I am working on a quilt called
One Block Wonders. The fabric is covered with fall leaves and it entails hexagons comprised of six
identical isosceles triangles. While this format is new for me, I have created plenty of
Stack 'n Whacks which are first cousins. After I cut up the pieces I have three possible ways to sew them back together. Each one has a different corner in the center. What
that simple maneuver does is to magnify the color and shape of the middle which completely changes the focus of the block. It's magic, as
one book calls it.
While I was piecing last night I played with the orientation. When the red leaf is in the middle and the brown
one is on the perimeter the block is decidedly red, with a barely noticeable edge of brown. If I reverse them the block becomes brown with a side of peripheral red.
It reminded me of the Garden of Eden. In the beginning, the Tree of Life is in the center of the garden, with the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil at the side. But after Eve tastes the fruit, the Trees yank up their root systems and swap places. The real shift in the story is about the
importance of obeying God vs. doing what we jolly well want.
In church this week we were invited to write down something we hope to let go of. I chose three relationships that have suffered snags this year. It seemed ambitious, but there you have it. In the next twenty four hours, however, all three of them made progress. One was a phone call in which some of my fears were alleviated. Another was a face to face conversation that felt surprisingly warm, and the third
was a volley of texts. I call it a miracle.
What I realize is that part of the shift was in me. Instead of collecting evidence that things are gritty, I had actually prayed for a blessing. So when the interaction came, that was what I placed in the center. Amazing.
I will be sewing the hexagons together today. I expect that every time I snuggle under this one it will remind me of the power I have to simply keep the beautiful parts of my
life in the center of my garden.
