Stitches that work you through
The Dutch word for “to process” is verwerken. Can you spy the Dutch version of “work” in there? That’s because verwerken means more literally to work on something until it is completely integrated into who you are. It’s like how we say in English, “I worked through it”.
Yesterday I spent a luxurious amount of time with my good friend, Ice Cream Soda (the quilt from Tales of Cloth, not the desert). I work on this quilt in fits and starts. I appreciate that it is there for me when I need to sit with my thoughts. As a hand sewing project, Ice Cream Soda creates space for all my musings in a cocoon of beautiful shapes and colors.
I arranged my joined-rows on the floor and tucked the already-sewn half-blocks at the edges. Surprise - only one half block was yet to be sewn!
Sponsor of the Week
Quilt Sandwich
Just in - the Projects with a Purpose patchwork panel from Ruby Star Society. Pairs beautifully with this vibrant group of Ruby Star basics! The 8.5” square motifs are so much fun. But quick - it’s going fast!
Fortunately, there are as yet plenty of joining tasks left to keep me company. I settled in on my most comfortable chair for an afternoon of slow stitching. Soon my half blocks were all finished, and I made good progress on more joining. What’s more, I ended the day feeling better balanced, with a clear head and a peaceful heart.
A quilt top soon? Don’t hold your breath, but you never know. I am prizing the process on this one, not the finish.
p.s. to make sure that I properly understood the sense behind verwerken, I studied this article by Wouter van Wingerden. I must be a real language geek because I would love to have a cup of coffee with the author and hear more about the finer nuances of dutch prefixes, lol!
