Under our Wings in Boulder CO

As the single mother of an only child, when my son enlisted in the Army last year I was instantly struck with fear. In spite of that, I decided I had better pick up my cheerleader mom pom-poms and look for ways to be supportive.

Years earlier I'd served on a Board with Becky F, an avid quilter, and vaguely remembered she had been involved in a project of quilting for soldiers. I'd not sewn in over 20 years but thought it might be fun to get involved in both. It would be a win-win situation. I met with Becky and she patiently started me on my first quilt.

I mentioned it to another friend and she asked if she could join us as she wanted to support me and also return to sewing again. What began as a simple means to show my son I supported his decision has turned into a wonderful group of supportive women eager to support all of our troops.

In just four sessions our little group has now grown to eight; made up of those never having sewn to proficient quilters. The name Wabi Sabi Quilters seemed to be a natural for us as Wabi Sabi is the Japanese art of finding beauty in imperfection and that was how we began to explain all of our little 'beauties.'

 I've set up a sewing space in my home and we plan to meet every six weeks. We have lunch, laughs, and sew from about 10-4. We generally finish a quilt top each session and anticipate even more as our skills improve.

My advice for any new quilter seeking to get involved is to find an unflappable (believe me, we've pushed it) mentor (Becky is already taken) and get started. You will reap far more than you sew. :-)

Submitted by
Terry K -
Longmont, CO