Jeremiah 17: 7 & 8 Blessed are those who trust in the Lord; the Lord will be their trust. They are like a tree planted beside the waters that stretches out its roots to the stream: It does not fear heat when it comes, its leaves stay green; In the year of drought it shows no distress, but still produces fruit.
Words, how they are written, how they are spoken hold deep meaning both for the speaker and writer, and for the listener and reader. Words allow us as human beings to communicate with one another in meaningful ways. And some ways that aren’t so meaningful. Words help define our actions, and clarify the actions of others. Words. Over the last few years choosing a focus word for each year has helped guide who I am and where I’m going. This year will be very much the same. Before I get to my 2017 word of the year…
This morning I woke up with the thought of a quilt. Has this ever happened to you? Where you wake up with a full image of a quilt that you simply must make? I have nearly everything I need for this quilt: fabric, thread, batting, backing. The final decision is size. I have a gut feeling about this however comma I’m not entirely sure. When I go into my sewing room and see the fabric yardage that might make the decision for me. The moon and I have a love affair going on and she will once again make an appearance in a quilt. The background will be the black night sky from September 27, 2105, when the Blood Moon made an appearance. The date is significant for me as it is my anniversary with my sweetie. I have a distinct feeling there will be a significant amount of black on black quilting. Hmmm…creative juices have started flowing.
So back to our regularly scheduled program. I’m going to ask your indulgence with the photo. No matter how I shot it the quilt always ended up quite bright. The quilt name, Tree Stand, happened as I placed the last stitches on the facing. I realized as I worked something that I’ve been practicing for years, that thread can really give serious texture to a quilt, essentially creating the images that are intended. Each thread choice is made with some intention. What I tend to think of as something that is intuitive is actually something learned over time. It is “what if” thinking on a quilt top. It is hours spent at the machine watching the stitching under the needle be the thing that I want it to be. “Twilight in the Bronx” is the beautiful simple beginning of a Journey in machine quilting. A Journey that is still very much a mystery to me.
And this is where my faith word comes into play. HOPE is the 2017 faith word of the year. Like a tree planted by the water there is hope. Hope for contentment where ever I am led to work, grow, quilt, be. Hope. It is a word that holds much. Hope is a word of action, of prayer and of giving over. Hope is a word that is alive, and flowing. Hope is water to a thirsty soul. Hope is expectant, gracious, kind. Hope embraces the journey for the gift it is.
I love words. I love the Word. The Word brings Hope.
God bless!
Teri
A Quilter's Heart 