Slowly Moving Forward--A Lone Star Update (post 8)

Brace yourselves. This is a long, meandering introspective post.

The area in question

I began this project as a Saturday Workshop class in 2020. I put other projects ahead of it. Eventually, I managed to get the project to the quilting stage in August 2022. In September 2022, I was rear ended in a car accident. While I have improved my function of activities of daily living and have less head, neck and back pain, I still can't quilt long. I can free motion quilt about half an hour. Using a walking foot, I can manage about forty minutes. Some days I can quilt multiple sessions. Other days, I can't.

Using templates in a different configuration

I don't have the hand strength to free motion quilt like I could before the accident. I'm trying to cope with that loss. Yet, I continue to search for a path that will fulfill my soul when I quilt. This path has to be one that won't wreck havoc on my body.

Adding some extra quilting lines

I spent most of last month pondering what to do in the outer section of the Lone Star. This project has stymied me so many times which has surprised me. I've appealed to Gertie, my inner squirrel, but, she has mostly been in hibernation since the car accident. Before the car accident, when I found myself in a stuck place, I'd put the project under the needle and begin to free motion doodle. Unfortunately, this technique stopped working.

I've tried challenging myself to use a template to create a new to me design or I've challenged myself to use a template that I haven't used in a while. I 've looked at designs in Pinterest. I've watched Christina Cameli's instagram reels where she draws designs on a white board. I had mixed success with those challenges. I've tried quilting small projects with simple lines thinking that the feel of the fabric and the rhythm of the motions

Finished quilted geese

would open my creative path. Nope, that approach didn't work.

This month I quilted the two boy quilts. I posted about the first finish here. I finished the second one Monday. I'll post about it on Sunday. My focus for the rest of the month is to make progress on quilting the Lone Star. Goal number three on my October list was to figure out what to do with the outer edge of the project. 

Because I've been stymied on the next step, I've had many self chats asking why I haven't been able to move forward. I know that I'm grieving over the loss of my abilities. Yet, I feel guilty because my loss isn't like losing my eyesight or the use of a limb. In other words, my loss could have been worse.

Currently, my free motion quilting doesn't meet my expectations. Perhaps, the expectation issue is the crux of my angst. I don't know what the path forward is. If I have identified the issue, perhaps, the path to enjoying my quilting journey will come back to me. My fingers are crossed as quilting was the part of the process I enjoyed the most.

My lifetime membership framed document

While I wait, I quilted the flying geese that are at the top and bottom of the quilt. As I finished quilting the last goose, I had a thought of what to do with that  space in question. This morning, I have a plan. The plan feels right. My heart and soul are happy. Stay tuned!

As I end this post, I'm including a photo of the lifetime membership document that I was awarded last June. I wasn't physically present at the meeting because the hour plus drive is too far for my body to handle. It took some time to coordinate getting the document to me. Thanks Nancy T for picking it up and waiting for me to make it to your house to pick it up Monday!

I was recognized for my contributions to the guild during my twenty five year membership. I can't believe I've been a member that long. I still pinch myself that I was honored with this award!