Sanju Masu (Frame)

We missed eating together with our family while we were living out of the country, so we make a point of hosting big Sunday dinners now that we're back. We always enjoy them, but this week was something special. After dinner we held a string quartet practice in the kitchen. Two of our dear friends are getting married the first week in August, and we want to provide music for their reception. There’s plenty of time to prepare for that, but the quartet also has a much more pressing engagement. On Monday June 25 principal dancers with the New York Ballet will appear at the Draper Amphitheater. Our quartet has been asked to provide music before their performance. Their repertoire consists of several well-known classics, Beatles’ tunes and a few even more contemporary numbers. They don’t have much time to polish them, but they already sound very nice.

Yosegi Niju Kazaguruma (Double Pinwheel)

I love my grandson. It's great to see how much he is learning. I simply adore his sloppy kisses and running hugs. I wouldn’t trade the days spent with him for the whole world. But there are times when I think this used to be easier. I watched as many as six kids at a time and didn’t feel as overwhelmed as I do now with one. Is it just that I was a quarter of a century younger then? On Wednesday we went out for lunch. Halfway through the meal he pitched a fit over which of us should hold the spoon. He lunged for the table, grabbed an open bottle of milk that should have been beyond his reach, and flung it at an innocent bystander. So yesterday we had lunch at home. We shared one of summer’s sweetest pleasures: fresh garden peas. My grandson took to them like a duck to water. Then he fed the empty pods to the dog, who promptly threw up on the new carpet. Some days you just can’t win.

More Good Luck

Practice makes perfect. Or at the very least, practice makes for fewer imperfections. I made two more Good Luck blocks yesterday, and they gave me much less trouble than the first one. I was afraid to try strip piecing methods with yesterday’s block. I wasn’t sure I had enough fabric to get away with it. When I was done I realized there were plenty of scraps left over. So I was much less stingy with the next two blocks. But I believe the thing that made the biggest difference was that I reversed the way I fed my sewing machine. Instead of stitching with the solid fabric on the bottom and the pieced sections on top, I did it the other way around. I guessed that the bottom fabric was moving just a hair faster, and as it turns out, I was right. Look at me! I’m making my own luck!

Kurume Kasuri Fukumoji (Good Luck Symbol)

When we were given the directions for this block Saturday morning, the class was told this was the easier of this month's two blocks. I spent several hours on it yesterday; cutting, pinning, stitching, ripping apart and re-stitching. The finished product is more a matter of compromise than of calculation. It’s supposed to resemble the Japanese symbol for good luck, but it certainly wasn’t very lucky for me. Actually, I’m not a firm believer in luck. I suspect that what most of us see as others’ good luck is really the result of hard work. And I’m sure that it’s easier to blame our own misfortunes on bad luck than on a lack of talent or diligence. This block is comprised of 33 pieces, most of which are only half an inch wide. You can try piecing it, if you dare. I wish you luck.

Hungry Animal Alphabet

Last weekend I met a quilter. That in and of itself isn’t so very remarkable. I meet quilters every day, in fabric shops, quilt classes and even online. What surprised me about this encounter is that I met her at our annual home owner’s association meeting. We were seated side next to one another, and filled the moments before the meeting started with small talk. I mentioned that I’d come straight there from a quilt class, and she countered with, “Oh? I’m a major quilter.” I learned she has won awards at the state fair (though we’ve never yet vied in the same competition) and that she makes quilts for someone who designs quilt patterns. I also learned that we’ve been neighbors since 2005. I was thrilled to find this kindred spirit, but I’m mentally kicking myself over the fact that it took me almost seven years. Maybe I’m spending too much time at my computer.

Yosegi Kakudo (Angles)

How did we manage before microwave ovens? My kids can’t remember a time without one, but I can. I was a teenager when mother and daddy bought one; the first microwave on our block. It was a simple affair. A dial like a kitchen timer turned it on; no buttons for “popcorn” or “defrost.” The first thing we put in it was a cinnamon roll. We weren’t sure how long it would take, but it was reduced to charcoal in no time. Our latest microwave died Monday, as I was trying to steam fresh cauliflower. We’ve had it nearly a decade. That’s pretty good for a microwave, as they last an average of seven years. We bought a replacement Tuesday, but it won’t be installed for a few more days. Meanwhile I’m rethinking how I cook everything from vegetables to the hot water in my cocoa mix. It’s just a good thing I’m so flexible.

Yotsume Guruma (Quadruple Wheel)

May is only half finished, and already it’s beginning to feel like July. When I take my grandson out for a walk, we dart from the shade of one tree to the next.  Even with the air conditioner grinding away, it’s far too warm in my house, especially upstairs. I don’t remember being this uncomfortable in my Yorkshire home. It didn’t have A/C, or even a fan. But it did have thick stone walls, cool marble floors and a very solid tile roof with a generous overhang. For the most part the English summers were chilly and damp. On those odd days that weren't, we just threw open the windows (they didn’t have screens, and we never once missed them) to catch a cross breeze. Today we installed blinds in all our west-facing windows. It probably won’t be enough to make me stop missing England, but I sincerely hope it will help.