Challenges Great and Small

Quilting as a hobby can be a challenge.  There's always obstacles to overcome when attempting a yet untried pattern.  Color choices can pose a challenge to some and the mathematics of it all can be Mount Everest to others.  Its a wonder with so many details to figure out some people find quilting a relaxing past time at all.  I'm one of those people.  I retreat to my sewing room when life's stresses begin to wear on me.  I find comfort and solace in my textile life when the daily grind gets too much.

A very dear friend of mine shared some sad news recently to me about her family and she has been on my mind alot.  I can understand all too well some of her feelings right now as many years ago I was in a similar position.  Yet we are each different in how we tackle what life throws at us and we all find our own way to a place of solace.   And as I think about her while sitting in my sewing room I'm hoping she finds that place too....

So that's how I came to this post - looking at my sewing room refuge and feeling very lucky indeed to have this place that envelopes me in a sense of quiet and peace.  I love every fibre within it; every spool of thread, every unused fat quarter, every scrap I've saved from the many projects I've done that I still have no idea why I'm keeping them or what I'll eventually do with them, every book.  I love it all.  When I wrap my head around a quilting challenge I'm able to get lost in a project and leave the rest of the world behind.  Submersing myself in needle and thread not only shifts my brain from high and stressed to low and calm, it also moves my memories to happy times spent in sewing contemplation.

Quilting is my crack.

So I'm off to 'get high' and work on Bee projects, a baby blanket, some hand piecing and a machine quilting project.  There are worse vices then fabric addiction I'm sure.