Two Men and a Dragonfly
In the Shadow of Mother's Day - 2012

A New Healing... or Addiction

     Who knows how long it will last, but two months ago, I became addicted to...quilting. I've managed to sew a few things in my life that I'm proud of:  a little pinafore dress for my sister when she was a toddler; my wedding dress (from a Vintage Vogue pattern in 1978--the girls said it looked like a "country" dress!); my daughter's prom dress (my neighbor had to rescue it--the slit in the lining didn't match up with the slit on the front of the dress); and baby clothes, a housecoat for my first grandson.
     As I learn about living in a emptier nest, I've returned to some of those activities that fell to the back of the line when all the girls were home.  Writing, sewing, daydreaming...  Once the girls started moving out for school, getting married, making their own way, it was hard to turn my focus away from mothering them and back toward the life that began with just Peter and me.  Then to have Annie gone for good, beyond reach other than through my prayers and dreams, the challange seemed more than I could handle.
     I'm not sure why I decided to take a quilt class (offered at Northwest Sewing Center) out of the blue.  But in one month, Terry helped me create my first quilt; it ended up being a birthday present for our second daughter, Asha.  Little sister, Halla, helped model it, although not quite as I intended:

DSC_0216    DSC_0220

Even Holden likes it!  DSC_0221

     Once you start, you can't stop.  I decided to try and make a lap quilt for a friend who wasn't feeling well. I used two different patterns I found online:

April-2012 150            April-2012 149

     I've spent hours online searching through modern quilt sites, signing up for newsletters and free patterns, subscribing to magazines...a quilt junkie.  When I'm working on these projects, I feel a reprieve from fatigue and sadness.  A friend told me that Annie was trying to help me feel better, too.  It must be true; not long ago I had a dream that a bird was on my back porch, and it was made of many different colors--like a quilt.
     Mwah.

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