Rhythm of Rain

There is something soothing to all rhythms, however, waking up to the sound of rain on the roof and tapping on the fences and backyard furniture makes me smile.  It is like my whole being lives in and for the moment. There have been numerous times in my life where I went out in the rain, splashing through puddles up and down the streets. I wonder why we stiffen up so much and avoid those times of simple abandonment?

This morning will not be one of those times I go out dancing in the rain. Its 37 degrees out and I have coffee.

I ordered this pattern/book early this month that I found online, as a way to kick off my next goal to make house block quilts. It presents more of a collage concept and the finished mini quilt only measures 16" square. The pattern calls for 10 different fabrics for each type of village that the book suggests. 

I invited my friend Rex to do one with me. She is an extraordinary artist. And we have had such fun doing our swaps & Calendar quilts. We even plan to do an embroidery BOM for next year, & want to do it in a Halloween theme. Every month, one of us will select the pattern for that month to embroider. In the end, we each will have 12 embroidered blocks to put into a finished quilt.

With the pattern in this "Happy Villages" book, each village is made with 10 different fabrics but only cut small 6.5" squares and 6.5" x 2" strips from each. These are fabrics from my stash that I am sending to her with the April Calendar block. I need two more B&W pieces that I can tuck in a regular envelope. It seemed that we could get the most variety if we shared the small pieces and that it will be most fun to see how each of us uses the same fabrics in our creations.

Building the collage is much like doing one of the mystery quilts. You gather materials for the first step, do the cuts for the second, and then start to do the layout, the pinning and then the quilting. I was concerned that if I tried to do this one on my own, it might not get finished. I was concerned that I might not be able to give myself over to the playfulness of it all. Sharing the times with another quilter works for me.

Rex & I are both doing a mystery quilt through a Facebook group. The step we are in this week has us piecing the middle size cuts with the smallest cuts.

I have come to see how playful this type of quilting can be. Its like being able to run out in the rain and remember what it is like to play. "Now" is the only time we have. And the event is the only thing worth thinking about. The older I got, the harder it was for me to play. And I see the value in it again. But it doesn't come easily. I have to fool myself into playing.

I know there is a lot to learn in this fabric art. I also know I get pretty frustrated when I can't do something the way I envision it. The choice is to toss it into the dark recesses of the dreaded UFO bin, or to rip and try again.

Today, I will play. Today is my birthday and I am entitled.