I have a book called Zen and the Art of Quilting. Someone bought it for me as a joke, but it's true that when you're creating a quilt something funny happens to your brain and you enter a trace-like state in which deep and philosophical ideas come to you.I was thinking about this scrap quilt I'm making. The components are scraps (hence the name). Tiny pieces of fabric, some only an inch square, left over from other projects. These were the pieces that weren't wanted. The bits left over. And I'm taking them and turning them into a new quilt. I'm making something beautiful and functional and meaningful (I intend to give the quilt as a gift when it's finished) out of rubbish that should have gone in the bin.
It's frugal. It's recycling. It's good for the planet. But that's not what struck me.
What struck me was the idea that this rubbish has become elevated into something very precious indeed. I identified with these little odd-shaped pieces of fabric. I wondered if they felt happy to have been saved from the rubbish bin. If they felt proud to become part of a beautiful gift, something that will (I hope) be cherished and used for many years. Were they sad when they were rejected from the other quilts, when neigbouring bits of fabric were used but they were tossed on the floor? Do they feel grateful to have been redeemed?
See what I mean about "something funny happens to your brain when you're sewing"?
When I identified with the scraps in this way, I mused about my own life. About the times when I felt like a failure, when I felt rejected. But after these experiences came other times when I succeeded and was honoured. And I thought about the passage in the Bible that says "The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone". Maybe there's no such thing as a failure, and there's always another chance to be a success. Maybe there's no such thing as a scrap, only fabric for another quilt. Maybe there's no such thing as rubbish, only material for a different use.
7 comments:
You have inspired me to order this book and also hold back my charity shop bag. I am going to make patchwork! :)
Those were interesting analogies about life ... Strange things happen to me when I'm sewing or embroidering me too. I muse on all sorts of subjects. Scraps can always become part of a whole new thing.
That is one of the reasons why I love composting. Ends of carrots will become part of another plant some day. And, funnily, scraps of thread from the end of sewing a button, end up in the compost too. My compost hasn't been used yet, but it's sat there all warm and creating a home for worms and insects.
Is this a book recommendation? I wasn't sure. Gabrielle enjoys quilting and I was thinking of a present but wanted to make sure that you were saying it was worthwhile.
Thanks,
Stuart
I have tried to explain what you just described so well. I love the quilting trance.
It's a good gift book for someone who is already a quilter. It isn't a great book for a beginner, as it doesn't teach you how to quilt. It's not the best introduction to Zen either.
I would recommend Sew a Row Quilts by Karin Hellaby as a good "learn to quilt" book. It contains all the basic information, and teaches a great technique for designing and making your own unique quilts.
If you want to make patchwork from old clothing, you need slightly different techniques. Most quilting books are about £12/yard 100% top-quality printed cotton, rotary cutters, self-healing mats, 12.5" square rulers and so on - the techniques they teach really don't work well with old babyclothes, tshirts and the sort of thing that's probably in your charity shop bag - which gives me a brilliant idea for a blog post. Watch this space.
I'm making another quilt at last! The first one won your prize for the longest quilt ever so I'm hoping this one goes a little quicker. I'm going for a similar design but the big difference is that I intend to stuff the new one with wool from our own sheep. No fancy techniques for me, just left over and second hand fabric held onto card squares with masking tape then stitched together by hand whilst my husband watches the footie!
Gabrielle
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