A Day for Stitching

ast spring, Sharon and I established a day each week for getting together to sew. It was a wonderful thing to do! We got so much done, and we got to visit and catch up with each other! Sharon taught with me at CHS; I retired in '09, and she retired this past March. In that year and a half difference, we really lost touch with each other! I live in the outer limits of the county and she lives in town; since I didn't have to go to work anymore, there were few reasons for me to even go to Chillicothe many weeks.

Our weekly date to sew and visit was, like I said, wonderful. Too often, she and I tend to put off working on projects as diligently as we should. I know I fight a constant battle with procrastination, and I often allow too many other interests to take precedence over my stitching, unfortunately. This set date each week forces us to remain faithful to our stitching, and I am glad for it. We both are. Sharon has finished several quilt tops, and I did, too. My "Summer of Kaffe" (has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?) came about as a result of these weekly sessions. I finished the long-time UFO, Broken Dishes; made a blue strippy Kaffe called Blue Portugal, and a second blue Kaffe called Economy Blue; my last Kaffe was Pastel Floral Parade. Talk about satisfying!! I have such a mountain-sized stash of Kaffe Fassett fabrics, I am really happy to boast a few finishes.

As Labor Day rolled around, Sharon and I both faced returning to our part-time teaching jobs at OU-C. She taught two classes on Monday and Wednesday; I taught two classes on Tuesday and Thursday. Our schedules just weren't going to allow our continuing through Fall Quarter. Regretfully, we agreed that a hiatus was inevitable.

Here, now, we find ourselves knocking on December's door! Fall quarter is over, and our grades have been submitted. We are reestablished in our weekly sewing get-togethers, and don't seem to have missed a beat.

 This past Monday, Sharon finished this quilt top. The fantastic combination of fall colored darks and great neutrals really makes this quilt appealing to me. The "snowballs" offer ample space to do some nice quilting -- if one should so desire.

The pattern she used is from a 20-plus-year-old book, and is called Wedding Wreath (the pattern, not the book). She began the quilt a year ago at our annual Veterans' Day quilting event; worked on it further at this year's Veterans' Day event, and finished it last week! Finishes are soooo nice!

Tomorrow, we sew at Sharon's house. I have a real treat of a post coming up. Many gorgeous quilts reside at her house; I took pictures of them all two weeks ago. I promise I will share them - in the next post.