Another big-time favorite for me is quilting. I love creating with my hands. I love the touch and colour of fabric. I love to own it. Like many women feel when they have lovely clothes and can be happy shopping for hours, well that is me in my craft room. I love that I have many pieces to choose from. I find it a puzzle. In the night when I wake up and need to distract myself from my worry, I imagine my fabric stash and I think about the 4 - 11 projects I have in different stages of progress. I think about what my next step will be. What backing goes with each quilt top and will there be enough. Each scrap of material goes in a pile that is similair in colour theme. Girl baby pastels in one tote bag and autumn colours in another. Bright primary colours in a cardboard box, and special christmas material in a tupperware under the boardgames in the closet. When my pieces get picked over I cut them into the biggest square I can get out of it and pile them by size. All the 2 inch to 5inch, all in labled ziplock bags, eventually they will be a table runner or a square for a sample quilt.
When I am with the kids I can not iron or cut material and very rarely sew, but I plan. I look online at patterns in the backyard while the girls play on the slide. I can do binding while we watch Go Diego Go and Ashley takes her time waking up from her nap. Mostly sewing happens in the evening or if I wake up with Gary when he goes to the barn. By the time the girls have their nap I find I need one too. I can clean house with the kids a bit and I can cook with the kids. Often I get my excersise with the kids but sewing is for me. It is my time to shut off my mind from responsability and enjoy seeing pieces of material come together to BE something. The house is a mess again, the kids are hungry again, but I made this today. I will remember where I was when I made it and how I felt. I think about what the quilt is for, especailly if I have a person in mind while I make it. I made quilts for both my girls when they were in my belly and having the time to sew was like time with them. All my wishes and dreams and hopes were shared with the quilt thru my hands and then passed on to them. When I look at that quilt I remember.
The surprise benefit that comes from taking time for yourself is seeing my family respect what they see as import to me. My girls love to sit on the quilts when they are finished. Ashley says 'it's boot-e-full'. At some point in the quilting process I have to ask for an opinion on colours or math (how to cut the most from material) from Gary. I think he enjoys being invited into my world. He is happy to help and His answer is often the best one. I actually respect his judgment in matters of quilting. It makes a nice evening for us to talk about what I am working on and figure out a problem together. He probubly doesn't want me to spread it around so it will be our little secret. I like him a lot when he takes time to be interessted in my interests. Maybe that is a sign of a good marriage. I always hear others say "how do you have the time". I really feel it makes me a better wife and mom to quilt and have that time to be myself and I feel like I am sharing part of myself. So to them I say "how can I not make time".
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