37. Lace Patchwork

You might have noticed that "making mistakes" has not been the main theme in evidence lately. I guess one result of my years of experience (and age!) is fewer interesting mistakes. My current errors don't result in much learning or inadvertent humor--they're just the absent-minded "sew-it-backwards" kind of thing that I still do and will always do: the effect of a personal penchant for rushing and/or impatience. Perhaps in my recent past there was an unphotographably transparent thing with painted batting that might qualify as good mistake material, but that's about it.

Instead, at some point interesting mistakes were replaced by stumbling blocks. Rather than trip over my own blunders, I now sometimes trip over obstacles that fate puts in my way. I set out to work on an idea, certain that it's a good path forward. And of course I never believe I've been de-railed from the main track. The three photos above are examples of paths of temporary travel. A commission from a textile company to design and piece three potential curtain designs, these patchwork samples were made from loads of laces and silky sheers. (The "black" is the photographic background; the panels themselves are see-through.) The one on the left was modeled after an antique Scandinavian tablecloth, though I was given free rein to re-interpret. The center one had to be entirely white and geometric, and the right one had to be made from the well-loved traditional double wedding ring pattern. I was happy, the fabric company person was happy, and I got a message saying more of this kind of work would be coming my way. Months passed with never another word. That's what I call a detour.

It was the first hint that maybe my quilting future would have some bumps in the road over which I had no control. Apparently the path to which I am best suited occasionally takes a sharp turn to the left or right while I keep going straight, oblivious--until I have to circle back and pick up the path where I strayed. More mazes and mysteries than mistakes, and all easier to intepret in hindsight than in real time. This time, I circled back to my previous train of thought about writing a book, and set off to explore whether that would be the next thing.