During my first quilting class, our instructor acquainted us with 'un-sewing.' This, of course, is the same thing as 'ripping out' -- the dirge of the budding seamstress-- but she called it 'un-sewing' and she even said she would do it ALL for us. Whether or not we took her up on the offer, that made her seem like a goddess of quilting to us newbies.
I can remember a time when the end of a project for me was not when it was complete, but when I made a mistake and had to pull out the stitches and sew again. "Ripping out' is such a violent act! I just couldn't make myself do it. I find 'un-sewing' a much more gentle, natural process. I sew, and then again sometimes I un-sew. It's kind of like the tide.
I did a little un-sewing on the 43 minute flight from Fairbanks to Anchorage tonight. 43 minutes with a cold drink and a comfortable seat was just the right amount of time to clean up a little of the stitching I did on the Doll Quilt Swap Quilt over the weekend. I worked on it after I got tired, and it didn't really work out. Now I'm ready to try something else.
I've also learned that there are some things in life that I can 'un-sew' and redo. Not everything, of course -- some sewing projects and some things in life just can't be re-done -- but if I am patient and gentle with myself and others, it's surprising how often I can just calmly go back and pull out the 'stitches' of a little mess, and then try again when I am less tired, or less rushed. There is so much wisdom to be gained from quilting.
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Serena from Sioux City
Flying Wow-Wows are handsewn from dupioni silk while I fly around the country for work and to be with family
2 comments:
From somebody who's spend a fair bit of time "unsewing" I say, better to have it the way you like it than to give up on perfection!
I'm not sure about 'perfection' but it is worthwhile to give myself time to do my best, which is good enough.
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