This lovely quilt is called 'Civil War' and is made from reproduction fabrics similar to the color and patterns of those produced during the mid-1800s. It's maker is a sweet woman named Kay who has made it to grace her warm and welcoming quilt retreat. Go to http://www.emiliesquilthaus.com to see what a quilting get-away in the Texas Hill Country looks like. It is located in Stonewall TX, near where President Lyndon Johnson was born.Upon first glance, this quilt seems quite simple to make - it is just a series of straight blocks sewn one after the other with no curves, no points and no need to match seams. However, Kay told me how difficult it was to keep 'straight line straight' throughout the process. In fact, as the quilt grew, it seemed to get more and more out of shape. And as we quilted it, with our APQS Longarm machine, we had to work hard to keep it all in line. In the end, it came out quite well and will be well loved by the guests at Emilie's Haus.
I think this is metaphor of many of life's challenges. We work hard to keep things simple and our actions on the 'straight and narrow'. Yet, we stray; our perfect children, as they develop into their own beings, change and stray in ways that may frustrate us. However, in the end, like this quilt, we all turn out OK and we continue to be well-loved by those who care the most.
Remember this as you struggle - be it with a quilting project, your family or your work - be prepared for things to stray away from your perfect vision but also know that you will need to accommodate those changes and continue to love it in the end.
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