Detail, the back of Dark Night, 2018
Above, detail, the back of Specimen, 2018
Quilting has been the name of the game these past four weeks.
In fact, I've managed to quilt one quilt each week on my domestic machine. Whether quilting through two layers of wool batting or one layer of wool and one of poly blend, my muscles have really had a workout! Out of necessity to meet a deadline, I forged a habit of stopping each hour and stretching for a few minutes. The benefits were almost immediate, so much so that now at the end of the day, I also do a series of deeper, whole body stretches. I also try to remember to look up from my work and move my eyes around in all directions, notice the view around me and take some deep breaths. Simple, I know, but effective.
This photo captures the irresistibly tactile texture that only hand quilting can create. For this quilt, Resplendent, I've used one layer of wool batting, and the backing is pomegranate-dyed muslin.
My big take away through this month of quilting is the importance of daily simple stretching, not only for overall wellness, but in order to comfortably quilt, cut, stitch and all of the other things we quilters do.
I've put together a round up of links to some of my favorite stretches. Maybe you'll find a few new ones to help your quilting endurance, too.
Each spring, ramps thrive in the woods next to our house.
I selectively dig, rinse with a hose and then wrap in a dampened dish towel and placed in the refrigerator's vegetable bin where they keep for a few weeks, provided they last that long. I usually keep it simple and saute ramps with eggs and fiddlehead ferns, but this year, I'm feeling adventurous, so I found this recipe for a pizza with ramps and morels on saveur.com.
The weekend is looking mighty tasty!