Imperfect Love

Stitch by stitch. Breath by breath.  That is how this little play quilt for our second child was finished.  My second trimester brought about more energy than my first, but it also brought about those wakeful hours in the night.  That is how this quilt, the first of the sewing done for this new baby, found its beginning... early in the morning when the whole house was asleep.  When the meals and the chores were complete and a happy husband and sleeping toddler were found resting in this sleeping house.  That is when I would steal away and work on this project.  First the top was sewn.  Then a quilt sandwich made.  And then that moment - you know, when a project really speaks to you and tells you exactly what it wants.  Well, this little quilt wanted to be hand quilted.  It wanted a slow process.  It wanted time.  So hand quilt it I did.  And giving in and listening to that quiet voice was the best decision ever.

It was those moments, when the house was quiet and my tired feet were up, that I would sit and quilt this blanket.  When I would sit and dream about what my family would be like when our three finally became four.  What this new baby would be like.  Whether it would be a girl or a boy.  And this little baby would answer with kicks and flutters of its own.  Bonding.  That is what hand quilting this quilt has given me.  The time to sit and bond when otherwise I wouldn't think as much about this child with the constant demands of the day competing with baby for attention.

This quilt represents so much of what I want to teach this child.  Of what I have learned in taking this journey into motherhood.  How life is so much like a quilt.  Stitched together from patches of experiences and hopes.  Quilted together with imperfect hand stitches.  Very much like love.  How it is imperfect, how mistakes are sometimes made, but oh how it covers.  Oh how it warms and shelters and completely surrounds you.

So many blessings - in this craft that we do with our hands.

Linking up to Finish it Friday

Aloha.