What a great day!

My fingers are sore, my shoulders ache, and I can't remember when I've had such an enjoyable day. Our quilt guild had an all-day sew-a-thon today to work on lap quilts for residents at the local county nursing facility. It was a great example of terrific teamwork and focus on a worthy goal.

We started the day with about 15 quilt tops in various stages of completion. Some had center blocks stitched together, but needed borders. Others just needed to be layered with batting and backing, then pinned and quilted.

We'd all brought some stash fabric along and tossed it into one jumbled pile from which we plucked borders and backing to complete the quilts. It was amazing how quickly they all came together with so many willing hands doing what needed to be done.

I was kicking myself that I forgot to take my camera along, because the finished gallery of nearly-completed quilts was truly spectacular. Many of the members chose to piece together some of the five-inch charm squares that we swapped each month for a couple of years -- so almost everyone could recognize some of their own fabric in our collaborative work.

We ended the afternoon with everyone taking home at least one of our mutual creations to complete with binding. We'll have them ready to deliver to the nursing home by next month's meeting. Here's one I brought home to bind - and I think I have just the right purple print in my stash to finish it off.

Here are two more that another member already finished -- isn't it great how random squares can turn out looking so cozy and warm?

Imagine 15 quilts like these, in a wide variety of color combinations, and you'll have a pretty good picture of what the guild churned out so efficiently today. We had a great time, and I hope some of those good feelings will transfer on to the ladies and gentlemen who will receive them a few weeks from now.