Powerless

We had three days without power this month during a cold snap, and another several hours on a second occasion.  Although we bought a new generator a couple years ago, and tested it then, it did not work when we pulled it out to actually use it.  We could have afforded to go to a hotel, but Jack was worried about pipes freezing.  After a long day of dead ends, after the first full day without power or heat, when the house started to get cold enough to worry us a bit, he borrowed back an old generator that he had passed down to his kids.  Using the old generator, after 6 more trips to the hardware store for bits and pieces to get it running, he was able to turn on the heat and hot water in 6-hour stints to protect our pipes, which was our main concern.   We were never dangerously cold, no threat to life, and I had 6 layers of clothing and a whole pile of quilts, but you would have thought from my internal whining that I was suffering a crisis.  Which made me (finally)  think about the many people in the world who, in fact, are suffering exactly that.  I am so spoiled, and no matter how much I give to charity, no matter how "liberal" my vote, I have no idea what life is like for the countless people who, through accident of birth, are without food, water, and heat this winter., and who aren't going to see a fix after just a couple of days  And yet I, with nothing to complain about, found myself complaining at the slightest inconvenience.  I become cranky so easily at so little.  It is definitely time for me to count some blessings.

Not a Total Slacker

To my surprise, I started this year with a sewing surge.  To be clear, I am not a great quilter; I make only the most simple quilts, and I am on the far other end of perfection in my craft.  For instance, today I realized that I put two whole rows upside down on a quilt I was assembling, shrugged, and called it done.  I chalk every mistake up to a “design decision” because no one knows what I intended in the first place, and so far no one has noticed or cared.  That said, I have still been more productive at this point in 2024 than in any recent year, and have completed 5 quilt tops so far, with two more in the works, a third "lazy goose" and another one with the Charley Harper bird prints.  They are both mostly cut out and waiting for background fabric.  Since I “quilt by checkbook,” it might be awhile before they are truly finished and in the stack for people to see at my year-end review, which is fine since the year-end won’t happen for . . . a year.   

I also found an old quilt top that was hand-pieced by my mother.   It has been in a box since she died, and was made sometime prior to 1990, and the cutting and sewing was all done by hand, using a cardboard template that she made herself.  She made quilt  tops for several family members - my daughter and the men and boys in the family - and sent them to an Appalachian quilt guild to be hand quilted, and this must be the last one she was able to complete since she never mailed it off for quilting.  My mother had sewn her whole life, making all of her and many of my dresses when I was young.  She had dementia that developed over many years, and it is evident to me from the uneven stitches in this quilt top that she was probably nearing the point where she could no longer sew.  My relationship with her was fraught, and I did not keep any of the un-gifted quilts she made, sending them instead to a brother who wanted them.  I am finally ready to have this last quilt top backed and quilted, hoping that my son or a grandchild might like to have it. 

I doubt that I’ll continue to complete projects at this pace and that’s okay, although it would be nice to use up more of the fabric that is stacked up in my sewing room.   Whether I do or not, it feels good to have made a productive start to the new year.

Projects of 2023 - photo heavy

2023 felt like a very slow sewing year, but I got more done than I realized, and not everything is even pictured.  I finished quite a few quilts and bags, an assortment of ornaments and tea towels and table runners, and also made pillowcases, jar openers and napkins for my whole family.  Of course I haven't even put a dent in my stash/project pile, so we'll see what this year brings.