Living in the remote arctic without TV (and last year without internet or a roommate) can lead to a lot of down time and can be quite lonely. While there are many new things to take in, there sometimes seems like nothing to do (especially because I live on an island and don’t have a boat or snowgo or honda – ATV).

This school year, I have been blessed with a wonderful roommate. Not only is she easy going, communicates well, and shares food with me, but she also brought her dog…and is a master quilter.

My desire to have a quilt started with my friend who had bought one for her first nephew. My family has a history of gifting baby blankets to new babies in the family and when I saw the quilt she bought off of Etsy, I was thrilled…especially when later I learned that our immediate family would have its first baby born into it. I knew exactly what her gift would be, a quilt.

When I met my roommate and learned that she is a quilter, I was thrilled. When she offered to teach me how to quilt, I was over the moon.

Over the first semester of school, I was able to create four baby quilts for dear little ones in my life (and their sweet and beloved families). This semester I have a few more to make…and some other projects that I am excited for (with some bigger end products).

I learned how to use her sewing machine (and use it well). I learned how to pin baste the layers together, what layers to use, and how to cut, size, recut, organize, sew again, etc. She also taught me how to hand quilt, which I did for one blanket and fell in love with the process.

I feel that if we are not trying to learn new things, we as teachers forget how it feels to be learning and the frustrations it can cause. While quilting hasn’t been the biggest frustration of my life, it has challenged my mind and stretched my patience. For that I am thankful.