The Sewing Room

I can’t believe that I have totally blown through the month of June. It seems like time is really flying this summer, but I can honestly tell you that I’ve completed a lot of things that needed to be done around here. One of the things I am most excited about is the cleaning out of my spare room. About a year ago, I took up the art of quilting. It is totally safe to say that I am not a seamstress. That title would have gone to my Grandma Norman. She could take material and whip it into the most magical of clothing. She sewed for all five granddaughters the majority of our childhood and teen years. Her last couple of projects were my prom dress and my wedding dress. She did an amazing job on both of them. I was truly blessed to have beautiful, unique dresses. When neuropathy from her diabetes attacked her hands, and her vision went, the needle and thread was retired.

It was really sad. None of her granddaughters had picked up the art. Well, last year, with the help of a dear friend, the lessons on quilting began. My first project was a 120" x 120" quilt for my king sized bed. I used a railed fence pattern and with much fear and trepidation the journey began.  I learned  a lot about myself while piecing that quilt.  I am a perfectionist.  I can’t even begin to tell you how many times that quilt came apart and went back together.  I wanted it to be perfect if it was to be displayed.  I don’t think I achieved perfection, but it is a thing of beauty.  My grandmother would tell me, "Anything worth doing is worth doing right."   

Another thing that I learned about myself and quilting is that it offers me the opportunity to give something of myself to others.  My friend Katrina was one of the first recipients of one of my quilts.  She and I share a bond that is unique.  Both she and I lost our parents within months of each other. We have talked through the loss, barreled through boxes of Kleenex, landed on our feet, and slowly trudged through "probate hell" together. We’ve come out on the other side with a ton of knowledge when it comes probating an estate.  We often laugh about writing a book that we have entitled, "Oh Crap!  They Croaked!"  Last year, when the whole quilting expedition began, Katrina voiced how much she loved hand made quilts.  By the time her birthday arrived, her quilt was finished.  I loved the look on her face when she opened it!  The love and hard work that went into that piece was truly symbolic of how special her friendship is to me.  

These quilts leave a history of who I am for my grandchildren.  Each of them will receive a quilt from their Nana.  One of the coolest things Mike received from his mom were the quilt tops from his grandmother.  Derrick took a couple and then Mike took a couple.  They are worn with age, but the craftsmanship is amazing.  My quilts are nothing like his Grandmother Mashaney’s quilts.  She would place each quilt in a loom that hung from her living room ceiling and spend her evenings hand quilting.  Each stitch was handmade.  I do not possess the ability to patiently work for years on a quilt.  I lean more to the side of shopping for the perfect material, piecing the top together, and then machine quilting.  The goal is to finish the grandsons quilts by summer’s end and as they snuggle in each evening they will be blanketed in by the love of a grandmother.

If you had ever asked me in my younger years if I would have a sewing room in my house, I would have laughed out load.  Now….well I am glad that some of those genetics from my Grandma Norman are peaking through.  I am looking forward to the hours spent creating beautiful pieces that will last and last, and I can’t wait to share them with friends and family.  I do love my new hobby and sewing room!

Lora