Growth.

Sometimes sewing that first block is the easiest. You begin with so much energy, so much enthusiasm in the fabric choices and the thrill of a new idea.

But sometimes the first block is the hardest. Perhaps the idea is not yet fully formed, the color scheme is a stretch or the technique is unfamiliar.

I like both kinds of projects, but the first is admittedly more comfortable. In the time around Eleni’s trial this summer I needed the relaxing sort of quilts, so the 12-patch Color Catalog quilt and Circus Cabins were ideal. Familiar, restful shapes. Easy rhythms.

Now as summer swells, I am ready for something different.`

I am rediscovering the openness of ruler-free, rule-free sewing. Just as in life, things happen that are beyond our control. It is our response that defines us.

I am becoming more and more enamored with the color palette. The energy of the contrast begins to flow. Sharpness creates definition.

It is growing into something more than the seed idea with which I began. Improvisation welcomes change, answers challenge, celebrates the serendipitous.

With such a project, I know that I am growing too.