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Kathy Boyd |
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English 111 |
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Metaphor Essay |
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Quilting the Write Way |
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December 5, 2005 |
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A homemade quilt!� If you are like me, those words bring to mind feelings of comfort, family, and home.� Many hours go into a hand-pieced quilt, and it becomes a part of the person who created it.� The quilt maker's time, talent, ideas and love of sewing are expressed in a very tangible and practical way for the recipient to enjoy for many years.� My writing process is similar to my quilt making in so many ways.� I go through a similar process for both endeavors. |
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To start, I must have all other urgent matters settled so that I can concentrate on the matter at hand; nothing else can be pressing for my time and attention.� Also, I must be alone so that I can think it through and organize my intents and my plan of action.� The quilt pattern is my subject.� For a perfect quilt, the pattern must be just what I have in mind for that particular quilt and the person who will be using it.� The material yardage, type, and colors all have to be sufficient and blend harmoniously for the finished quilt to be just right.� It is the same with writing a paper: the words all must flow and fit together harmoniously for the paper to be pleasing and enjoyable for the intended reader. |
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I must also have the right tools for quilting in order to make it all come together. I need an assortment of fabrics, sharp scissors, a rotary cutter with mat, thread, needles, a quilting hoop, batting and a thimble.� Most of all, however, I need the pattern to keep me on track and guide me through the steps to complete a work of art to be used and enjoyed.� The tools I need as a writer must also be in place before I can create a successful paper.� I need my paper and pencil in order to write the rough draft by hand, good lighting, a comfortable work area, a dictionary, a thesaurus and a computer.� Most of all, I need the assignment outlining the requirements of that particular paper.� Like the quilt pattern, these requirements keep me focused on what I am writing and how it should be written. |
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�Once I have the fabric pieces all cut out and hand-pieced together, I have the top of the quilt complete which is like the rough draft of a written paper.� Much work has been done, but neither the quilt nor the writing are finished at this point. �To continue working on the quilt, I have to first carefully lay out the quilt backing, top it with the correct type of batting, and finally add the pieced top of the quilt.� The three layers are then pinned together to form the quilt "sandwich."� Next, the quilting hoop is applied to the "sandwich" to make the fabric tight and ready for hand quilting.� This process is slower and more tedious than the piecing; this is when I must really concentrate on stitching straight lines of uniform stitch length.� Some threads will knot and some stitches will have to be pulled out and re-stitched as the quilting continues.� This part of the quilting process is like writing a paper in that the paper in the rough draft stage must now be typed into the computer and come under not only my scrutiny, but also that of the computer's program helps such as spell check.� Every word, thought, punctuation mark and writer's intent are now analyzed as I proofread it several times just like I check the quilt's stitches to be sure they are just right, I also check every part of the paper to be sure all is just right and ready to be turned in and graded.� My quilt is graded by my strictest critic, me, and the knowledge that possibly other, more experienced quilters may closely examine it too.� My skills are at stake, and I want my quilt to be constructed correctly so that it will last for many years.� |
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Once the quilting is finished, the quilt must be bound on all sides before it is ready to use.� I also sew my name and the completion date on each quilt, take a picture of it, and log it into my quilt journal.� Most of my quilts are in use by their recipient and the rest of them are displayed on a wooden quilt rack in my home.� The same is true for the final copy of my paper in my English Composition class; I put my name and date on the paper, and post it on my website for all to read and enjoy.� Happy quilting and successful writing! |
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Back to English Composition page. |
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