Enjoy the Journey

Do you multi task? Do you several things at the same time? Some would argue that a person isn’t really doing several things at same time, rather individual actions very close together. I have also heard it argued that multi tasking slows the process down; a person would accomplish more if only one chore was undertaken at a time. Others champion women as the ultimate multi-taskers—that genetically men are not able to several things at a time.

Many years ago I read Cokie Roberts’ We Are Our Mothers Daughters after hearing her speak. I don’t remember any thing about her lecture but the following from her book has stayed with me for decades. She observed that women have always performed many tasks at the same time out of necessity, citing her mother’s simultaneous dictation of a speech(her mother was a member of Congress), while making pickles and cradling a baby. “Multitasking is just a made-up guy word to describe what women have done all along,” 

Keeping house and raising a family is a series of tasks done at the same time or at least a series of starting one job while finishing another. When I taught Family and Consumer Classes and especially clothing, I would be frustrated with students who had not learned the fine balancing trick of doing at least two things at the same time—waiting for an iron to heat up and filling your bobbin. Don’t just stand there and watch the iron preheat, set up your machine! Ahh, the difference between a 16 year old and a 50 year old. It is evident I valued using every minute productively…not sure that is good or bad. 

I always have two or more things going on at the same time.  Most of the time this method works for me. But I will admit to over baking brownies because I was focusing on getting all my emails answered or flooding the flower bed while ran in side to unload and load the dryer. But I have many interests and lots on my “to-do” list for a retired person! I love to sew and I have a long list of books I want to explore. Can’t read and sew at the same time, but I can sew and listen to books. Great example of multi-tasking. My husband and I enjoy an hour in the evening of watching Prime, Netflix, or Apple TV streamed series. Many an embroidered tea towel has been completed during these hours. Bluetooth technology allows me to visit with far a way family and cut out hundreds of 2.5″ fabric blocks for the next quilt at the same time. I am always in a hurry to finish one project and move on to the next, often starting one before finishing one.   

This week the Quilters at First received two beautiful quilts, a baby quilt and a wall hanging, that were hand quilted, They are exquisite. While looking and handling these pieces of vintage art, I estimated the hours spent creating them. I marveled at how the makers were willing to devote so much time on one project. Give the age of the projects, I assume there was no blue tooth technology calls while quilting. The quilter may have been listening to the radio while stitching those tiny stitches, but no audio books. These women, and I assume they were women, were willing to focus on one project for a very long time. This took patience and perseverance. Probably their goal wasn’t “how many” but “how well”.

I am guessing the baby quilt was for a very special child and the quilter was not trying to overwhelm the recipient with many gifts but to create one special quilt.

The quilt is probably post WWII —made for a baby boomer. It is 33″ x 46″–made for a crib. 

The wall hanging is made from whole cloth, meaning it isn’t a pieced top. The classic, detailed design is created by the hand quilting. 

Zillons and zillions of tiny stitches created this treasure. The maker had to enjoy the actual sewing more than the finished quilt. Perhaps as she sewed, she envisioned where it would hang in her home and hoped for many compliments on her mastery of needlework. Perhaps she was making it for her daughter’s wedding or for a much loved sister. But no matter what would become of it, she had to have looked forward to her time creating this art with her needle.

These two pieces are lovely reminders that the journey should be enjoyed just as much as the destination. Their creators had no idea where their quilts would be in 2024, but I trust they would have hoped someone would enjoy the finished project as much as they did making it.

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Projects completed by Quilters at First this past week

Fall Batik table runner 11.5″ x 35″. $30

Ribbons–table runner. 18.5″ x 42″. $40

$8.00