As I pass the 2.5-year mark in this quilt journey, I thought it would be fun to take a look back – literally – at my progress so far. When I was working on the tiny triangles block this summer, someone commented on how even the back of the block looked neat, with the seam allowances pressed just so:

Whatever the craft project, I always try to keep the back looking as tidy as possible. This is almost certainly a carryover from when I was a kid and we went to see the China: 7000 Years of Discovery museum exhibit at the Pacific Science Center, which featured Chinese craftspeople demonstrating various ancient craft-making skills.

I was fascinated with the Chinese embroidery technique that created a picture on both sides of the fabric, so either side could be displayed. Ten-year-old me watched, transfixed, as the craftswoman zipped the needle up and down through the fabric, somehow creating two pictures at the same time without even looking at the back. I still don’t understand how it was done – probably magic – but it was beautiful, and clearly had a profound effect on my own craftsmanship.

Thirty-plus years later, the backs of my quilt blocks are certainly not as nice as the front, but they’re definitely visually interesting. The decision about which direction to press each seam has an impact on the primary design on the front of the block, but can also make for interesting designs on the back. Sometimes these pressing techniques have a practical purpose too. For example, pinwheeling the seam allowances can reduce bulk at places where lots of seams intersect at a single point.

On a project of this size, it’s easy to get bogged down in the minutiae, right down to the pressing of a single seam allowance. So, it’s nice to step back and take a good look at one’s overall progress. Looking back (and at the back) allows one to gain perspective, and see the project in a whole new way.

Recently, a friend suggested I could use this blog to talk about current events (either in my life or in the world) that were happening as I sewed, tying each block to the larger world around it. I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about that over the last few days. My personal current events are definitely not that interesting on a day-to-day basis. As to world events, I feel like this quilt connects the world, but on a different scale. It doesn’t give me any connection to celebrities or world leaders – it gives me a connection to individual quilters past and present, the quilting community as a whole, and even some Chinese embroiderers from 7000 years ago.

Regardless of what’s discussed in my blog along the way, this is definitely a journey I want to keep taking. Now that I’ve looked back, I’m ready to look forward. On to the next block!