Anyone who has organized a sew day knows the hardest job is not the potluck sign-up. It is the seating chart. Put the wrong two quilters side by side and nobody finishes a block all afternoon. The Patchwork Flock is our gathering of quilt hair birds, each with a wild crest, a big personality and a quilt hair don't care attitude, and after careful thought we have worked out exactly where everyone sits.
At the head table
Lady Plumeadora takes the seat of honor, naturally. She is a peacock with a cascade of teal curls, her tail fanned wide and a heap of fabric at her feet, and she would not accept any other chair. Beside her sits Curlene Spoolworth, sunny yellow with a spiky pink crest, perched on a branch with little spools dangling below like party lights. Pip Patchlet, soft and pink and a little bit fluffy, rests on her branch with a patchwork quilt draped over it, and she will be happy to tell you about every square.
Close to the cutting table
Snipsy Wren gets the chair nearest the mat, because she arrives with her rotary cutter, her scissors and a halo of rainbow curls that seems to grow with every cut. Puffin Bea sits beside her with a crest so curly it has its own weather and a neat stack of fabric at her side. Peaches Plume, pink with a spray of rainbow spikes, holds up a finished block so everyone can admire it, and Ruckus Jay, blue with a crest of every color, holds up a star block of his own and insists his points are sharper.
Down by the snack table
Velma Nightwing, round and purple with a storm of dark feathery hair and enormous eyes, sits next to her sewing machine with a glass of red on the side. Ziggy Bobbin, bright green, spreads his wings wide beside a little machine as if he just finished a whole row. Frizzle Mae, blue with a shock of green hair, keeps her mouth wide open in pure delight, and Noodle Beakman stands tall and thin on his branch with a crest of red and a stack of fat quarters that he is not sharing.
Nearest the door
Chaos Finch, snowy white with a blazing burst of rainbow hair, sits on a pile of quilt blocks shrieking with joy, which is exactly why she gets the seat nearest the door. It is not a punishment. She simply needs room to fly.
For the quilter who runs the flock
Many of these birds live on quilter's flasks, the rest on wearable designs, and every one of them is someone you already know from guild. Pick the bird that is SO your sew day host, then help her with the seating chart. One tip before you print it: never seat Lady Plumeadora beside anyone with a bigger crest. Nobody in the flock has one, but she checks every time.
Written by Jacqueline. Thanks for reading.
