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Idle Hands Beget The Devils WorkAs a southern girl, sewing was a rite of passage. You never questioned if you should learn, it was a matter of when. Though I possess the skill, it was rarely put to use. One day, while shopping for a quilt, I went back to my roots. Searching for a quilt with an ethnic feel, I went to several department stores. I found nothing that appealed to my sense of color, style and culture - nothing that spoke to my soul. So, I gave up, went to an African fabric store, selected fabrics, and made my own. As a child in rural Alabama, this routine restored memories of the first quilt I ever made. I was nine and in fourth grade. Around this time, my grandmother made a quilt for each of her grandchildren as a Christmas gift. Now, my nephew of nine sleeps on that same quilt. Tattered and re-stitched in several places, it remains a familial favorite. While making my most recent quilt, I rediscovered that quilting is more than sewing, it's a bond from generation to generation. Wrapped in my grandmother's gift, I feel her presence. Hair askew, laughing in her lap, I'm nine again, with all its incumbent joys. Cutting and stitching, there is a powerful rebirthing of a time gone by - the smell of honeysuckle on a fence, the clang of cow bells heard from the field, watermelon juice circling the curve of a sticky, ashy elbow. I am convinced that if today's youth were taught to occupy their hands with more than buttons on a video game, they would learn patience, pride, and develop confidence. And just maybe, we would have fewer troubled youth today. As Grandma used to say, "Idle hands beget the devil's work." At nine, you don't relate to that sentiment. But as I designed, cut, and sewed, the hours zoomed by. I felt as if I was lost in a good book, only I decided the characters, the plot, the ending. Now that Zola (my sewing machine) has unleashed her magical powers, she refuses to occupy her once familiar place in the bottom of my old college trunk. She sits atop her new surroundings proudly, beckoning me, as if to admonish my idle hands. There are days when I tell Zola to leave me alone, but in no time at all the fabrics in all their fanciful colors and patterns beckon, and we are one again, creating in unison, literally sewing the seeds of our destiny. This article courtesy of http://www.timelessquilting.com. You may freely reprint this article on your website or in your newsletter provided this courtesy notice and the author name and URL remain intact. Yuwanda & Cassandra Black are the owners of EthnicHomeDecor.com. Ethnic Home Decor offers soft home furnishings with ethnic themes at affordable prices.
The nostalgic crafts that are making a comeback Yahoo Canada Shine On Thurston County Fair accepting entries for foods, art, hobbies and crafts Centralia Chronicle 10 Crafty Hobbies to Get Creative with This Summer The Everygirl Thurston County Fair invites foods, hobbies, arts and crafts enthusiasts to submit their entries The JOLT - The Journal of Olympia Lacey & Tumwater Dan's Crafts & Things celebrates 50 years in business foxrochester.com Gallery: AAA Hobbies and Crafts opened in 1984 Courier Post Halifax hobby shop says its closing after 78 years in business CTV News Atlantic Popularity of diy and arts & crafts as a hobby in the U.S. 2022-2024 as of June 2024, by quarter Statista A massive hobby and toy party is happening in South Jersey this weekend The Philadelphia Inquirer The Benefits of Gentler Hobbies Next Avenue Crafts retailer Joann files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy as consumers cut back on pandemic-era hobbies The Macomb Daily Jewish-owned hobby shop to host free summer event Jewish Community Voice 6 Craft Hobbies Everyone's Talking About In 2024 Country Living UK Having a hobby tied to happiness and well-being Harvard Health What's the secret to this Camden County hobby and craft store's success for 40 years? - Courier Post New restaurant and new crafts store planned for Bradenton shopping center development Bradenton Herald One Tank Trips | AdhDiy Craft Cafe KSHB 41 Kansas City News 12 Stores Like Hobby Lobby for Crafts and Home Decor Apartment Therapy Joann fabric and hobby stores enter bankruptcy; post-pandemic craft decline cited - The Mercury News 8 Craft Hobbies Set To Be Popular This Autumn And Winter Country Living UK Q: “How Can I Keep My Many, Many, Many Hobby Supplies Organized?” ADDitude magazine Metal, Fire, ‘Hitting Stuff Hard’: Everybody Wants to Be a Blacksmith Now The New York Times 78-year-old hobby shop in Halifax closing its doors CTV News Atlantic These are the 20 most relaxing hobbies, according to a new study Country Living UK From Hobby to Hustle: Turning Soap and Candle Making into a Six-Figure Business with Makesy Markets Insider Metro Library to host Craft Fest at the Downtown OKC Library Jan. 27 Oklahoma City Free Press An A to Z guide of every craft you can try your hand at Country Living UK Crafts retailer Joann files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy as consumers cut back on pandemic-era hobbies Omaha World-Herald New Year's resolutions - places to go to fine new hobbies around Ashland Ashland Times Gazette 7 Creative Hobbies to Take Up in the New Year Martha Stewart 10 Comprehensive Hobby Books For Mom Early Bird Books There Is Such Thing As Hobby Burnout—Here’s How To Rediscover the Joy in Your Favorite Pastime Well+Good Rug Tufting: An Old Craft That's New Again Next Avenue Pick up a new hobby in 2024 with these deals on craft kits, Classpass, pickleball sets, and more Mashable Six Independent Craft Stores to Visit in and around Boston Boston magazine Meet Mike Larisey, owner of Maritime Hobbies & Crafts Ltd Downtown Halifax Hobbies & Crafts (Reviews) Business Insider Cobblestone Crafts listed for sale after four decades for $679K HollandSentinel.com OPINION: A love letter to arts and crafts Indiana Daily Student 8 new hobbies to try in the St. Louis area Ladue News Best Printer for Crafting 2024: Arts & Crafts Has Never Been Easier PC Guide - For The Latest PC Hardware & Tech News 10 slow living hobbies that lean into a calmer rhythm Country Living UK Movies About People Passionate About Their Craft & Hobby FILM COMPANION Katie McAllister has a multitude of hobbies that all correlate to crafts The Central Trend 7 Unexpected Ways My Paper Collection Is My New Favorite Hobby Getting Me Through the Pandemic Apartment Therapy 4 craft hobbies surging in popularity this summer Country Living UK Yo! Easter offers skills, sports and hobbies for everyone Wolverhampton City Council Bored at home? Now’s the perfect time to pick up a new hobby CNN Underscored West Virginia Hobbies & Crafts: A 25-year success story Huntington Herald Dispatch 11 places in L.A. to get your creativity flowing. Pottery! Neon bending! Bookbinding! Los Angeles Times KreaDoe art, craft and hobbies fair IamExpat in the Netherlands Endangered Crafts and the Destinations Keeping Them Alive (Published 2019) The New York Times Handicrafts and hobby store giant Milbby to open its first branch in the province on the Costa del Sol Surinenglish.com Business Q&A: Thompson’s Hobbies and Crafts, Lakewood The Denver Post Lost trades: The industrial origins of crafts and hobbies National Science and Media Museum Hobby Lobby vs. Michaels: Which craft store is better? Business Insider Get your crochet hooks, paintbrushes, scrapbooks, and creativity ready: Hobby Lobby opens soon Progress Index Business Intel: Salem Hobby Shop Roanoke Times
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