Do you "retire" at some point during the year?
 

I hand quilt on my lap and I take a break in the summer because it's just too hot to do it. Does anyone else take a break?

i usually dont do too much in the summer because i have large yard with
lots of flowers and three different gardens that keep me busy.

I meet with a handquilting group once a week. We have large tables to spread the quilts, so they're not on our laps + it's an air conditioned building. :) To keep my hands busy during the summer, I embroidery or do small hand work. Just now learning to handpiece "Grandmother's Garden".

Less time for quilting
 

Do many of you have to put your quilting away for awhile this time of year? The grass is growing fast and the weeds are growing faster. There's a vegetable garden to be put in and a world of clean-up work from the winter. Besides, the mornings are so pretty and so enticing that it's hard to stay indoors. I take the dog out and linger, and pull a few weeds, and dawdle, and admire the cherry tree and stall about going back inside. No regrets. The quilt will be there, won't it? In a month or two when it's not quite so inviting outside. And of course, I can always tell myself that I'm looking for inspiration, right?

Oh yes! You've got to fully enjoy the spring, and I'm sure it's lovely in TN. The winter was long enough. The quilts will always be there.

I gave up on the garden when the trees grew and shaded the yard. This is when I try to get some hand work to do so I can sit on the deck and enjoy the outdoors.

The last few days have been really nice here too. I have entertained thoughts of bringing my Featherweight out to the table on my porch. It is raining here today and we are sitting on the porch. We have a covered porch and enjoy it every day. I do handwork out here. Gardening starts next week.

I find myself with less time to quilt in the winters due to DS's hockey schedule (practice 3-4 times per week plus games) so I get as much done spring and summer as I can. It is very hot even with air conditioning but the schedule works for me. I save binding for the summers when I can take it with me to baseball practices and sit on the porch with it. So I have alot of tops done waiting to be quilted and bound all set for my summer.

My quilting certainly slows down in the summer. There's a lot more to do in the garden and social stuff picks up. I think people are just generally interested in doing fun stuff when the weather is warm so there are more things competing for my time than in the winter. I never really stop, though. In the evening, when the day is done and DH is watching television, I go spend a few hours before bedtime in my room. And I keep up with my quilt group once a week. Good company and good quilting.

In the summer I go out in my caravan taking sewing machine and my latest projects. I seem to do even more . Walking, reading and sewing. I'm sure it is the glass(es) of wine I enjoy. The days seem longer and therefore more time o enjoy myself.