Over the years it has come to my attention: I am a scrap quilter. At first I didn’t see it because I enjoy making quilts of ALL kinds, but in time I noticed that the quilts that really take me into a flow state are scrap quilts. Why?

Efficiency.

It is that feeling right at the root of quilt-making. Using up leftovers from other projects in a way that Looks Good has a supremely satisfying effect on my psyche. It feels healthy, responsible, clever and even a wee bit magical.

But it’s not all buttoned up, because another thing I love about scrap quilts is…

Surprise.

You can’t plan a scrap quilt, not really. You don’t pick out all the fabrics in advance. You head in a certain direction, cutting and sewing mostly in good faith and sometimes with trepidation. How it turns out? That’s something you discover at the end. It’s like unwrapping a present to yourself.

This combination of efficiency and surprise is a power-packed duo that sends me into that blissful flow state. The one where you’re cutting, sewing and smiling at your patchwork like it’s a newborn babe.

Because with a scrap quilt I’ve committed to using what I have (efficiency), I don’t overthink fabric choice. The colors and the patterns will interact somewhat haphazardly, as they do in nature, and the result may be fabulous or just pretty good, but either way it’s something I’m eager to encounter (my surprise).

That’s why with a scrap quilt, I can give in and let go. I can soften. I can allow the quilt to happen a little bit to me, to flow through me with a feminine, receiving energy that I don’t often find elsewhere in my life. I trust the process. I trust myself to receive it, like a gift.

That’s why I love making scrap quilts.

I hope that sewing Garden Tapestry will be this kind of scrap quilt for you. I have been receiving it these last weeks, group by group, and it’s all coming together soon in its final surprising form.