I feel like Mike Mulligan. That is because I made a quilt top in just one day. If you have never read about Mike and his steam shovel, Marianne, they accepted the challenge to dig the basement for the new town hall in just one day. It was dicey, but Mike believed in Marianne. They had to begin at sunrise, and keep digging without a rest. When neighbors came to watch it fueled their resolve, and the last corner was finished just as the sun slid below the horizon. The only problem was that Mike had forgotten to leave a way out of the hole.   

 

Anyway I made a quilt, not a hole, and it has over 800 pieces. The pattern is called Tree of Life. Being completely composed of points, I have steered clear of it, not wanting to wallow in my mistakes. But my favorite teacher, Jenny,  made a video which gave me the courage to try. It felt like she believed in me. 

 

Jenny modified the process so that those pesky half square triangles had a chance to behave. They are trimmed just a little bit before you sew them in rows. My trash can is full of the red and white shavings, while the quilt top came together into a beautiful forest. 

 

While I sewed, my mind wandered to a disagreement that is percolating. The comments I considered saying were pointy, and they kept repeating in my mind. Yet in the act of trimming off fabric, I felt myself pruning the sharp words and letting them fall off the table. 

 

It makes sense not to dig myself into a hole I can't get out of.