Life in Chicago

The vacation trip was great, and I will probably come back and write some more about it. But now for some thoughts on everyday life.

I have been working on a quilt for Gloria for a long time now. She asked for a log cabin quilt in rainbow colors. First stumbling block for me was to figure out the order of the colors in a rainbow. Gloria set me straight on that, she learned it in grade school: ROY G BIV (red-orange-yellow-green-blue-indigo-violet.) My interpretation of that has green/blue in between green and blue. Then I drafted my particular pattern, figured out exactly what colors should be in what squares and how large it would be. The next part was to gather the many, many colors I needed to make 30 blocks in these colors. I used approximately 20 colors per block, and used scrappy fabric. I bought fabric everywhere I went, asked friends for scraps and collected colors over several years. In particular, I was light on yellow, red and orange. I realized as I gathered fabrics that those are colors I use rarely, so I did not have a stash on hand.

After doing all of that, I began to assemble the squares. Over about a year, I made 10 while continuing to gather fabrics in the 'missing' colors. Realizing that at that pace it would take really long, this spring I stepped up the pace and completed the remaining 20 in a couple of months. I have now added the borders and prepared the backing. I have obtained the template I wanted for the hand quilting pattern (Baptist Fan) and marking pens. This weekend I hope to 'sandwich' and baste the quilt, then begin marking the pattern. I am really looking forward to starting the hand quilting process. I especially enjoy hand quilting when it is a gift. It allows me to think about the person who will receive the quilt. It may sound like a cliche, but a lot of love goes into the quilting process.

This quilt has turned out very well so far and I really look forward to seeing it take shape as I quilt it. The rainbow pattern has a lot of significance, since it is the sign of God's covenant with humans. I have always found a rainbow to be filled with hope and peace. I hope that Gloria finds those qualities in this quilt that is being made with so much love and that it is comforting and sustaining in bad times, a pleasure to use in good times.

The other thing I think is of interest is that I have started a yoga class. I have attended two classes, the most recent just a couple of hours ago. The first week was pretty gentle; I was a little sore afterwards. But tonight's class was much more intense, and I am already feeling it. It worked the various leg and buttock muscles a lot, also some upper body. I am pretty sure that tomorrow I will be feeling it a lot. I like the whole concept of yoga a lot. It is very relaxing, even now when it is new and hard. And the stretching feels really good, and so needed. After tonight's class I feel more that this may help to combat the loss of flexibility that I have experienced over the last few years due to arthritis and the lack of stretching exercises. I am determined this week to do some exercise so that I keep gaining that flexibility.

And last night, Gloria and I went to a natural perfume workshop with Joy and Marlene, good friends of ours at another friend's home. We worked with a group of 14 natural oils to develop our own scent. The oils were divided into base, middle and top notes. The first part of the workshop was spent familiarizing us with the oils, then we began to experiment with different combinations. The end result was a 'signature scent' for each person based on our own preferences. Jess, who led the workshop, told us that the perfumes will develop over the next couple of weeks, and that they will change as they age. In addition, they change as they are applied to our bodies. It was a lovely relaxing enjoyable evening. All in all, this has been a good week, and I am really looking forward to the weekend.