In the Company of Women

Wow! What a wonderful day and evening it was yesterday at the first working meeting of my guild’s DJ group. The turnout was great -- at least 15 or 16 Janiacs in the afternoon and 8 in the evening. Some even stayed for both sessions. We spent the time oohing and aahing over each other’s blocks and getting tips on thread, hand piecing, paper piecing, life...

These are my first appliquéd blocks. “B-2 Sweet Tater Pie” and “E-10 Five & Dime”. I used gray silk thread since I needed to hide my stitches as much as possible (as you can see, I didn’t score 100% on that test). The silk thread was not as slippery as I had feared, but I did have to take care not to pull too tightly or the thread would break.

I can’t say enough about how much I enjoyed getting together with my fellow quilters, some of whom I know well and others not so well. I was inspired by the exquisite work I saw displayed and came home energized to keep working on my blocks. To those who were there yesterday-- if you are reading this...thank you, thank you, thank you. I value your willingness to share skills, your appreciation of the beautiful things in life, and most of all, your friendship. No one forces you to attend gatherings like this, but you come anyway. What a joy it is to be in this company of women of the Mountain Laurel Quilt Guild!