Quilted Stories

Once a professional needleworker and seamstress, in recent years, my needle and thread endeavors have been reduced to “occasional quilter.” Piecing the scraps together into beautiful works of art and gifting them to family and friends brings me joy and blessings. 

Authors find many ways to bring their stories to life. What works for me is jotting down notes about the story as inspired thoughts pop into my mind. I’m not very methodical about that and find myself with notes scribbled in numerous directions on a page. Some are in tidy square boxes. Some drift into uphill slopes. Others slide sideways down the edge of the page. You get the idea. Hodgepodge scraps and pieces.

As I contemplated what to share with you today, a friend reminded me again that I’ve always been a creative. She especially pointed out my giftedness with sewing. I had to agree, after all, the tagline for my writing is “Stepping Through Time, Stitching Stories of Faith.” I wasn’t any closer to an idea.

The next afternoon, I stood in front of my refrigerator, ready to pull open the freezer door. A little magnet stared me in the face pleading to be noticed for once. I hadn’t been aware of this one in a long time. Funny how things around us become so familiar we miss seeing them. The tiny ceramic quilt’s message: “He is Sew Faithful.” 

Join us today on Pages of My Life to find out about how Lynn U. Watson stitched her story together. #Pagesofmylife #BRRC #Reading Share on X

Images of my pages of notes for my novels emerged in my mind. Those snippets and scraps often take on the appearance of quilt patches. When trimmed and pieced carefully, fabric pieces come together into lovely cloth mosaics. In the same way, when I carefully trim and piece my notes, they come together into a quilt of words expressing my characters’ challenges, flaws, and growth, while (prayerfully) inspiring my readers with truths of God’s faithfulness.  

My grandmother didn’t dress up often, but when she did, she wore a navy polka-dot dress with a cameo brooch pinned at the center of the neckline. I always hoped it would be mine one day. It isn’t. But I do have a photo of her wearing it—a miracle, because she hated to have her picture taken. The cameo and memories of my grandmother were the jumping in place in writing my debut novel, Tangled Promises. I had so little of her story, but enough to know there was an interesting tale to share. I began by wondering how the cameo came to be in her possession. A gift? A trinket she purchased? A family heirloom? 

Pages of ideas of the cameo’s origin and the people involved in her life sprang up in my notebook for the book. My first quilt scraps for Tangled Promises emerged. Gathering them together, I stepped through time, and stitched a quilted story of broken promises, betrayal, family secrets, and God’s faithfulness.

Meet Lynn U. Watson

From needlepoint stories whispered down generations from her great-grandmother, the daughter of a German baron, to vibrant threads of her own life, Lynn’s journey is a testament to creativity and compassion. Nurtured by her grandmother’s love of needlework, Lynn built a custom clothing business and created, The Lynn’n Butterfly Collection (x-stitch designs) with her husband Steve. Her creative spirit extended beyond fabric. Lynn became a certified reflexologist opening Footsteps in Eden, a haven where she uses touch therapy and prayer to relax her clients. Today, Lynn, Steve, and their feline overlord, Jasmine, call Bartlett, Tennessee home. You’ll find Lynn there, Stepping through Time Stitching Stories of Faith. Her books have won awards from The BookFest®, Literary Global Independent Author Awards, and Clean Fiction magazine.

To learn more about Lynn, go to her Author page here.