Unfollow.

For this week’s #projectQuilting11, the theme is “Birds in the Air”. It’s a classic quilt block, made up of my nemeses, TRIANGLES. I’m terrible at sewing them. Seriously. Today was a day off of work, and I started scheming on my project at 6-something am, and didn’t stop until almost exactly noon. Once I got the idea, getting it done just became more and more satisfying until I couldn’t help but giggle a bit for how well it was all coming together.

The classic “Birds in the Air” block is represented, with more little birdies following close behind it, all in a cluster. But then there’s another, different bird in the upper left part of the quilt, made from a prairie point. It’s not following the leader, not part of the group. It’s off making a choice to go in a different direction, and as a result, is experiencing a lift, in a way the others can’t.

“Unfollow” is a metaphor for all those social media accounts we initially follow for curiosity or inspiration, but which inevitably make us feel less than by comparison. Those Twitter accounts that start out echoing what we believe in a way we celebrate, but begin fomenting something darker and us/them-minded that makes day to day life less joyful. It’s society’s story about what we’re supposed to be like, the fashion we should follow, the look we should have, and deciding we like ourselves just the way we are. It’s the Facebook pages of people we thought we knew, saying things we can’t bear to see without it having a negative impact on our real-life relationship, who we quietly unfollow online so we can remain connected in the real world.

I’m really proud of “Unfollow” and remain ever grateful for the inspiration Project Quilting gives me from challenge to challenge.