SweetMyrtle: a lesson in patience and determination

I just wanted to share one of our teen sewing class members project as it shows initiative, determination and focus.

Rosie, age 14, finished her first ever quilt last night, and it is amazing!!

She initially started the patchwork with her Grandma in the holidays and continued making it in class over the last 3 terms. There was some complicated strip piecing to make up some of the initial squares which would flummox many confident sewers, plus she had the difficult task of designing and balancing all her colours. There were a lot of pieces to cut and join together too and i found her focus and patience with this so inspiring. She did not rush the process, and if she made a mistake she would quietly unpick it and restitch it.

Once the initial top had been pieced Rosie added the batting and backing and set about the HUGE task of free-motion quilting the 3 layers together. Many established quilters send this off to have done professionally as it can be tricky to fit the quilt under a domestic sewing machine. Rosie persevered despite the bulk of the quilt and her machine sometimes not wanting to behave.

Finally last night she finished binding the edges (beautifully) and the quilt was complete.

When she held her finished quilt up at the end of class we all cheered. She had worked so hard and that moment of completion was cause for celebrating the enormous journey she had travelled.

So despite frustrations and struggles along the way and it being a huge learning curve, through patience, focus and dedication she had reached her goal.

A lesson for all of us there!