DC Modern Quilt Guild

On Saturday, I ventured over to Ebenezers Coffeehouse* to join the DC Modern Quilt Guilders (guildfolk?). And I mean join quite literally as I exchanged 4 quarters for that lovely membership card above. Despite my mental note to stop by the bank, I managed not to accomplish that task before arriving which meant I only had loose change. But Natalie seemed ok with my monetary complications.

I met some wonderful quilters. While this was my first guild meeting, I've been to other craft meet-ups, and I'm always impressed with the distance some folks travel to get there. It indicates how much meeting people in real life and forming communities really matters. Natalie demonstrated how to hand-piece hexagons. I'm months, if not years, late to the hexagon trend, but I was very grateful to learn how to make them.

I'm living a bit nomadically for the rest of the month and then I'll be in New York for 2 months later in the spring. During my nomadic sojourns and time in the big apple, I'll be without a sewing machine. When I was in NY two summers ago, I learned the hard way that I need to be able to sew. Admittedly, I don't need to sew like I need to drink water and eat, but it's pretty close. For me, sewing is part-relaxation, part-creative time, part-therapy. Going without is tough. But this time, I'll bring paper hexagons, scraps, scissors, thread, a needle, and a pin and have something to do with my hands. What exactly I'll make is still unclear, but I'm trawling the web for inspiration. I'm certainly open to other hand-sewing ideas (or the old sewing machine that belongs to your great-grandmother's friend's grand-niece in Brooklyn who wants to loan it to a random stranger for a couple months, that would work too).

*DC has very few good, local coffee shops; Ebenezers is one of the few good ones. I recommend it if you're looking for a nice place to work, read, or meet up with friends. It's right by Union Station, so convenient for meeting up with your traveling friends as well.