When I went to clean the bobbin area before starting today, I found there was about a yard of thread left in bobbin #5 – perfect timing! So out it came, everything got cleaned and oiled and in went the last bobbin I’d wound just before starting. Love that when it happens.

When you’ve been quilting awhile you get to hear the difference in sound as the bobbin approaches empty and avoid surprise. Used to be that I’d often break the needle when I ran out of bobbin thread. That doesn’t happen anymore. And having the stack of filled bobbins ready to go means that if I have more quilting time in me I can keep going until I don’t.

I am unreasonably excited by the arrival of my order from Amazon today. The expected date for free shipping was around the 17th, and yet there it was dangling from my mailbox this morning. Yeah! I bought two books:

• The Last of the Just
• The Grammar of Ornament: All 100 Color Plates from the Folio Edition of the Great Victorian Sourcebook of Historic Design (Dover Pictorial Archive Series)

cuz you know, I needed some new reading material.

My aim is to escape from the medium with which I work; to leave no residue of technical mannerisms to stand between my expression and the observer. To seek freedom through significant form and design rather than through the diversion of so-called free and accidental brush handling. — Andrew Wyeth

Well it sure was too hot to work outside, so I guess that makes it perfect weather to quilt by. In between drinking a lot of cooling beverages and checking on the wee wilted furry ones I did get a big chunk of the center done.

Getting a bunch of center done means there is more side area than center remaining. You can read that as being easier.

I was afraid for a moment that the yellow triangles were going to disappear, but that didn’t happen. I’m on bobbin five and all is well.

Bobbin #4