DWM: NYB progress

The little poinsettias I bought for table decor in early December are still blooming. (There's some irony in that these $2.50 plants have lasted so long whereas a big, showy poinsettia would likely have shed all its leaves weeks ago.)  And now the crocuses are coming up in the flowerbeds.

The first week of the month is always busy.  There's the chamber of commerce  board (Thursday lunch) and the Coalition for Healthy Communities board (Friday breakfast). An AAUW committee now has a first-Tuesday conference call.  Of course Rotary is every Thursday (breakfast).

I was the program coordinator for the Zion Woman's Club luncheon on Tuesday.  "Lake County Women's Firsts" was presented by representatives of the Lake County Women's Coalition.  From the 19th century (first female attorney, school teacher, Underground Railroad conductress, hospital founder) to the 20th (first woman to vote (more here), coroner, Great Lakes Naval Base commander) and more -- an impressive roster!

NLCQG, the quilt guild, met Wednesday evening.  The speaker notified us a month ago that she could not attend (she is very ill) so we decided to try a DVD from Superior Threads.  We were given another woman's stash (the third in a year). The board decided to sell it to guild members for $2/yd.  The fabric was brought in sorted and measured.  Everyone wanted to go shopping and we never did show the DVD!  

The LCWC annual  Women's History Month  brunch was Saturday.  This year women in public service and government were honored.  The keynote speaker was Illinois' own Jane Addams, portrayed by Annette Baldwin.

On March 1 I posted my OMG . I want to make a New York Beauty quilt as the backdrop for my committee's display at the P.E.O. Illinois convention in June. (I will explain why in a future post.)  I have never made NYB and had trepidation about curved piecing (and a little less trepidation about the paper piecing).  Wendy Sheppard's instructions in her pattern Sausalito make the block much less intimidating.

At this point I want to make 36 blocks.  The colorway is evolving -- I thought I'd stick with the rich dark blue prints with green and gray, but the quilt isn't due until June and the final version may be much brighter. The bottom line is that I *love* making these blocks!

On Wednesday I leave for Dallas.  It's time for the Magpies' biennial in-person meetup!  We'll spend a day at the Dallas quilt show and the rest of the time touring, chatting, eating . . . and maybe even sewing.

 I'm linking up with other quiltmakers for
Design Wall Monday
Oh, Scrap!
Monday Making