Life gets busy, time passes and before you know it, four months have gone by without writing a word. I have been so busy with family and work, I have completely lost track of time. I cannot believe it’s already mid-May. It seems like Dad passed away only a couple of weeks ago, but in reality, it’s been more than six months. Christmas has come and gone, as has Easter, and here we are, staring Memorial Day in the face. Summer is almost here, and I am practically stunned by that fact.

I realized last week that it had been a while since I’d visited my local quilt shop, so I decided to stop by there and see what they have going on, and I was so happy that I did! Every year, they do a $5 quilt block. You sign up for $10, and then you get the fabric to make a block. The next month, you take your finished block with you and you get the next block for free. If you don’t get it made, it’s just $5 to buy the new block. I didn’t participate last year; well, I started, but I wasn’t at all impressed with any of the fabrics they were using. This year, though, I had to sign up because they are using Lori Holt fabric. If there’s one thing that will convince me to sign up for something, it’s Lori Holt fabric. I finished my first block tonight, so I can take it with me next week to get the second block (I was late to the party, but I got in just in time!).

I have to say, though, that my piecing skills are not what they used to be. I could certainly use some remedial piecing help. I got the block done, and it doesn’t look too bad, but it was a struggle. Chris works late two nights a week, so I’m thinking about spending those nights in my studio working on piecing skills. I was thinking something really easy to start with, and then once I have that done, move on to something a little more challenging.

When you don’t use a skill frequently, you lose the muscle memory, and it can be discouraging to come back and find that you’re starting at the bottom again. After some thought, though, what else am I going to do on the nights when Chris isn’t here? I spend far too much time watching tv, so maybe this is the motivation I need to get out of the recliner and back in the studio.

I think I even have my very first quilting book, Start Quilting with Alex Anderson. I could find it and start with something in there, or maybe something on Pinterest. I think the important thing is to just get started, and stop sitting around doing nothing.