Dag-nabbit! Sometimes I just can't seem to get ahead. It's my own fault, of course, because there are so many interesting things to do in a day, and sometimes I forget I can't do them all. The problem with having so many choices is that the situation results in slow progress for the larger projects. I keep thinking I'll have large blocks of time to complete my major undertakings, yet these interesting distractions slow me down. Furthermore, I'm at a total loss to explain how I manage to add more assignments to the list.
I have three heavy-duty quilt objectives clearing their throats right now. “Do me!" "No, do me!” "Yoo-hoo, I'm over here!" They are all alluring projects, and they have roughly the same deadline. I am working on my priority chart this weekend, and lining them up looks something like this:
Priority # 1. Just mere weeks ago, this was priority #3. I live in an area that proudly boasts several old, rural congregations. In the upper Midwest, rural churches were fashioned to be centrally located among several farms, and the families who worshiped there were often large and intergenerational. I grew up in a what passes for a city in Iowa, and instead of being dependent on the farm economy, we were more dependent on local factories, industry, and, earlier on, coal mining. The coal mining was mostly gone by the time I was born, but like Loretta Lynn's peers, our townfolk “worked hard” and at night “they were tar'd”. You don't expect me to forgo the opportunity to bring up those memorably rhyming song lyrics, do you?
Anyway, rural congregations weren't a part of my awareness as a “city” dweller, even though The Barn's dad spent a lifetime in them as a pastor. When I moved to Decorah, I joined a town church, and still didn't really pay much attention to the country congregations meeting faithfully and regularly, even as their numbers declined. Decorah Lutheran absorbed some of the early closings, prior to 1976 when we joined, and I don't want to see more of them fade away. I wish I could join seven or eight of them and help them with the struggle. Since I can't, I like to participate in some of their activities, if I can.
One of my favorite congregations is Hauge Lutheran Church, out on Middle Hesper Road. It was featured in Midwest Living a few Christmases ago, an example of bucolic beauty that has drawn people to worship in gratitude for generations. It is the family church of the Larson family, and Pat-neé-Larson, one of my closest friends, works loyally to keep the doors open. The president of the congregation, Darlene, is a woman whose stamina I covet. When Darlene asks for help with her duties, it is truly because she cannot do it herself. If she could have, it would have already been done last Thursday. When I saw her in July, her eyes lit up.
“Kari, I've got a question for you.”
“Fire away.”
“We have some quilt blocks one of our members embroidered for our bazaar this fall. If I get some fabric, can you help think of a way to put them together?”
“Sure. What do you have in mind?”
“I don't know. I'm not a quilter, but we just need them to be put together so they look nice.”
“Okay.”
“Do you think it's something you can help with?”
Of course. Do you know any Hauge members who would like to work on this with me?”
“Well, there aren't really any of us who can do those kinds of things anymore. The one lady who used to do this for us is in The Home now.” Younger folks aren't filling in when the older ones drop out. The old plan isn't working in this century.
“Darlene, why don't you just bring them over, and I'll figure out something. We have all sorts of time, since the bazaar isn't until October, and...”
“Good. That's what I was hoping you'd say. I'll drop them off this week.”
All kinds of time is now about six weeks away. I think this project has shifted to the top. I'll have to give Pat a buzz and see if she wants to help with the piecing. I see a long-arm job in the future, as well.
Priority #2. I just got back from my two weeks in the Seattle area. I walked in the house at the stroke of Tuesday/Wednesday midnight, and got to bed very early Wednesday morning. Determined to get myself back on Iowa time, I rose at my usual five a.m. I'm not going to apologize for that quirk in my personality, because I like being up at that time of day. Of course, last Wednesday, that meant it was three a.m., Pacific time. Yee-aawwnnn.
I exercised, had breakfast, put some laundry in, and saw to my e-mail and phone messages. By the time I was ready to take my bath, the morning was disappearing, yet it was only about 9:00 in Seattle. I thought I heard the doorbell ring, but couldn't get there, figuring whomever was pushing it would get back to me. Little did I know that the purpose of that contact would bring me full bore back into a quilting priority.
Before long, the phone rang. It was Pastor Vik, our visitation pastor at Decorah Lutheran. Earlier, I had insisted that all the pastors make a block for the organ quilt we're making. This quilt was the goal of the two classes held at church this summer, and we wanted it to be a memorial, one-of-a-kind achievement. Pastor Vik, as it turns out, is a pretty artistic guy. He wanted to do an eagle. Nothing like starting small, huh, Pastor? I looked at some online clip art, but soon realized he was going to have to decide what kind of eagle he held in his mind's eye. Was it an eagle in flight? Sitting in a tree? Posed with its wings spread? A cartoony eagle? I found pages of eagles on the clip art websites, and yet only Pastor Vik would know which one worked. He was calling to say he'd found it.
“I stopped by earlier, but no one answered the bell. I have an eagle, and I need to come by and get some fabric.”
“Oh, sure! When would work for you?”
“I'll be here at church for the rest of the morning, but this afternoon would work.”
“Is 1:30 okay?”
“I'll see you then.”
The church quilt. We were able to gather over twenty blocks of varying sizes from members of the classes this summer, and even a few non-class members were moved to contribute a block. I still have two staff members and one pastor to corner near a machine, and then we can put all these individual efforts together in whatever arrangement we think best. I can't wait! Of course, before we can raffle the thing off, we need to file our papers with the gaming commission. That's about the funniest thing that's come out of our church basement in awhile.
Pastor Vik and I spent a few hours together that afternoon, working on his eagle block. He chose to use the fusible web method to appliqué three eagles onto his block, and I'm more of a needle turn appliqué kind of girl. He tolerated my need to stumble through this process, and in the end, he had the eagles ready to finish on his own, according to his plan.
We promised the congregation we'd have a quilt for them to see, and they'll be looking for it before the snow flies. I'd better make a few phone calls and send out some e-mails, and reconvene the troops. We'll make ourselves a quilt top out of all these beautiful and individual blocks.
Priority #3. I started the summer with one quilting goal certain in my mind – Lynn and Jeff's wedding quilt. Yeah, I'm talking about the Lynn and Jeff that were married August 21st in Seattle. I sort of undershot my goal, but I knew this was a possibility, and had the sense to warn them ahead of time. I was hoping I could work on their quilt during the day-long workshops in the church basement, but instead I was busy with the beginners. Man, was that fun! They had intelligent questions, were eager and focused, and they made rapid progress towards becoming full-fledged lintaholics. I love to turn the unsuspecting into my people! Bwa-ha-ha-ha! Step into my parlor, said the spider to the fly!
It came to pass that I chose to leave all my quilting things down in the church basement for the entire summer, as there was always a sprinkling of lintheads wandering in and out during the week. Since the newbies were just starting to collect quilting gear of their own, I wanted to make my stuff available for them to use or try before they made their own purchases. As a result, I didn't work on the wedding quilt at home, either, and that slowed the progress to a crawl. Uffda. I think I made some sawtooth blocks for an inner border, and that was about it for June, July, and August.
Lynn and Jeff's quilt is a rose-themed quilt, all the blocks being fashioned into some type of rose configuration, either by piecing or appliqué. The Peg loved roses, as regular readers may remember, and that was my inspiration. Coincidentally, Lynn and her attendants carried roses, so I hope that makes their quilt even more meaningful. As a private little bonus for me, I was presented a rose to wear as I played my flute during the ceremony. I suppose if we want to get crazy about this theme thing, the congregation rose as Lynn came down the aisle with her parents. Nyuk, nyuk. Sometimes I crack myself up...
I really need to get Priorities #1 and #2 under control and done, and I'm going to love every minute of it. I have some new linty friends, and these projects will make a difference, one for a small rural congregation and one for a big town church.
When they are buttoned up and put to bed, however, I'm going to bask in the memories of the two weeks we spent in Seattle. I'm going to make “slow” a good thing. As I stitch away this winter, I will be warmed, remembering the family time some of us were able to spend together. Unfortunately, our sisters Jean and Lora, and their families, couldn't make it, as they were bound to the dates by the beginning of their school years. We kept them in our hearts, and hoped for a time when we can all join together as a family: aunts and uncles; nieces and nephews; cousins, and now cousins-in-law; and, of course, Grandpa The Barn.
I know! We can make a family quilt together! Each of us could choose a fabric, and we can...
Copyright © September 2005 Kari E.O. Burns
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