As an Extroverted Ambivert
Later this morning, I am participating in a conference call book discussion for one named QUIET: THE POWER OF INTROVERTS IN A WORLD THAT CAN'T STOP TALKING by Susan Cain. It is actually something I think about all the time. The book examines humans from infancy through school and into the workplace. Here is one quiz that might help you with some information. http://lonerwolf.com/introvert-or-extrovert-test/. If you browse that site, you will find a newer way of thinking about how you move and fit in the world, perhaps more as an ambivert or lone wolf personality. Key in those words elsewhere & you can find other online tests.
Over the years, all sorts of labels can be put upon us. The term of ambivert means that we could be a little of both opposites of the introvert and extrovert. Being an ambivert isn't straddling the fence but is a person who can create balance by whatever comes their way.
I laid out Lisa's quilt at the clubhouse, and because the back was too large for two tables, I taped the top down, then smoothed out the batting & cut it to fit across the table edges. I thought about what it takes to be an extrovert always presenting your good side forward, & that for all of us there is more to our story.
The pattern is there, and yet seeing it this way in the first pic, shows even more of the work that goes into seams and lines. Laying the back side down and then pin basting it in place means that it is now the top and that machine quilting will be done according to these fabric lines. Will it matter? The first patterns on the first pic have much more detail to them than the one in the second picture.
What I know about the final quilting is that the more lines a quilter puts on it, the stiffer the quilt, and the less it is quilted, the softer it feels. This can be a metaphor for how we speak or how our conversations go. The more recent studies about being an Introvert or an Extrovert talk about the need for 'restorative niches' and that might be the softness in what a lot of us crave after being in crowds during our day. The Extrovert is out there doing more, more, more, and yet the end result might not be good for that person if they cannot find their restorative niche. Does it, like adding so many more quilting lines, create stiffness in their lives?
I think the patterns on both sides will complement each other and so I am going for the one on the second example. There are endless commentaries about the quilting process and how it finishes the quilt. It is really about working with the fabrics chosen, and then it continues to be a matter of personal choice. As I thought more about it, I realized that each quilt I make may become a restorative niche for someone I love.
