BASICs

In February, I took a trip to New York City (PVSD -- sigh) to visit the NYC Metro Mod Quilt Guild. Victoria, the hostess, was as lovely as ever and I met a bunch of other incredible quilters. I could practically taste the joy of quilting when I entered the meeting. Such a different guild experience for me.

Check out what they had to say about the meeting here. Read a few posts before and after, too, because there was too much wonderful quiltiness to be contained in a single blog post!

Victoria has a charity called Bumblebeans Basics. Consider making a quilt for this incredible cause. I made a quilt for them at my quilt retreat in January. It is based on a Moda Bake Shop pattern, but slightly different because I cut the first block wrong and decided I liked it that way.

A scrappy front:

And a scrappy back:

Victoria posted about this quilt and others here. (her photos of my quilt are much better than mine)

I machine bound this one at the recommendation of my real-life, in-person BFF Kim. She sent me a link to this tutorial and it worked!

Do you machine bind?

A gift keeps on giving

Quite a long time ago, I made a quilt for my friend Marla. (She liked it.) I took all of the leftover fabric and put it in a box. In the spirit of finishing things this year, I pulled out the scraps and made a tablerunner:

Please do not tell Mom about this tablerunner, though, because it is not for her. It is for my friend Karen. I made a pink tablerunner for her before she moved away. Every time I visit her, the ladies at her church say, "Oh, you are the one who made that tablerunner. She puts that on the table for every coffee hour!" It sure sounds like Karen needed a second tablerunner, right?

So, I finished the tablerunner yet I still had scraps. I turned those scraps into a Potato Chip Bag and a Wonder Wallet just in time for my trip to New York City (PVSD -- sigh).

It was a great hands-free bag for vacation, and who doesn't love those colors?

The fabric is finally gone! What old project shall I dig out next?

PVSD explained

I just spent a weekend in New York City and had a fantastic time. That is good, but it is also bad because it has been known to cause PVSD, especially on a Monday. PVSD (Post Vacation Sadness Disorder) typically presents in patients on their first days at work after a fun holiday experience. Working at my desk was challenging this morning since only a few short hours ago I was doing fun(!) and exciting(!) things in Manhattan. Oh, the sadness that is today.

My trip highlights (short version):

• MOMA
• Korean BBQ
• NY Metro Mod Quilt Guild
• Jane
• Rockefeller Center
• Times Square
• Rent
• Ramen
• Dim Sum

Our trip motto could have been Veni. Vidi. Vittles. (translation: We came. We saw. We ate.)

I'll share more in future posts as I work my way through this dreaded PVSD.