Unfinished

Yesterday, I was talking with a new friend, as one does when one makes new friends. This friend knows some of my story, of course, but I always struggle with how much of my story to share with new friends, and when. I am sure that we all have the same struggle, because we all come from some kind of crazy...sooo, how much crazy does one share at the first lunch?

In my experience, as of late, the first lunch is a perfect time to talk about struggles with food and other addictions...for me, that means all of the crafts! Hahaha! Yesterday was no exception, and my old quilting habit came to mind as we talked about the things we have started in our crafting rooms and never quite finished...like this piece:

You see, back in the mid-90s, I thought I was a quilter. Well, I was a quilter, I have made at least 5 honest-to-goodness quilts...with pieced top, a layer of batting and backing, all quilted (stitched) together and given as gifts. In recent years, I have made t-shirt quilts with fleece backing...super cozy, and less actual quilting required. The t-shirts were fun, and I will probably do more of those at some point, but my heart was really stolen by my first quilts and sewing projects early in my marriage. In 1997, I decided that I liked quilting so much that I would make a "signature quilt" to record family history and hang on the wall, and this is what I came up with:

I know. It is not hanging on the wall. It is not even finished. As a matter of fact, you can see that, while my intention was to stitch over all of the sharpie signatures, I fizzled out in the middle of my own name!

You can also see that green corduroy holds onto dust pretty securely. 

How can you wash an unfinished quilt that has been sitting, folded, on the banister for at least the last 10 years? That's right, you can't...at least not until someone finishes quilting my name...but I digress. That green corduroy was from a pair of overalls I stitched for a stuffed bear when the kids were small. The pink and blue sashing, where the names are signed, is from an Elvis quilt I made for my mother.

There are Elvis fabrics in there, too...Wal-Mart had a sale, and I bought 5 different fabrics for her quilt. Wal-Mart also sold gambling fabrics, which I used for my mother-in-law's quilt...she likes to go to Vegas.

One Christmas, I brought the quilt with me to the family gathering, and I got a lot of signatures...nephews (my kids' cousins):

Siblings, aunts, uncles:

And even my hubby's Grandmother, who was a crafter herself!

Fun fact, Grammie was the first person to teach me to knit. That lady will always hold a special place in my heart, and her handwritten name will always be on my quilt.

Circling back to the crazy of sharing over the first lunch with a new friend, the reason this quilt came up is that we were talking about all our stuff...you know, the stuff the kids will either want to keep or toss when we are gone, someday far down the road (I am sure). I have no way of knowing what their decisions will be, on this piece or any of my stuff, but I thought it would be nice to take some photos and tell the story of where this started anyway. Once upon a time, Mom thought it would be cool to have a permanent record of the family, in quilt form. Crazy? Maybe. Crafty? Definitely. Will she ever finish what she started? Only time will tell. Hmmm...I wonder if the story of the quilt can be finished if the quilt itself is not...? 

Stories of where we come from are cool. Knowing the players makes the stories better, and we are all writing a story with our lives every day. Some are sweet, some are crazy and some are tragic at times. Whatever your story is, remember that it is yours. The milestones, the memories, the mannerisms your family shares (or tries to overcome)...they are part of your story, and they shape who you are today. 

The greatest thing about your story is that you are in charge. Knowing where and who you come from is just the start of your story, but you have the power to really change it up as you go. So think about it: What is YOUR story? Does it need to change? How? What is one thing you can do today to start to make that change? Change is a challenge, to be sure, but you can do it. In fact, you are the only one who can change your story. Go for it!

That seems like enough photos and unsolicited advice from me today. If you read to the end, thanks for sticking around. Thanks for stopping by at all! I hope that your day is a good one, and I look forward to hearing more of your story.

Now, Knit in Good Health!