i don't know how i discovered joanne's blog, but i did and was immediately drawn to it because i, too, am a quilter and a knitter. i should probably say "former" because i haven't done either in quite some time; however, my sensibilities tell me once a quilter, always a quilter.
quilters look at things differently - i have the need for balance. texture. pattern. looking at joanne's quilt, above, and the others on her site, i would venture a guess that she looks at things differently, too. i also viewed the time i spent quilting as an ongoing prayer for the recipient.
along with the creative process came the memories of what you were dealing with or going through at the time of said creation, which is why, i think, many quilters have "ufo's" -- unfinished objects. at some point, the project itself becomes too difficult to work on, let alone finish, if there are painful memories asociated with it. it may remain that way, for a time. or forever.
to the admirer, it is art and a thing of beauty; to the creator, it is burdensome and a painful reminder of things past. perspective.
joanne states:
I can't remember when I started it, and I wonder if in years to come I will look at it and remember the dark times I lived through during its creation:
Several illnesses for my parents
Some minor surgery for me
Career woes
A very dark, dangerous and heartbreaking time with my older son
9-11-01 and the wars
My husband getting laid off
Now I wonder if it's all these difficult memories that are making it so hard for me to be diligent and finish this? Will it be something I only return to in times of heartache, and because life is pretty good right now, I can't bear the thought of working on it?
i completely understand where she is coming from. when i was quilting, the times seemed much simpler.
easier.
perhaps i am waxing nostalgic.
what i do know is before i had a restaurant, i owned my own stitchery business (penni's, from heaven), where i devoted much of my creative energies into crafting items from quilts to wall hangings that i designed with scripture verses on them. and man, did i churn them out!
again, i recall how busy i was doing stitchery part-time while working for an attorney full-time; i also remember how sweet an outlet it was and how edifying. now that i've drifted away from it, i yearn for it but wonder if i am yearning for the craft or the simplicity of the days (as i recall them).
probably a little of both.
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