Do-Over

I remember when I was so much younger that we could ask for a 'do-over' in games we played. Then, as an adult, someone in a circle would ask, "if there was one thing in your life you could change, what would it be?"  Usually, I saw the wisdom in my choices and chose to say that I would do everything the same. And I do like do-overs when it comes to switching furniture around, transplanting garden plants.

Luckily, in quilting, you get as many 'do-overs' as you need or want. The tool we use to facilitate this is called a RIPPER. Here are a couple sitting on my table that I used this morning. I discovered seams on a few blocks were over the 1/4" guide. Not sure how I did them, but even a few threads over the suggested quarter inch shortens a block by HALF an inch. 

I was left with two choices. First, trimming all the blocks down...with 24 blocks, that meant a lot of trimming and wasting material as well as my time. Second, rip the errant seams, pull those cut threads, and re-piece. With only four seams, that was easier. I've laid the blocks out and want to look at them for awhile before pinning them in rows. Its really going to be a lovely, lovely quilt. That light blue in the photos is actually a frost with snowflakes on it and is very wintery-looking.

I take the time to work with 'do-overs' now in ways I never would do them in my life for those bigger choices I made. There were many things I held onto that served me well at the time and I do not regret what happened as a result. I think about relationships, groups or organizations I walked away from rather than to spend time trying to fix them, and know those were good decisions. Perhaps it is seeing into the end product of the effort it takes to let things be. Somethings are simply not worth the time and energy it requires to keep the status quo. 

I release much easier now. Yet, on the other hand, I am more open to receive. Guess its a balance my life has taken.

Suddenly as I write this, words to that old song, THE GAMBLER came to mind, "You gotta know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em, know when to walk away and know when to run." And it made me smile.