Pathway to Healing
It has been a long time since I have had the opportunity to quilt, let alone blog. I have had a very busy school year. I've been working full time (which is wonderful), but I have also been struggling for the past 4 1/2 months with some very frustrating health issues. I believe I am finally coming to the end of the frustrations, meaning that we are close to a diagnosis, but we are certainly not done with the illness. If it is what we believe it is, there is no cure and there is no "getting better". I will have to learn to manage all the symptoms and try my best to make the most of the good moments that I do have. I need not go into the details here - this blog is here for other purposes.
I would like to present my latest quilt which I have entitled, "Pathway to Healing". It is based upon a simple Jacob's Ladder or Buckeye Beauty block which contains Two 4-patches and 2 Half Triangles.
I made 24 blocks for the center using a variety of colors from the last of many charm blocks that I had traded and received about 20 years ago. I needed a pattern that I could use both dark and medium colors against a light silver background that I used as a backing in a previous quilt.
I then made some additions to the outside edge creating a finished edge. I added a 2" border in green, repeated the "alternate pattern" in the border and then another 2" border in green for the outside edge. It is bound in the same green.
The main body of the quilt is quilted in spirals to represent the confusion and dizziness that I currently have to deal with with my illness. In the green borders, there are 2 wavy lines quilted in, and in the main border, the spirals are continued and then the wavy lines continued in the outside green border.
I feel that the continuation of the 2" squares across the quilt creates the "pathway" across the quilt. One can choose to change to another path of squares if they wanted I suppose, for the movement continues throughout the quilt design, however some of the pathways come to a dead end. Just like I have had to come to many "dead ends" in my search for a diagnosis and cure for my illness. We may not have a cure, but I still choose the pathway toward healing and I choose to not let it stop me from enjoying my life in the process.
I find that quilting for me, IS my healing. I enjoy creating quilts so much that they are truly what help me to get through each day having to deal with a chronic illness. I choose instead to let the creative process help me in my healing and in having to cope with my new disability. The opportunity to express myself through fabric and create something that can be used is so very important to me. I strive to do it whenever I am able.
I am a lover of scrap quilts. Being able to take small pieces of fabric, putting them together and creating a beautiful quilt that can be used and loved by others brings me such joy. It represents my life, really. The broken pieces and small colorful bits are combined together to create a thing of beauty. My hope is that my life then can be used and loved by others and in turn bring them joy as the making of quilts brings to me.
Thank you for visiting today. May you be able to create beauty in some way today, whether it be by quilting, writing or even perhaps giving someone a smile. That too can be a thing of beauty.
Lavonna ZWB
