This weekend I made an effort to spend the weekend with friends in a number of different ways, and the effect was actually dramatic.

For a start, quilters have been getting very creative with all kinds of computer media, and honestly they have been since the mid 90s. For a traditional hobby we are really a tech savvy crowd. I had Zoom teleconferences with three different groups over the weekend. We talked, we laughed, we sewed, and we connected. Two of the groups, it felt like a retreat, the sound of sewing machines and talking as we worked. We are getting very good at holding things up to the camera for show and tell and working through design discussions as we sew.

I also worked on a swap project and got the top completed this weekend. I have one group and we average a swap a year. We decide on what to swap, sometimes it’s a block, sometimes it’s just stacks of cut fabric, sometimes it’s a mix, geared towards a particular pattern. The swaps can be a one time thing, and some have stretched out over months. One swap in particular was 288 sets of light and dark 5″ squares. That swap is becoming legendary in the group. Number of quilts have been made, and yet we are all still finding 5″ squares. There’s a joke they are like Tribbles and keep showing up.

This weekend, working on the swap quilt seemed to be even more important. Not only was I talking to friends, and sewing with friends, but they were right there in the fabrics I was touching and the blocks i was sewing. My friends were all around me as I worked to put the quilt together.

I finished the quilt top this weekend, and it’s ready for quilting. I will try to get this one done over the next couple of weeks. It’s important to remind myself that my friends are all around me and as close as my computer. We all enjoyed the time we had together this weekend. I have more sewing calls scheduled in the coming weeks., we all need the connection.