Big Quilting

After 20 years of living in a house that was built in 1928, we finally decided to rewire. Much of the original wiring is still in place and working, but safety is an issue. We've hesitated for so long because it's expensive, very expensive, and there's not much to see at the end. It's not like painting the living room wall red. which everybody notices.

So this week, Brandon and Branson, two electricians from Master Electric Services, have gotten to know our house better than we do. They are experienced electricians, respectful of us and the house, and generally nice guys.

Brandon has mentioned a couple of times that rewiring an old house requires a lot of creativity, and that got me thinking.

They started the job by working in the dirty crawl space in the basement and rooting around the insulation of the attic, setting up the wire they then pulled through small holes to provide new wiring to the house.

As a quilter, I see similarities between their work and mine: I begin quilting by making a "sandwich" of the top, batting and back of the quilt. They've made a wiring sandwich of basement, house and attic. Then they have to figure out where to pull wires through the sandwich, just as I decide on the pattern I'm going to use to pull a quilt together. Both tasks require problem solving and creativity at every stage, and the result is a work of art.

Here our work differs: my finished quilt goes on display for people to see and admire. Their rewiring is mostly hidden behind walls. But they know and we know they've stitched our house together with expertise and thoughtfulness. Their new wiring job blesses the house.

Brandon and Branson's work reminds me that creativity comes in many shapes and forms. The world is a better place because of the creative contributions we all make.