Covered Bridge Quilt: The Importance of Community

When I was in high school, I was adopted by a group of elderly and middle-aged ladies who invited me to sew with them and learn how to quilt. At the time, I never would have guessed that this simple invitation would lead to a profound sense of community and a commitment to lifelong learning.

Design is the key to a good quilt; it is the ability to visually shape, size, and measure how a project comes together. To me, it felt like a giant fabric puzzle in which every unique piece has a specific space to fit into. My ability to plan materials and visualize complex shapes was developed through these hours spent working on quilts.

However, the lessons went far beyond the act of sewing. The conversation among these ladies was wild and diverse, ranging from the somber experience of an elderly mother passing away to the hilarious details of a recent catastrophic trip to the South of France. Through these stories, I learned about empathy, connecting with a larger purpose, and the importance of caring for everyone in a community. I discovered that uplifting others eventually grows your own self-esteem.

Even though this experience began over eight years ago, I am still in touch and remain close friends with these ladies. Years later, I can still feel that deep sense of community built through the act of creating. Bringing things into existence brings people together for a fuller sense of good. Today, I still carry the importance of caring for others and a clear understanding of what belonging really means to me.

I look back with immense gratitude toward these women and how they positively shaped my life as a teenager, giving me a greater sense of self. Having recently returned to quilting after an eight-year break, I was amazed by how naturally I remembered the craft and the positive emotions that flooded back with it.

Positive connection shapes us as humans and supports our personal development. My self-esteem and creativity expanded once again through the process of cutting, sewing, and designing my recent 72 x 72 quilt. Life is built from the small things that bring us joy.