National Quilting Day

 For most people the importance of March 20 is that it is this year’s Vernal Equinox, or, more informally the First Day of Spring.  But, it is also National Quilting Day.

Trish and I both enjoy quilting.  She turns them out in all sizes, many each year.  Most of her primary sewing is done on her Brother Sewing Machine.  She in incredibly creative and quick...puts me to shame.

I, on the other hand, like to do English Paper Piecing by hand.  I am both slower and much less committed than she is.  I prefer to make full (or Queen) size quilts and my best finishing rate may approach one a year!  But it is great fun and extremely fulfilling for both of us.  And it is a delight to us that we both like to do the same thing,  We love having the chance to go to quilt shows (in normal times) and have a stopover at the National Quilt Museum planned for later this year.

Right now I am putting together an English Paper Pieced quilt that is a pattern I made up which I call Joe’s Garden.  It is based on my father’s yearly vegetable garden from my childhood.  The idea came when I saw this wonderful variety of fabric in vegetable patterns at the quilt shop in Jonesborough last year.

After the vegetables are finished there will be a little more brown “dirt” around the edges and then there will be a green “grass” border.  It will finish out to a queen size.  

What fun!