Not the famed Whitehorse Sewing Circle

I'm hanging out with a different crowd today. Usually I'd be with my characters in Whitehorse.
But in a few minutes I'll be going back to my 3-day quilting weekend at the local high school.

I have been looking forward to this for some time. Three full days of playing with fabric, visiting with talented, creative women who don't write and finishing up my first quilting project and starting another.

I'm sure this love of fabric has something to do with the same gene that made me a writer. Fabric is like the blank page. Anything is possible. It sparks my imagination. What should I make? How should I mix the different colors and patterns?

While I can't see myself actually making a "quilt", I love the process. My first project was a tablerunner. Today I "stipple" it.

Freehand stippling (that's the stitched pattern that holds the "sandwiched" quilt top, batting and bottom together) looks a lot more fun and easy than it is. I practiced yesterday and it was slightly embarrassing. Also a little scary. But I'm going back this morning to actually do the tablerunner. However it turns out, it's all my work, my first quilting project so I'm going with it.

Just think. Not that long ago I didn't even know what stippling was.

The one interesting thing I have noticed is that this weekend is nothing like the Whitehorse Sewing Circle in my books. The group hasn't suggested doing anything illegal! At least not yet.