A society is only as good as its minutes, and ours are overdue. The Sewing Room Society is a mixed and marvelous membership: a Persian cat, a porcupine, a flamingo and a few other regulars who quilt in soft storybook style, a spooky season delegation of sewing machines and skeletons, and one proud Quilteontologist who would like the record to show the mess is intentional. Here is what came up.
Item one: roll call
Priscilla Velvetnap, a very fluffy Persian cat, attended from her usual spot on top of the quilts, needle and thread in paw. Nettie Needlecoat, a porcupine in a little vest, hand-quilted from a rocking chair with a basket of fabric rolls at her side, and everyone gave her plenty of elbow room. Rosie Bobbinlegs, a flamingo wearing a thimble for a hat, worked at an antique treadle table while her patchwork spilled all the way to the floor. Gigi Warmweft, a sleek Sphynx cat, settled right onto a pieced quilt beside a black sewing machine, and a penguin bundled in a striped scarf kept her machine humming with a pastel quilt heaped across her lap.
Item two: the October agenda
The spooky season committee reported in full. Sew Spooky frames a gold-trimmed vintage machine in a wreath of deep red roses and marigolds, with bats crossing a crescent moon and two cheerful ghosts peeking out beside crossed rulers. It's Alive, stamped Franken-stitch, pieces together a patchwork sewing machine from purple panels, gears and bolts, lightning crackling overhead while tiny ghosts cheer it on. Fabric to the Bone opens a skeleton's ribcage to reveal neatly folded fabric and one small pumpkin tucked inside, which the committee agreed is exactly where a quilter keeps her stash.
Item three: a statement from the Quilteontologist
The Quilteontologist rose to address the state of the sewing room. Her position, entered into the record in bright block letters: My sewing room looks like this for very good reasons. She went on to note that her fabric has a better organization system than her life, and that yes, her sewing studio is organized chaos. The motion carried unanimously.
New members welcome
Membership is open to quilters who talk to their sewing machines, anyone who decorates for Halloween with a vintage treadle, and every friend who has defended a pile of scraps as a filing system. Meetings are held wherever the good lamp is. Under new business, Nettie has asked once again why anyone buys a pincushion when she is sitting right there.
Written by Jenny. Thanks for reading.
