Something amazing happened …

… hand-quilting my way around a miniature quilt.

This afternoon I finished up the hand-quilting on my 3rd little Weekend Mystery quilt, this particular one made for a friend.  (See the previous post about these quilts, offered for some weekend fun by Kathleen Tracy on her Facebook page: Small Quilt Lovers.)

Just as for the previous two, I deconstructed several 1 inch squares I’d put together years ago. (Boy, has my piecing improved.) and reconfigured them into this new pattern. And this time I managed to get the center 2″ Hourglass block right.  Also I realized again what a challenge small pieces are to work with. You wouldn’t think so, would you? But the seams on such small pieces sometimes have a mind of their own and it takes a lot of pressing with a hot steam iron to get them to behave.

Anyhow, as I was finishing up the hand-quilting on my little doll quilt, I listened to some Scarlatti and Couperin keyboard music, and tried not to think about what we’re all constantly thinking about: COVID-19! And as I got to the end of the quilting, I even wished I had more to do.

And then I noticed something! Well, two things, actually.

First, I noticed how much better (smaller and more even) my stitches were. Yea! Practice, practice, practice! And these sweet little doll quilts are the perfect place for that very thing.

But much more significantly, I noticed how calm I felt. As someone who has suffered the majority of my life with depression and anxiety, this was pretty remarkable to me. I almost couldn’t believe it. 

When I told my husband a bit later, he said, “I believe it! Now you know why I like to hit tennis balls for an hour!”

There really is value in doing the same thing over and over again, even the smallest action. It demands intense focus and ends up being very meditative.

I bet my friend who is using this time of quarantine to paint rocks would say the same thing. On the weekend she placed these two lovely miniatures in my yard!

I am thrilled to have discovered something else to help me get through these weird and stress-filled weeks. Hand-quilting: a natural antidepressant!

So tomorrow I think I’ll look for another small piece to practice my quarantine art  on. This little quilt by my bed could definitely use some more stitches, don’t you agree?