14 ladies attended this week. Marguerite brought in her finished mile-a-minute quilt. She had done beautiful hand quilting but the quilt top is so dark that you can't see it. She was disappointed with that but sees it as a lesson learned. She also made a quilt top from the fruit/vegee fabric mistake blocks we made last summer. She'll finish it up and take it to the hospital. She also challenged me to make something from these mistake blocks. I have them at home and actually had a really good idea just this morning of what I ought to do with them. Elaine brought in a yarn necklace someone had given her. She showed Sandie so that Sandie could figure out how it was made, make a pattern for it, and teach us all to make one. Next week we might all be crocheting necklaces. Jo-Ann finished knitting her red swirly scarf and started another from red, white and blue yarn. Tina was cro-hooking a bright yellow afghan. Ellen was hand quilting her English paper pieced quilt. I pulled out the donation quilt to continue tying. Jo-Ann brought in her chop to show us. It is a carved stamp of her name in Japanese script. Artists use them to sign their work. She got it from the National Geographic catalog and it was really cool. It would make a very nice gift. Not many people attended today but it was very nice weather outside. We assumed people were at home raking. It is getting to be gardening season.

Finally, I've got Marie's birthday pictures! Here they are... Like I said before, we all had a good time and I think Marie will remember this birthday and the many parties she had for a long time.
This Tuesday we had 17 ladies attend. Marie brought in some of her braided rugs to show us. She makes them out of polyester fabric so they are indestructible. She showed us how she makes them, one with a funny looking thick, bent needle, another with an old toothbrush handle. She says that toothbrush handle is the most dear tool she owns because she and her husband made it. Marie is so talented. We can all take a lesson from her. Our other great teacher, Sandie, taught us how to make a knot in knitting or crochet yarn that will absolutely not come undone and that doesn't have tails that have to be woven into the piece. She called it a miracle knot and it truly was. I think that knot was new even to Marie! Sue R. was back from her winter in South Carolina. Betty should be back soon. Our winter snow birds are starting to fly home. I brought in a quilt which had been donated and Sue and I began tying it. I told the ladies that earlier that morning I had gone to get my hair cut and the beauty salon was selling the swirly scarves they've all been making for $30. I don't know if the salon was taking a cut (one of their customers made them) but $30 is alot when you can get 3 scarves out of 1 skein of yarn!