Stitching is so relaxing

I've got one of those nasty summer colds. For a couple days, I felt so rotten, I just sat with my sewing in my lap, never taking a stitch. It's just comforting to have it near me. I remember several years ago, I was hospitalized with a bad reaction to a medication. My husband told me on the phone that the new Quilters' Newsletter had arrived. I asked him to bring it to me, and he asked, "Why? You can't read it!" I just pleaded with him, and he was right, but I just held the magazine and looked at the cover. It was certainly encouraging when I felt well enough to start turning the pages.



I feel this cold letting up somewhat and with that my interest is recharging. I was asked to post the pictures of my project in progress. This is a Blackbird Farms design, as interpreted by Labors of Love. I'm just thrilled with how it is coming along.

We're to the real countdown for Guild Retreat now. I have a number of hand-outs written, and a few more to prepare. We'll all be shifting into high gear, soon. I'm going to go through my "quilt top collection" for examples of scrap quilts to display. Our "lessons" will cover rotary cutting various components. Primarily, we are looking at the snowball block because our theme is "Snowbound", but will hit on half-square and quarter-square cutting techniques, trying to encourage just cutting them, and not mess with the so-called short cuts which make one prisoner to a singular pattern. I find those so frustrating. In trying to draft a pattern for my sister-in-law, I can't find a resource which gives the math formula to even introduce them into use! And, though I don't think I would suffer in the event of a cotton shortage, most of those techniques waste so much fabric . . . up to 42 percent according to Judy Martin in one of her past newsletters. She has a great website, and her books are the best!