practice doesn't always make perfect {and that's okay!}

I broke my mom's sewing machine when I was 3.  It's a memory I probably will never forget. It was just hanging out on my grandma's dining room table and I was so curious about this machine that made me cute clothes and would a few years later be used to make the cutest wardrobe for my long awaited cabbage patch doll.  As I grew older, and possibly needed to earn some girls scout patches, my mom let me try my hand at sewing.  I learned the art of a well made scrunchy (hello, 90's!) and then the art of pinning tissue paper shapes to fabric, cutting them out and then following carefully outlined instructions for sewing.  It was then that we prayed that it would come out like it was supposed to!  Junior high me became great friends with the seam ripper. . . a friendship that is still going strong.  

While I did really do much sewing after that until I became a mom, bought the cheapest Singer sewing machine I could find (yes, I got it at Target. . . there is no shame!).  I slowly used Ethan's nap time to re-familiarize myself with sewing and got to work.  Slowly, I realized I really liked it and started to make blankets, baby presents and all sorts of things.  I have since upgraded to a much better and more reliable sewing machine, but that Singer taught me how to trouble shoot and allowed me to relearn the art of sewing.  

As we rolled into 2022, I set some goals I wanted to accomplish.  One of them being, I wanted to grow as a quilter.  I really wanted to step out of my comfort zone of simple patchwork quilts and become more confident making triangles, and some more complicated blocks.  Soon after, I found an instagramer (well. . . lots of them actually), who was doing a block of the week challenge at the beginning of the year.  I jumped right in and even made some new internet friends and discovered that the quilting community is so incredibly friendly and encouraging, that even though some of the blocks were total flops, I still managed to get it right.  Sometimes, I called my mom and we face-timed through some of the more complicated instructions, but as the weeks went by, I found myself improving in my skill, but also taking that time to create one block a week energized me.  I sometimes forget how important taking the time for creating impacts my mental health (you can read about that here).

 Sometimes, we make a flop.  I really had learn that I wasn't always going to get it right each and every time.  If we don't mess up, we won't allow ourselves to push for improvement and growth.  Just like when our kids are learning new math concepts or developing their reading skills, we need to approach trying new things with a growth mindset.  Learn from our mistakes.  Keep on trying and don't give up.  Several years ago, my sister found a bunch of old quilt blocks from my great grandma.  She, along with a bunch of their friends worked so hard on a quilt that was probably for someone, but got forgotten, left one block intentionally imperfect, as a reminder that only God is perfect. When we create, it is so easy to focus on being perfect and not the growth behind each block.  I keep this block as a reminder that I am not perfect and still have much to learn! 

So here's my blocks from the first part of the year:

This 6 random quilt blocks taught me so much.  I became more familiar with techniques like flying geese and foundation paper piecing (which is so much fun!).  I don't always get it right, but each block brought practice and excitement of learning something new!  

Have you tried something new recently?  Let's chat over on Facebook or instagram. :)