Traveling to Teach

Recently, I was pleased to be invited back to lecture/teach for the Cumberland Valley Quilters Association (CVQA) in Franklin, TN.  A short two hour drive up the road for me, I remembered my 2018 visit there fondly so was happy to return. They have been meeting by ZOOM and were excited to gather together again.

A few quilts on display: 

Easy technical set-up, the only real challenge: 

About 75 women attended the morning lecture and it went very well. "Time Management for Quilters" is always well-received and I often hear from people weeks or months later to say they learned some tips that have made them more productive., which is the point of this lecture--using the time you have to maximize your creativity. 

The next day 10 women met in a large room for the Western Sun workshop. Lots of space, and the rain held off until machines and supplies were in place. A sampling of the students' progress:

I had a wonderful surprise during the lunch break when Jeanette showed me her Two-For-One mini size block quilt she made in a class with me a few years. back. She had seen the quilt when I visited her guild four years ago and then drove down to Huntsville to take the class from me at  local shop. Look at this:

Those are HALF INCH FINISHED SQUARES! Amazingly beautiful. Usually taught with 2" strips, this mini version uses 1" strips. The size difference is really something. Great job, Jeanette--thank you for much for bringing it!

As the weather was supposed to be "severe thunderstorms" between there and home Wednesday after the workshop ended, I opted to stay another night at the Drury Plaza Hotel--a very nice place. My king-size  Western Sun got it's first outing on this trip:

I had awoken each morning with a stuffy head, typical for hotel room nights. Thursday I was also really tired, not unusual while teaching either. The two hour trip home was easy on a beautiful sunny Spring day. But when I got home I was exhausted so immediately took a two-hour nap. Woke up coughing. You know where this is going, right? No better Friday morning, I took a home test for Covid and was positive. 

I immediately let the guild know so they could notify their members. Checked with my doctor for recommendations for treatment--just a Z-pac for me as I am not at risk for severe complications. Trying to stay away from my husband so he stays well isn't easy. Time will tell.

Fully vaccinated, first booster gotten last September, my antibody counts were very high when checked last September. So I was surprised. Fairly mild symptoms, the worst of which are body aches and a  wracking cough. By Saturday I felt somewhat better but still just wanted to lay around, nap in the afternoon and just plain take it easy. 

As much as we want the virus to be a thing of the past, that seems less likely as time goes on. The variants may keep this virus around much longer than originally thought.  As soon as I can get the second booster, I will. 

Take care of yourself so we can quilt.

Barbara