Pondering “Just”

In Catholic terms the word “Just” is most simply defined as: that which is due to another
There’s more to the word, the virtue and the actions necessitated from living Justly. (Link to New Advent)
In quilterly circles Just has a more negative connotation and Once upon a Time I wrote that this word would best be served by removing it from the quilterly lexicon.

The desire to remove the quilterly “just” remains as I ran into it on the quilt show floor a few weeks ago. Janie (not her real name) walked through the quilts with her family. “I just make quilts for my family,” she repeated, overwhelmed/in awe look on her face. Between you and me the made for family quilts, those are the important quilts. The ones that rarely hang in a show. These are the quilts that this woman poured her love, her prayer, her concerns, her joys for the one she’s making the quilt for. There is no need for her to “just-ify” her why. Her whys were walking the show floor with her.

This desired to remove Just from our lexicon goes further into our identity as quilt makers and a misunderstanding of the word “humble” and how each of us is meant to use and hone the gifts God has given us. Let’s start there, with the gift. Each of us is intended to use and hone the gifts we are given. Jesus gives the parable of the talents to explain that rather clearly. Two of my gifts are as quilter (creative) and teacher, these gifts are from God that are honed and exercised. The honing part comes in intentionally practicing each part of the process, noticing what is working, and what isn’t working then adjusting how I practice each part well. One of the fundamentals of quilt making is cutting fabric well. When I first started making quilt tops things were often off a little bit, that being off or not square, throws off the entire quilt. These were definitely not “show worthy” however, they were not meant to hang in shows and be judged on the skills or merits of the work. Those early quilts, being baby quilts, were meant to be pooped on, so, there’s that. The tiny human receiving that quilt had no concept that things weren’t perfect. Tiny humans know they are warm and loved. That is, no matter how you look at it, all that mattered. When we make quilts for adults – think weddings, birthdays, the random Tuesday – they are receiving our love and appreciation for who they are. That is what matters. And here’s the thing, most adults are not going to look over the entire quilt seeking all the flaws in it. And if they are, there are other problems that do not belong to us, to me.

Now, as I hone my skills there are several possibilities that can happen: 1) I can decide to enter quilts in shows ,or not; 2) I can decide to write patterns or quilt for others, or not; 3) I can decide to teach others the process, or not. The How I share this skill isn’t as important as the honing and sharing. This depends on the gift and desire to pursue it to a particular end. If I decide to enter quilts into a show then there is the expectation on my part of both critique and criticism and people just not liking my work for one another. Someone liking or not liking aren’t my problem, the pursuit of honing skill is my problem.

Okay so let’s go to humble. Humble is being grounded in the truth. Yep, you read that right. It isn’t any kind of deflection, or pointing out the flaws (although as a teacher pointing out the flaws in my own quilts is wildly helpful and necessary.) The truth is sometimes my quilts are worthy of shows, sometimes they are not. The truth is over the years I’ve gained a lot of hard won skills and knowledge, which as a teacher I share so that the students can take what they’ve learned and grow their skills, or not as they desire. What they do with what I teach is their business not mine. I can tell you it is highly effective to share about the time when the my left index finger and the rotary cut met and well, I’ll leave that there. I did learn to know where my fingers are, so there’s that. And I learned how to tell the story well enough that I make the point about practicing knowing where your fingers are by leaving enough to the imagination. This is both good practice and good honing of more that one quilterly skill here.
Humble gives us the opportunity to accept compliments and critique with grace. Don’t like my color choices, okay. Appreciate how hard I worked to cut and piece? Great thanks. Like the quilting (decorative stitching)? Great, that’s my first love (and believe me I’m still surprised by this!) Don’t like it at all, because it’s “too much” great, thanks and oh well. What is important here is that I’ve taken the time to hone the quilting skills, I’m often good, and owning that is humble. Knowing that the skill and desire come from God, and that as the parable of the talents points out, I’m honoring God by using them and honing them, and sharing them – that’s humble – that’s being grounded in the truth. The truth is I’ve cooperated with God in the exercise of this gift, and that others get to benefit in some way, whether that is giving the gift of the quilt or it’s entering it into a show, or it’s teaching.

And then there’s a deeper truth – what I DO as a quilt maker and teacher is NOT for everyone and after many years I’m fine with that. What I DO know is that when I pursue quilt making it’s essential to become more of who I’m intended to be. That is true justice as it is far more outward facing and vulnerable and it is honoring those in front of me with the honesty due them as who they are in my life. Be the quilter you are intended to be and you will set the world ablaze. Especially if that world is a tiny human who know they are deeply loved. And this is what I mean when I say “learn to stitch with reckless abandon” set the passion God gave you ablaze with the love of the gift He’s given you.

God bless,
Teri