Progress!

I quit my dilly dallying and finished piecing the Kaffe inspired baby quilt, the incentive being that I'd scheduled a lunch date with a quilting friend. I'd e-mailed her some in-process pictures a few months ago when she'd contacted me to say she was vaccinated and hoped we could get together again soon. I'd only had one of my two shots at that time so the lunch would have to wait a bit longer. So how embarrassed might I be if I saw her after all this time had passed and didn't have at least a finished top to share. I can't begin to described how much joy this quilt is giving me, how much I like the interplay of the various peaches and greens with the floral fabric, the geometric lines of the pattern. It's been awhile since I've been so pleased with the outcome of a quilt, no second guessing, no wish I hadn't done that. Next will be some piecing of a backing (I still have quite a bit of the flower fabric and I want it GONE!).

The last time I'd seen this friend, she and her husband had just moved. Since I knew she'd tried these coiled fabric bowls and found them tedious and unfulfilling to make (the opposite of how I feel about them), I'd wanted to make a small one for her as a housewarming gift. I don't remember now what kept me from getting one made before that last lunch together, but I failed to get my act together. Now at least a year later, I still hadn't made one for her. With the lunch date looming, I promised myself I'd get it done this week, AFTER the top was done. Talk about last minute. Our luncheon date was today and I only sat down to make what I call a trinket dish yesterday afternoon. But as you can see, I did finish it, and was once again pleased with myself that I had a sudden lightbulb moment when hunting through the bag of fabrics and scraps set aside for these bowls. As I pushed leftovers from the quilt top off my cutting mat, it dawned on me that I could use up more of the flower fabric and scraps of two other fabrics in that top.

It's been a very long time since I've made one of these so there was much poring over directions and notes I'd made about needles and machine settings that worked with my machine before cutting some strips and starting to wrap, then starting to coil. I soon picked up the pace and was glad that I still enjoy making these. As for my friend, she was delighted at what felt to me like a rather meager gift. And yes, she did recognize that I'd used some of the fabrics from the top. I could tell she would be going straight home and figuring out where and how to use it.

When we picked today for our lunch, we chose a favorite restaurant whose seating is in the 3 story atrium with water feature in the center of the office building where POAC used to exhibit before the building changed hands. We both felt it was a "covid safe" place to meet with all that open space around us (and thus good ventilation), still being a bit wary even though being vaccinated. We had no idea that the CDC would announce yesterday that people like us would no longer need to wear masks in public unless there was some circumstance that made us feel uncomfortable without one. We both commented, is this it? Are we back to something somewhat normal? I'm so glad it happened along with my first meal out with a friend. Yes, we smiled and briefly hugged and one could almost forget the caution and "confinement" (as my friend called it) of the last year. Let's hope it holds, that people get their vaccinations, that science still works towards ever improving it as more information comes to light. May we continue to have reunions like I had today.