A Year of Gratitude – November 16, 2024

I found my gratitude at the sewing machine today. You could say that I stitched it together myself, because I did. Then I packaged it up and sent it to a new home to be enjoyed for years to come. Sending it on the way filled me with self-satisfaction and the warmth that comes from knowing that I have made something with my hands that will be enjoyed in the hands of someone else.

I started with a request for a piece I had never made before. It was a big request, quite literally, for a round trivet that was 20” wide. I have only made one piece larger than that and I use it as a rug in our pantry. I love a challenge and a new idea, so I couldn’t wait to get sewing.

After Emma had worked to create the fabric coil, it was time for me to sit down at the sewing machine. I watched as the small, tightly coiled piece no larger than a nickel became larger and larger. Eventually, it was indeed 20” wide and beautiful.

It took hours of stitching and turning to get there, but it was worth every moment. I like to think that this piece will bring a little piece of our cozy farmhouse to the home where it will be put to beautiful use. It’s such a lovely way to think about the pieces we make.

I am a sewist who is the daughter of a quilter and a granddaughter of a seamstress. I don’t sew as intricately or as neatly as either of them. Yet when I sit down at the sewing machine, I feel like I’m continuing the tradition of the women in my family who enjoyed taking needle and thread to fabric to make things that were useful. There’s something so joyful about that.

This post is part of our A Year of Gratitude Series. You can find the introduction, inspiration, and entire year’s gratitude’s posts here.