Breezy with sun

The last couple of days have been what we always hope summer in Vermont could be all the time - temperatures in the low 70s, low humidity, breezy, sunny - in a word, perfect.  Nights have been cool, which a former TV weatherperson used to call "good sleeping weather."  I baked a loaf of bread yesterday and cookies today because I knew I wouldn't swelter (too much).

Yesterday I finished a small sampler top but didn't get a chance to take a picture.  I will when it's all quilted.  Right now there are three quilts waiting for quilting.  That will happen in late September, I hope.  We are heading for Colorado in a couple weeks, so I decided to put together some hand sewing to take along.

Last fall, my friend Soni did a demo on Manx quilting at a guild meeting, and I have been meaning to try it ever since.  Apparently, the ladies on the Isle of Man traditionally used their hands and fingers to measure the pieces for the coverlets they made.  The strips are torn (I cut mine) and folded, making a fairly heavy piece that doesn't have batting.   

I think this sort of block is also called a "folded log cabin," but I like "Manx" because I've been reading some cozy mysteries set on the island.  I enjoyed making this block while watching TV yesterday and started another one today.  It should be a fun thing to work on while sitting on the porch with Mom in a couple weeks.  I'm a little fuzzy about how to put the blocks together, but I can ask Soni when I see her at the October guild meeting.