A few years ago, I decided to take up sewing in hopes of avoiding dementia. My reasoning was that if I had to problem-solve in an unfamiliar media, I could keep grey matter alive longer.
I bought a machine, took a few lessons and began to make things. I became fascinated with different fabrics, how they are made, different colors, different patterns, ways hey could be cut up and sewn together to make useful things.
It wasn't long until I ran into some quilters and then things really changed! In the company of other women I have learned so much more than how to sew: stories of their lives that make up the colorful fabric of life and I never tire of listening to them.
This sisterhood of women is as old as time and as vital as the new day. Anita Diamant writes in the novel The Red Tent about the lives of women in Jacob's tribe, the details of which the men knew little or nothing at all. The women paid lip service to their master but when push came to shove, they relied on each other and the advice of their mothers for survival.
Lisa See writes in Snow Flower and the Secret Fan , about Chinese women with bound feet, who went so far as to have a secret language for communication with each other in their highly regimented lives.
Once when I was overseas with the Air Force, another nurse brought in some of her quilts. It wasn’t long until the small clinic room was filled with women admiring her work, the fabric, and patterns. Few of us spoke a common language but we all understood the language of quilting and language of sisterhood.
Whether a culture values women or not, this ancient yet active sisterhood creates a strong fiber for the culture.
Sewing around the tables at the Quilt Retreat, my quilt sisters discussed husbands, children, grandchildren, illnesses, treatments, recipes, house repair, and which car gets the best gas mileage among other things. The ladies’ ages range from 19 to 76 years and all are animated and energetic in their enjoyment of life.
The youngest woman will marry this summer. She asked everyone to write down their advice for a happy marriage. She ended up with three pages of detailed notes, more than I can remember now!
What advice would you give her?
