Why finishing your (imperfect) project matters

I was approached by a friend with a request to finish a quilt. It would be for her daughter in law, whose mother had passed away. She had piles of quilt tops, but none of them finished. She had gone through all of them with her daughter in law and identified a few that were her favorites. The finished quilt would be a (surprise) gift for her.

If you read my previous blog post, and know anything about me - you know that I enthusiastically said YES OF COURSE and jumped in head first! The task has taken me longer than I anticipated, and I've run into a few snags to deal with. For starters - this quilt top is HUGE and even though I'm working with my Bernina 770QE, she's a doozy to manage!

She's a doozy!

As I work on this quilt, I think of the woman who made it and lots of thoughts come up. I imagine her choosing the pattern and the fabrics. I can see her excitement of blocks becoming rows, and her sense of accomplishment when she held it up to see how it all came together. I don't know why she made a pile of quilt tops and never got around to finishing them as quilts. She might have just loved the piecing process, or maybe intended to get them to a long armer one day. Regardless, her unfinished work ended up in storage.

Adding some pebble work on the butterflies

I've also observed that her points don't always perfectly matchup. Once in a while I come across a seam allowance that is smaller than it "should" be. The fabrics she used aren't necessarily "top quality quilt cotton". But NONE of that matters. The only thing that matters is that her daughter feels the warmth and closeness of her mother as she treasures something made with her hands, passion, and joy.

The things we create remain behind to remind our loved ones of who we were. These treasures are absolutely perfect with their imperfections! My home is filled with reminders of my mom's creativity - her quilt, her handmade baskets, the sweater she knit in college (that my daughter now wears!), the porcelain dish hand painted by her grandmother that once sat on her dresser (and now sits on mine). These "things" are reminders of the legacy she left, and the amazing woman she was.

Finish those projects (or at least a couple of them!), and don't let perceived perfectionism stand in your way. Perfect really doesn't matter. The parts of ourselves that we weave into what we create are what are most cherished

!

Drop a comment and let me know what you plan to finish!

~Shauna