"The Thread of Possibility" by Valerie Paterson
– a no-quit quilt of recovery and redemption
Carefully, creatively stitching together a tribute, this art quilt artistry transforms the artist and redeems the spirit of survivors into spirited thrivers.
Valerie Paterson has 25 years of experience as a creative quilter. More recently, she has dabbled in writing, with stories appearing in Bearing Up and Exploring. In these times of COVID, she has made hundreds of masks and a coronavirus quilt, relishes virtual writing workshops and is working on her memoir which includes parallels between these two passions. Her work can be viewed at www.ValeriePaterson.com and www.ABetterWorldExhibition.com . On the Wings of a Dream can be viewed at www.bryerpatch.com.
Author’s Talk
Valerie Paterson
The Thread of Possibility is an outcropping on my path toward writing a memoir about sexual assault and its ramifications throughout my life. About ten years ago I began writing and struggled to put words on a page. I would much rather have been making quilts than writing, so that’s where I put my heart and soul. About five years ago I went back to what I had previously written and was underwhelmed by what I read. I went to writer’s conferences and took workshops quickly realizing how little I knew. I joined a memoir group where we critiqued each other’s work and were great moral support. It was in that group that I learned about the Personal Story Publishing Project just a few days before the deadline for its inaugural book Bearing Up. I polished something I had previously written, submitted it, and was shocked when it was accepted. Talk about timing and opportunity! And what a boost to my ego! Of course, it still needed some editing which was a good learning process for me.
For the next edition, the theme was Exploring. Since my son had recently spent six months in Patagonia, I encouraged him to submit a story and I wrote a companion story about my angst in him going there. We were thrilled to both be accepted. I continued to dabble in writing my memoir but was quilting much more than writing until the opportunity for the two genres intersected. In honoring my hero, I needed to write a short essay and make an art quilt which is Hell and Hope in this story.
Then COVID happened which turned into another opportunity for my writing. I took a virtual writing workshop, and another, and another. During that time, my attitude changed from dabbling in writing to determination, and now I’m making progress. I have not made a quilt in nearly a year, but there will be time for that once I get my book written. - Valerie Paterson
Hell and Hope Quilt - Valerie Paterson
