricing machine for fabric. (grrr)

And all the way I've been thinking about how cute this quilt is going to be.

After cutting out the squares I noticed that I was extremely short on blue fabric so I would have to alternate blue and pink dots.

(OK lets improvise)

Then I didn't have enough pink dots.

I contemplated what to do and went to the store and got more of a green fabric.

I spent a weekend cutting the new squares and was finally ready to sew them together.

I had used precision when cutting the squares and thought that I was ready to complete my quilt.

I wanted this thing to be beautiful, and I wanted it to last, so I took extra care and sewed each seam twice. When I had sewn one third of the quilt when my mother told me that each of the seams needed to be a quarter of an inch bigger.

What!?

After all of this mess and I've sewn it together wrong???

Seriously!!!

but it was only off by a smidgen.

I contemplated just finishing it the way it was and hoping for the best.

After all, it had difficult from the get go.

Why not just finish it and be happy with what I got!

...

Then the quilt reminded me of my life, and how I have wanted to make something special and beautiful out of it.

I thought of how my intentions have been pure and I have thought that I had done all of the figuring correct. I had made plans and dreams, just like I had laid out each square of this quilt. I thought of how I had tried to be so precise in my cutting and sewing and how I wanted a wonderful life just like I have wanted a beautiful quilt.

And with that I decided to unpick every stitch.

I will start over,

but I'm not starting from scratch.