Wednesday, July 18, 2012

This Day's Work

   Bits and pieces of paper cover the big farm table; scissors crunch through paper after pencils scratch along the ruler. This day is long and quiet as a plan is formed and pattern pieces are measured and cut. My mind wanders from teen to teen as I ponder what they might be doing right now- what work their hands are finding. Such random roaming keeps me sane.
 The new commission piece looks to be challenging..something I need right now. Along with piecing and applique, the quilt has a limited supply of fabric meaning frugality must be used in cutting every piece. For this reason I am preparing paper templates to layout on the fabric; hopefully this will find the most effective use of the material. This work is tedious..so my thoughts tend to wonder..daydreams lead to memories until interruptions come. The sharp cry of a goat shakes me; Ruth has sounded an alarm..seems a walk through the pasture is needed.
 Goats are such funny things; each personality so very different. You would thing by now Ruth and I would get use to Jubilee's naughty habits; if there is a nook or cranny to hide in..Jubilee will find it. The real kicker is how that baby can remain utterly calm and unphased by her mother's hysterical baulking. Back inside, I leave the paper-strewn mess for a little pinning activity.
  Several months back I was given some beautiful fabric panels; a simply wall quilt or table topper just needed to be done. This blue Dresden will be quilted in the ditch to accent the petals while the background will be quilted in a cross-hatch for depth and direction. When my mother sees this she will flip..such blues are her favorite. In the mundane, once again, the quiet disturbs me causing me to long for the days when their hands were busy nearby...each with work of their own..our quiet interrupted by random bit of conversation. Not today..my girls' late summer semester has started..off to college for them and the farm boy is helping at a camp this week. 

 My thoughts are interrupted by the crow of a rooster; his hen cackles..I wonder what their disagreement must be. The whir of the fan brings me back to a settled state as once more I measure and cut and mark. A sip of tea, a sigh..here amidst this day's work.

2 comments:

Becky said...

It seems like you have a lot of projects in the making. Plenty to keep busy while the children are off to their own things. That's very good. My grandmother just kind of stopped everything, and that was not very wise.
My dining table looks a bit like yours. Bits of paper everywhere, but for a different reason. I'm putting together a garden journal to keep up with where I need to rotate crops and to have a place for all the helpful articles and such that I accumulate.

Unknown said...

I journal on gardening as well, trying to keep up with rotation and success/fails. I have seen many struggle when their little ones grow up..I don't want to fall into that..I want to find purpose and function..Thank you!