Slow Stitching Productivity

Working on a hand stitched project is a little like raising

teenagers. You put in a ton of effort, pouring your life and energy into the task, but don't see much progress on a daily basis. You are constantly being critical of yourself because it rarely seems to be going well.  You are frequently problem-solving issues that you don't feel you have the experience or knowledge to deal with, and you pray a lot about how it's all going to turn out. Nothing goes the way you thought it would, and it's a way more challenging task than you signed up for in your hopeful and naive state at the beginning. And at some point you wonder why you ever thought this would be a good idea!
And then one day (hopefully) you realize you've turned a corner, and feel some relief to know that maybe you've actually done a good job and everything is going to be okay.   It gradually starts to be less challenging, and there are some delightful and fun moments from time to time. And you maybe even start to feel proud of your accomplishment and eventually wonder if perhaps you've created a masterpiece!?!
Well, today is that day for me - for the quilt, not the teenagers!

This week I finished hand quilting my Journey of a Quilter (pattern by Leanne Beasley)! The finished size is 50" square.
I loved quilting the border cable and am now looking for other quilts that I could cable!
This quilt has been 7 years in the making and the quilt binding will be made today! 
These are the green scraps that will make up the binding. I thought I was going to make a pink and red scrappy binding, but it just drew too much attention to itself, and the green was much more complimentary for this busy quilt.
I plan to enjoy some wonderful slow stitching this afternoon as I start to bind the quilt, and revisit the memories that have been stitched into this Journey quilt. 
No matter where you are in your slow stitching (or

parenting) journey, I hope you can enjoy some quiet moments for yourself today. Eventually all those bits of effort add up to something special! Link up your blog post below and share your efforts.