Stitching a prayer

~ Liz A

I asked crown princess Parker if she would like a hand stitched into the back of her coverlet … Nana’s hand to hold her close. And “Yes,” she said, yes she would.

So I stitched and thought. I used to call it “walking a prayer” … letting my mind wander as I combed along the edge of the sea … letting thoughts come and go, come and go …

Today, though, I stitched a prayer … each stitch a step … and as Deb’s magical threads made their way through muslin backing and gauze lining, the colors rolled up before my eyes … blue and green and grey they be, colors of the ancient sea … over and over and over …

Until each stitch became a part of a line … and the line became a part of me …

I thought how each stitch might be a letter, each letter a part of a word, each word a part of a thought …

And still I stitched … my needle juddering side to side, leaving a trail of stitches in its wake, ofttimes eschewing the preordained path …

and I wondered, “Judder? Is that really a word?” … and “Yes, yes it is,” replied m-w.com … but where did it come from and how did I know it?

So many thoughts rolled through my mind … and music … Wave on Wave … Jude’s thoughts of waves becoming my own …

Until at last the line petered out … and I wondered, “is that right … does one’s little finger really stand away like that?”

And Ellis replied …

Yes, yes it does.

– – – – – – –

Coda: I’m still very new to quilting, so it remains to be seen how the cloth will respond to having split backstitching on the a-side going into the middle and more split backstitching on the b-side going into the middle …

Of course, every so often a stray stitch makes its way through from one side to the other …

Likely as it was meant to …

22 thoughts on “Stitching a prayer”

  1. The synchronicity in our world-prayer being mentioned in both Jude’s and Grace’s recent posts. To leave an outline of your hand is lovely, even when an errant stitch goes topside! And yes, I use juddering occasionally. I think it’s a great word. Descriptive with a little old world charm.

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      1. Oh yes! In my work with young children, I’ve learned! I too was impressed with how the children got it (in their way) when we did the Dream Rocket project! With your posting at the new and old place, I get each email alert and so, I get to come here and enjoy twice! How lovely is that?!

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  9. I have read and come back to this post several times as I considered the theme of stitch and cloth as prayer. I have no new words, but can report the growth of grace and calmness in my heart. Thank you Liz.

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  10. Stitching is such a precious quiet time, I can understand stitching prayer. I like when the mind empties and thoughts drift. Your stitching is exquisite – a much higher quality prayer than any of mine!

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