Jen Clodius

I can’t tell you whether I learned to quilt or knit first.  I still do both.

As much as I’ve been knitting recently (it is considerably more transportable than quilting), I’ve only momentarily slowed down — not stopped — my fabric addiction.  And I’m delighted to be associated with a spin-off of an old usenet group (RCTQ (rec.crafts.textiles.quilting)) known as the Baseball Swap.  Each member of the Baseball Swap has favorite teams, and there is much back-and-forthing about whose team has the cutest shortstop.  And so on.

Last weekend, I had the good fortune to drift Seattle-wards to meet with two swappers I hadn’t met face-to-face (although I’ve known them for years).  Even better, we — and a woman I’ve known since grade school because she was one of my sister’s pals — got to go to a Mariner’s game on Sunday.

Quilters, baseball, fabric, baseball, kettle corn, baseball, an easy drive back to Portland, baseball, excellent company — it may not have been a traditional July 4 weekend, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.

(completely aside, of course, from the fact that the Mariners lost in the 15th…)

Not that it mattered… temperatures were well into the 70s both days that my friend, Susan, and I were at Rhinebeck. The Sweater went along for the ride, but spent the entire weekend in the back seat of my car.

Figures, doesn’t it? I get home from a week of business travel, start a load of laundry, finish mattress-stitching the side/arm seams, then figure out the collar’s tricky join, sew the collar on, find buttons and attach them, then gloat in having a Finished Object to wear to Rhinebeck… and we all end up wishing we’d brought shorts.

Sweater pictures to follow, I promise!

On a separate note, I got my baseball swap quilt squares mailed off today. I’m delighted (and VERY relieved) to be confident that I’ll make the deadline. It’s one thing if I mess myself up; it’s another, entirely different thing if I mess up an obligation to a group — especially a group of people that I respect and care about!