Carried on the Wind

Sep. 20, 2006 - Found Moments

As a busy Mama it's important to me to have some sort of creative outlet and there are many that I enjoy- sewing, quilting, making cards, scrapbooking, writing, beadwork, making dolls, and more. It's easy to lament not having more time to work on these kinds of things, but I remember the words of a high school teacher: "Time is not something you have, it's something you make." I never wanted to hear that when I hadn't had (or made) time to do my homework, but I'm starting to see the truth in it: we make time for things that are important to us. And while being able to craft things is something I enjoy, finding the time for it can be a challenge.

Jinny Beyer, in her instructive and beautiful book Quiltmaking by Hand talks about how she finds the time to sew large quilts without the use of a machine. "You would be amazed at how much sewing you can get done in found moments throughout the day. I sew in doctor's offices, in the car, on trains, on airplanes, in airport, and in traffic jams.... I always have a little bag of stitching with me wherever I go. I advise you to do to the same, because you never know when you might have a little bit of time to take a few stitches.... you will come to cherish the times when you can quietly stitch- and your final quilt will have so many more memories attached to it because of where you were when you pulled out your little bag of sewing." She goes on to talk about how the key to being productive in your "found moments" is having spent some time in preparation. She has pieces cut out and placed in a small bag along with a needle and thread, pins and a small pair of scissors. She can then pick up her bag and stitch while waiting in line to get gas, talking on the phone or sitting with her husband while he watches a game.

     This idea of found moments inspires me. I think this must be how women of earlier generations were able to accomplish the amazing handiwork and quilts we see in museums now. (Of course, they made such things out of necessity, but I would still prefer to lay my children down under a quilt stitched with love by their mama then one bought at Stuff-Mart.) Peregrine and I are reading Farmer Boy, and I love the description of a winter's evening with the whole family around the woodstove: "Mother knitted and rocked in her high-backed rocking-chair. Father carefully scraped a new axe-handle with a bit of broken glass. Royal carved a chain of tiny links from a smooth stick of pine, and Alice sat on her hassock, doing her woolwork embroidery. And they all ate popcorn and apples, and drank sweet cider, except Eliza Jane. Eliza Jane read aloud the news in the New York weekly paper."
    I've found what Jinny Beyer said to be true; when I have things prepared I can get a lot done in a few moments on the couch or while riding in the van, watching a movie with Erik or talking together in the evening. And the memories attached to something do become more special- I remember piecing blocks for Peregrine's baby quilt on the way to Crater Lake, and working on Alethea's on a road trip to California when I was six months pregnant with her. Some crafts lend themselves more readily to found moments than others, but there are many things that can be done in those small snatches of time. It's very satisfying, and almost feels like a necessity to me, to create beautiful things; things to keep or give away, things that will bring joy and beauty and comfort. And while I can't usually find hours to work on these projects, I can quite often find a few moments.

    The quilts pictured are a few of the ones I've made. The top one is Peregrine's, with him on it. The second one is Alethea's, and they bottom one I made for Zebedee, my friend Shelley's little guy. I quilted that one by machine but the others were pieced and quilted entirely by hand. They are all crib-sized.

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Sep. 21, 2006 - Untitled Comment

Posted by Anonymous

I love your post. (I forget where I found your blog - it was a link on someone else's.) I long to be able to have time to be more creative - that's an ongoing struggle with me. I used to always carry my cross stitching with me - I haven't picked it up in months. Anyway...thanks for sharing what you're learning - and I'm going to try to put that into practice. Right now however I've got an oven to go clean. (flames and electric ovens make a tremendous mess!)

edith

PS you can check out www.photogal938.blogspot.com

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Sep. 21, 2006 - You quilt, too???

Posted by reformingmama

You are my kind of girl! Oh, how I wish you lived a bit closer! I would love to learn how to quilt. I have often thought that I would like to make a quilt for each of my children- to go on their beds. Hmm.. Any good suggestions for a "beginners guide to quilting" book?
ps- are the quilts in your post all ones that you have made? Beautiful, Rebeca.
~Stacy

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Sep. 21, 2006 - Untitled Comment

Posted by katesty

hey Becca,
I do remeber you. Ali has told me about your son and your blog. I am very excited to begin to homeschool. Alissa, my daughter, has just shown interst in letters and words so I think now would be a good time to start. It is good to hear from you. I took your advice about my profile. Thank you. Talk to you later.

Katie

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Sep. 21, 2006 - Untitled Comment

Posted by kjfairch

Wow, Rebeca! What beautiful quilts! They really are gorgeous. I've applied this principle of "found time" to reading- everyone always says to me that they don't know how I find the time to read so many books and still keep up with the house and two small children. That's because I take my books everywhere with me. I read in doctor's offices, at stop lights and whenever I have to wait in line somewhere. Hmmm, maybe I should apply that same principle to my cross-stitch wedding sampler that is still unfinished, seven years after our wedding!

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Sep. 21, 2006 - Untitled Comment

Posted by Anonymous

I grew up in Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya.

Thanks for stopping by my blog - appreciate the comment.

Have a blessed day.

edith

www.photogal938.blogspot.com

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Sep. 22, 2006 - Untitled Comment

Posted by Rebeca

Stacy,
I'm not sure about a good guide to beginning quilting. My friend learned to quilt from the Jinny beyer book I mentioned in the post. It's a bit of a different method than I do. There is a book called Lap Quilting by Georgia Bonesteel. I think, but I'm not positive, that her method is similar to what I learned, which has you piece each block and quilt it, then sew them all together at the end. It's a lot more portable and doesn't require having a huge quilting frame; the only time you are working with the whole big quilt is at the very end; so it's a lot more manageable in my opinion. Her books are quite popular so the library might have them, and once you learn the basics you can find tone of free patterns online or in books.
Let me know if you get started or if you have any more questions feel free to email!
Oh, and yes, the quilts in the picture are ones I've made. I added a note on the bottom about them.
Rebeca

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Sep. 22, 2006 - Untitled Comment

Posted by Joni

Wow, Rebeca!

These quilts are amazing! I have a good friend who is a quilt artist. She uses stories from her personal faith journey to quilt. I am always blown away by her creativity. It's a way for her to share her faith with those in the local arts community and beyond. Although she's very quiet by nature, her quilts speak loudly of the redemptive love of the Savior.

Thanks for sharing!
Joni

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Sep. 22, 2006 - Untitled Comment

Posted by eyecorn

What gorgeous quilts...treasures, really. Your children and friends will treasure them for years and years. I agree, Timberdoodle is a great company. I've ordered a few things from them, but always enjoy looking through their catalog. I remember a tag going around not too long ago about catalogs. I said I didn't read them anymore, but after reading this, I remembered, I do go through the Timberdoodle catalog when it arrives (which isn't too often...come to think of it!)

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Sep. 23, 2006 - Untitled Comment

Posted by timbuck2mom

Rebeca, I have also been thinking lately about finding the time to quilt for even just 15 minutes a day. If you don't start somewhere it seems the days, weeks, months and years pass and projects are left hanging. You forget where you left off on top of it all. So, I'd like to try and start somewhere even if it's only 15 minutes a week!

By the way, those are beautiful quilts you made. Very special gifts for your children.

Thanks for leaving a comment on my blog about ways to save money on groceries. You gave me a good laugh. :)

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