May 2022

President’s Message  Michele Barnard

“Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and
give strength to body and soul.”
–John Muir

It’s the season of quilt shows again! I went to the Northern Shenandoah Valley Quilt Show this past
Friday. I’ve greatly missed going to shows. What’s not to love? Beautiful quilts to be inspired by, new
supplies to play with. Just in this one show, I found a new way to set crumb blocks, discovered a few
new border ideas, and came home with a new fat quarter for my bookcase quilt-in-progress. Going
to a show gives me a warm fuzzy glow that lasts for a few days and inspires me to continue working
on my own projects. To everybody who’s been sharing the dates of upcoming quilt shows, THANK
YOU! They’re being added to my calendar- I may not be able to make it to all of them, but I
appreciate knowing what is going on.

My challenge quilt projects (the Service Projects Medallion challenge and my mini-group challenge)
are both underway. As always, the real challenge is trying to make my vision into reality. On a few
rare occasions, I’ve met or even surpassed the idea I started with; some of the others I can only
appreciate that they are valuable as learning experiences.

I hope all of you are enjoying the beautiful weather we have here in Maryland in the spring. Outside
time cuts into sewing time, but it’s also an inspiration.

And last but not least- I just made the most amazing blueberry pound cake – I can highly
recommend.
https://altonbrown.com/recipes/blueberry-pound-cake/

Yours in Quilting,
Michele