I had a delightful day sewing with the Foothills ladies at Linda's! After some necessary socializing, we started the Jellyroll Race at 10:00. I got off to a good start, but then a few things slowed me down.

First, the chair I was using attacked me! 

 The right front leg had come loose from the seat, and when I sat down (after getting up to check something on Laura's quilt) I needed to scoot the chair forward. The seat came up, and as I sat (and put my entire weight on it) the seat pinched my finger badly. There was blood/bruising, but trouper that I am I got back to work soon after.  (You are spared a picture of the carnage because after I snapped one with my phone I forgot to hit 'save'.) 

Minutes before we broke for our Blueberry Social at noon (and all the food was yummy!) Louise had finished her quilt top! (That's the same Louise who finally got her 8-year-old niece's baby quilt finished this past month.)

I was the last one to finish the LONG first seam. (This is after we've sewn our 40 strips, each about 44" long, into one long 'snake'!)  I got it done just as we broke for lunch. At least I thought I was done. But my thread had broken and I was 'sewing' without thread. I re-threaded the needle and was off and running. Again.  Except that I wasn't. 

 The thread had broken (again!) right at the beginning. Now I was pissed (after all, this is the machine that I just spent $100 on to have cleaned and tuned up!) but happily the third time was the charm.

By now the others were leaving in the dust, and yes, I was the last to finish my top.

It took me 3.5 hours (half the ladies did it in about 2) but even so it's a fast top. We all agreed we're likely to use this technique/pattern again - thanks, Linda!

* * * * * * * * * *

Just as I got home this afternoon, Mr. Coyote was trotting past the house with a chicken in his mouth.  Poor chickens in this neighborhood are really taking a hit.  

I'm about to eat the chocolate cupcake Linda sent home with me.  I was so full from lunch I really wasn't hungry for dessert - but 'forced' myself to sample the yummy blueberry dishes.  Linda had made the cupcakes especially for me (she knows my affection for chocolate!) with one blueberry atop the icing, but I just couldn't manage then.