Love in Stitches

Grandma’s Quilt Tops❤️

Love her legacy passed on in stitches and scraps of fabric that embody the beauty of the womanly arts.

Not that it’s exclusive to women of course but historically the womanly arts were also utilitarian, practical things they did to run their home. I love that. I love art for art’s sake but I have such a passion for art that is useful.

All women are busy.

All.

Taking time to create is essential to our spirits. It just is. It could be gardening, cooking, hand crafts, writing, many things but a love for creating things is written on our hearts.

We have the privilege to cooperate with God in the creation of life, we are made to create.

An entire industry exists to support our need to create. Michael’s, Joann’s, Pinterest.

Even social media.

There’s always a little rumble about social media not being real life.

I think most of the time it’s a concerted effort to find the beauty.

The house might be chaotic but there is still beauty to be had. The car might have enough old chicken nuggets in the floorboard to feed a small army but eye makeup is on point.

That’s okay.

I once discovered a package of chicken breasts under the back seat of my van. The smell was so bad that even after professional detailing I couldn’t not smell it. So I sold it.

That week I shared lots of photos of painted furniture and projects I’d finished.

It’s good to focus on the positives in difficult times.

I think about these quilts and so many other lovely things my grandma made.

She made beautiful things even as she buried her parents, a husband, two sons and many siblings.

She kept on creating beauty from scraps and stitching, knitting them together.

Her grief, her sorrow, her worry and pain poured into something I can hold. Something others can wrap themselves up in and find comfort.

That’s what women do. No matter what is happening in our lives we keep making a life. We keep creating. We keep on trying to find the love, make things pretty.

Grandma continues to teach me❤️