Wednesday, May 30, 2007

A long walk


I've been thinking about why I'm hand quilting this week and what it means to me. I am by no means saying that I think hand quilting is superior to machine quilting!! Please don't misunderstand me! In the past few months I've been enjoying machine quilting and I find it an art in itself not just a time saving technique. I'm just kind of running things through my mind, especially since I'm hand quilting this Wonky Word quilt right now.

I remember hearing a story about a missionary who lived in Central America for many years and when she was getting ready to return to America, the missions board sent out an announcement to all the churches she had ministered to that she was leaving. One day an old man arrived at her door carrying two coconuts as a thank you gift for her time with them. She was very touched by the gift but she was more concerned about the man whom she knew had had a four day walk from his village just to give her the coconuts. "Thank you so much for your gift, but what a long walk you had to have!" The old man replied, "Long walk part of gift."

This is what I thought of when I decided to hand quilt this quilt I'm making for Leiya. Hand quilting is a long process that requires months of time. But it is soothing to me, it seems to bond me to a quilt. As I do it I see the recipient in my mind's eye and I imagine how the person will react to the quilt. That's not to say that I'm sure the quilt will be absolutely adored. The person receiving it might not like the colors or the pattern or whatever. The quilt of course is the gift that I will give them, but I'm also handing them the gift of my time. Time that you can't see with your eyes. The time is part of the gift.

We quilters make quilts for people; friends, strangers, people we love, people we want to help, strangers in need. There are a lot of people who benefit from our gifts. Even machine pieced and machine quilted quilts require a set amount of time to make. This is not just true of quilting. So do knitted sweaters and socks, embroidered bags, and pillows. We could easily go the store and buy a person a blanket or a sweater. In some cases, the purchased present might be worth more monetarily, it might be more beautiful. It might be just what the person has asked for. But the handmade gift is not just the material gift. It is the gift of time too.

For that matter. Cooking a dinner instead of driving through the fast food lane is a gift of time to our families. Cleaning the house instead of letting the dust pile up is the gift of time sacrificed to our families (instead of spent in our own pursuits?) Playing a game with the kids is a gift of time. Relaxing with our spouse is a gift of time too.

I say, yeah to all of us who give our time to the people around us. It is the most valuable possession we have even if no one can see it. Next time you're making something for someone and wonder why when you have so many other things to do, remember, "Long walk part of gift."

31 comments:

Quilting Journey said...

You are speaking right to my heart, Tanya. I just love this whole post and I especially love the quote...'Long walk part of gift.' I am delighted by this and will remember it well! Thank you!

Nadine said...

Oh, Tanya, THANK YOU for this wonderful post ! You have found the exact words to express what I'm feeling !

Biiiiig hugs & smiles !
NADINE

Fiona said...

Fantastic post - so true, and what a great way of putting it.

May Britt said...

Thank you for sharing this with us. I wrote a saying in my yesterdays post: What brings joy to the heart is not so much the friend's gift, but the friend's love.
And this is exactly what you are telling us today.

Nancy said...

Beautifully written, Tanya. And exactly right.

QuiltingFitzy said...

Great post Tanya!

I suscribe to ALL of it, even the "dust" part. 8^)

Maureen said...

Enjoyed your post very much Tanya, thank you. You've put into words what I've felt many times.

Lucy Locket said...

Hi Tanya - what a wonderful post - you have expressed so perfectly the sentiment behind a lot of my homemade things and reminded me of the importance of the gift of time. I'm not a natural when it comes to housework but what you said about cleaning the house being th gift of time to our families really struck a chord - thank you for reminding me! Lucy

margaret said...

This "gift of time" is something that can easily go unrealised. Thank you for pointing it out so beautifully.

Jenny said...

Wonderfully said. I absolutely agree. I'm just starting to hand quilt but I've always admired and appreciated other's work. Not that wrestling a large quilt through a home sewing machine isn't time consuming and hard work also but there's just something about hand work. Love the quote may I put in on my blog to remember?

meggie said...

What a wonderful post! My daughter always mentions the gift of my time when I give her a quilt or something I have made her. She made the food for my birthday party this year- a truly wonderful gift.
My humble gift to you, is time to thank you for your lovely post!

Anonymous said...

Thank you, and Love you!!!

meggie said...

I have included a link to you in my post today. I used the labels theme & included some pics of some of mine. Hope you dont mind.

Kathy Wagner said...

Thank you for this beautiful story. You are such a good writer!
I will make a link to your blog in my next entry so more people can be reminded of the importance of gifting others.

Connie said...

Beautifully stated. Amen.

marisa said...

you have written the wonderful words ! Ciao

Tonya R said...

oh, I like that. very well said.

Rose Marie said...

What a true-to-the-heart post this is! We should all include in our quilt labels something about "the many hours of quilting part of gift".

atet said...

Thank you so much for these words on a day when I was having trouble remembering that the time I spend is part of the gift. Your words never fail to put a smile in my heart!

Shelina said...

Tanya, this is such a beautiful post. When I was talking on my blog about giving crafty things - this is exactly what I was thinking about. That even if someone doesn't like the pattern or colors or the style of the quilt, they have to think about the long walk that was an even bigger, but invisible, part of the quilt.

cher said...

isn't it wonderful when you discover so many others feel the same way? I totally agree with your words and thank you for putting our gift of time so well.

sewnut said...

I love your story (found the link on Kathy's Quilts). I have given hand made gifts forever. As I complete a gift I always think that each stitch I am putting in is a symbol of my love and caring for the recipient. It is okay if it takes a long time... yes, the long walk is part of the gift.
Thank you for sharing.

Scribbles & Bits said...

Hi! Found your post via Bemused and it's perfect! This is exactly why I make gifts for people, particularly my family. I don't get to see them very much in a year, but I like to give them hhandmade things so even though I can't be there in person, I'm still spending time on our relationship.

brenda said...

very well put, thanks for taking the time to write it!

Vicki Knitorious said...

I'm here via Jan/Bemused, also, and I'm so thankful for her link. I love this post. Thank you.

Barbara said...

What an insight! Quite true indeed.

Gina said...

Very well said!
Thanks for writing this post. Here lately it seems I don't have enought time but maybe I'm going about it all wrong. Give my time to others and things around me instead of trying to make more time.

maggiegracecreates said...

I linked here from a link but I love this post. I too enjoy the soothing ritual that is hand stitching. If a project is a gift, I pray over the person, ponder the gifts (blessings) they have brought into my life. And I include a poem to that effect in my gift package. Lovely post.

Tami said...

That's a beautiful story, and oh so true. I'll remember this the next time that I'm working on a handmade gift for someone. Instead of worrying about whether it's the right colors, I'll simply think about how much I enjoy the person. After all, as you've said, it's the long walk that adds the most important ingredient to the gift. Thanks for sharing!

Quirk said...

The time, indeed, is the most important part of the gift. Especially in a society that doesnt take time for others anymore...its a VERY special gift.
Wonderful post and wonderful perpective.
Thank you!

kelli ann said...

beautifully and thoughtfully written: and gorgeous quilting. awe-inspiring!! cheers