Ah, the luxury of two days in a row at home! (Took Friday off to have a really long weekend.) One goal was to rearrange the computer/piano/fabric/cutting table/craft/junk room. Wellll, when Beth finished with school at lunch yesterday she came out so we could get started with pool time, so . . . er, I'm nowhere done with the room. However, Beth and I had a great time at the pool sunning and swimming (even tho the water is pretty chilly at 71 degrees!) and working on plans for the drama production we hope to do at school next year - Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. We're thinking of using the 60's for our "look" because you can do all sorts of things pretty easily. We'll have to do the play in the gym more or less theater-in-the-round style as the stage is way too small. I've been co-director for 2 productions of it already, and she and I were both in one of them as singers. If you've ever seen it, you know it's a really fun show.

We talked about some other things, too - quilting and hand piecing! Beth's never been interested in doing handwork of any kind, and while she loves quilts she hasn't wanted to actually make one. Well, she's just finished reading the first 2 books of a new series Judith Pella has out that incorporate quilting into the story. We joined forces to buy the books because we knew we'd share them. (we read lots of the same things and swap books back and forth) I read these first and passed them on to her. Well, the books are set "way back" and though a few of the women have sewing machines, most do not - so there's lots of hand piecing as well as hand quilting. Beth has decided to try out some piecing by hand on her summer break and suggested that we have our own 2 person sewing circle - work along at home and compare progress, etc. on the weekends when we're at the pool. So I may try hand piecing, too. Got out these kind of loud fabrics above to think what I might want to use. Haven't a clue what blocks to try.



Obviously I need to do some arranging of fat quarters - shirtings with bright stuff??


Anyway, I'm looking for inspiration. Maybe instead of looking at the fabric I should get out a quilt book or two to see if something grabs me and looks like it might lend itself to elementary level hand piecing. Doesn't sound like too painful a task, does it, to browse through quilt books?

So I guess maybe I'll do just that. We've got planned leftovers for supper and I've already cooked a roast for Sunday dinner. Tons more chores need doing, but I'm on a self-declared holiday after all!

I hope everyone is having a safe and enjoyable holiday time with family and friends.