Loose Ends and Common Threads

One of the most interesting aspects of taking on a new challenge in life is that it teaches you things about yourself that you may not have known prior.  When you are homesteading for the first time and doing it with a partner, it can make and break you simultaneously.

When you set out to build a homestead you can’t just wake up one day and say “let’s build a homestead.”  There are considerations and discussions that have to take place.  Ideas and concerns to be aired, compromises to be made.  One of the most important steps in the process involves cleaning up, sorting through and clearing out many things from the life you are attempting to move away from.  Call it tying up loose ends, much like was done on this hand sewn quilt top that a previous resident left behind when they vacated.

Letting go can be a painful process in itself and it can create tension where none exists otherwise.  It is important to remember though that tension is a crucial element in all aspects of life and this is no exception.  Without the proper tension, this quilt would never have held together, but each hand stitch was carefully tied and finished with a knot that brought everything together.

It is moments of tension that bring us together.  A collection of those moments can create something meaningful and beautiful, becoming a treasured gift that will last a lifetime and beyond.

This quilt is unfinished.  It shows the telltale signs that it has been packed away and left on a shelf too long.  It is dusty and wrinkled and yet the loose ends could not unravel the beauty of those common threads.

I wasn’t lucky enough to have known the woman who cut and stitched these pieces, but I will honor her memory and the tradition that she upheld by finishing this beautiful and timeless piece of art that found its way into my possession.

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Tags: homesteading, quilting, sewing