Where My Happiness is {Quilting}

When I first started talking with Martha about getting into quilting there was something that was so apparent and something that hooked me in from the very beginning. I suppose when I was first learning it was an opportunity to develop myself. I decided that instead of having one new year's resolution I would pick a new one each month and quilting came up. I suppose I am the kind of character that takes to challenges well. I will have a go at most things and I learn a lot from just watching and listening to people. It was the way Machine Quilter spoke and how she showed me stuff that inspired me to get started. I dove right in and after just 2 meetings came home and pieced my first ever patchwork totally independently. I had never done one before but I always learn from doing. I had seen examples, listened and just went for it, and I am so glad I did! It got my brain working over time. I was thinking, problem solving, experimenting and learning first hand. I was lucky, it came naturally to me and just worked. I tried to hake a half square triangle patch work, also having never made one, struggled but still went ahead and then was able to learn 10 times more from the mistakes I made. That was the biggest lesson; learning how to be better from being able to recognise where I went wrong. It wasn't awful, I didn't throw it away I just was able to use it as a teaching tool for myself. 

Working through these processes early on really made me find a place in my head for quilting. I can't be expected to just produce something in a perfect way having never dedicated the time to it before. It is only through trying that I am able learn. It is a hobby therefore it should be fun, I should take pride in the mistakes as it is from them that I develop an art form. The joys of hobbies are that they take you away from the hard work and stress. They give you that "space" we all need. Whether we are working full time or parenting 24/7, finding a mental space for a hobby really gives you a space to live as you. Doing what you want to do and just finding the time for that is just what I need in my life. I put the radio on, open the windows, let the breeze drift in and just play. The time is mine and I can use the joy of learning to give my creativity an escape!