Some evenings—usually when the full-time workday finally releases me from its jaws—I tiptoe into my quilt space for a much-needed battery recharge. It’s my happy place, my sanctuary, my fabric-filled spa (minus the cucumber water, plus a healthy layer of thread trimmings). In there, nothing demands a meeting, and absolutely no one says “quick question?” from behind a cubicle wall.
Lately, I’ve been circling back to Part 4 of Bonnie Hunter’s Lupine and Laughter mystery quilt. I’m working the clues out of order, which feels a bit rebellious—like the quilting equivalent of eating dessert before dinner. I started this clue once already, but now I’m giving it the attention it deserves instead of the “I have ten minutes before I fall asleep sitting up” version.
This also marks my real introduction to the Creative Grids Half Rectangle Trim Tool. I can’t claim any long, complicated past with half-rectangle triangles; we were basically strangers until this week. But as first dates go, this one is going pretty well. After a few trial runs and one moment where I questioned the direction of all my life choices, the units are trimming up beautifully. The ruler has a very reassuring energy, like it’s saying, “Relax, I’ve seen worse angles than whatever you just stitched.”
And because I apparently enjoy chaos with my creativity, I’ve also tiptoed back to a longarm quilting project that’s been quietly aging like fine cheese. I’ll keep that vague, because even I’m still figuring out what Past Me was attempting—but the longarm and I are cautiously rebuilding trust.
These little evening sewing sessions—five minutes, fifteen, whatever I can wrestle away from the day—feel like small victories. Truly, a handful of seams can undo a whole day of meetings and revive my soul faster than any scented candle ever could.
Here’s to lupines, laughter, and squeezing in stitching time whenever life looks the other way!
