Quiltingboard Forums - Hello from eastern Iowa

Well, it's hot and muggy - got up to 83 or slightly above today and it's still 73 and muggy. Guess I won't sleep well tonight either. Hubby didn't think we needed the A/C, although he might have been tempted to rethink that. I'm getting desperate - so I had him (attempt) to help me pin baste the family reunion quilt on his bed, as it's higher than mine. What a comedy of errors - we just stuck the safety pins in and pulled them when I rolled up the quilt and that's when I saw all the puckering. There are no easy answers - I had a fantastic over-sized kitchen table that worked great for pinning quilts and it was cooler in the basement. Had to give it up when we moved. My girl friend offered to help me pin baste the quilt, but the weekend got away from us and I wasn't sure I wantd to wait until Sat. for her to help me or not. I have to ship this quilt so it gets to Crete, NE for the July 4th family reunion. If tomorrow goes as well as today, I may have to wait and drive up toNH for her help. I always do this, you'd think I'd learn after 6 or 7 quilts - we have a reunion every 2 years not to wait until the last minute. Of course, it was my bright idea to do the quilt in the first place, so I only have myself to blame. However, they all look forward to seeing the quilt and try to be the lucky one who takes it home. We raffle it off, everyone gets one ticket, then each ticket after is $1. It covers my expenses, as they send fabric in the chosen color/colors for that year, then I supply the background, backing and batting. This year was a tough one as the block I chose was Sister's Choice in memory of my sister who died shortly after the reunion in 2009. It seemed appropriate and the block kept popping up in magazines that I looked at. It's pretty, but I didn't realize how big it was getting until I putthe border on - so this year it's king size. Duh. Will I never learn? I've yet to win a quilt and my one brother and his wife have won 3. Well, as my sister-in-law pointed out - he did buy the ticket. I guess it's my way of being remembered and it's become a tradition. Besides my niece says I can't retire yet. Sorry I babbled on, working with my husband on a project gets me goofy. Take care.