Monday, January 19, 2009

Everything Happens for a Reason

If a journey begins with a single step, mine started with a single quilt.  I worked at the time with some amazing women who were (are) quilters.  One day, one of them brought in a magnificent quilt, the likes of which I had never seen before.  At this point, I had always thought of quilts as big blankets with cute little rose patterns, too many shapes, and way too many different kinds of fabrics.  In fact, I didn't even like quilts!  I thought, "You've seen one quilt, you have seen them all."  In reality, the exact opposite is true:  If you've seen one quilt then that's what you have seen - one quilt."  Quilts are as unique as people or snowflakes.  I don't think I'd be going out on a limb by noting that no two quilts are alike, not even if the same person makes two of exactly the same quilt.  But I digress . . .

When my friend showed me her quilt, it literally took my breath away.  It contained some elements that I love (dogs) and some that I could take or leave alone (Asian-style fabrics).  It may be difficult to envision this combination of themes, but there it was, right before my eyes - and it was exquisite.  The concept, the detail, the pattern, the colors - and all the work - had come together into what I realize in retrospect was a beautiful work of art, much like a painting or sculpture.  In that very moment, I came to view quilts and quilting not as a sewing hobby, but as the work of an artist, like a painter or sculptor.  I remember thinking to myself, "I wish I could create something like that." And, my next thought was, "I could NEVER create something like that."  

That single quilt (which I still love and inspires me) opened a door for me that I decided to walk through.  While it has only been 3 months since I began quilting - and I am certainly not yet a quilting artist - I have created four quilts, each one reflective of another step in my journey. 

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"Toto, we're not in Kansas anymore."
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Whimsical Karen