Don't go to the danger zone empty-handed

Dieters stay out of cupcake shops. Recovering alcoholics wouldn't set foot in a tavern. Joan Rivers can't go into her attic, lest the sight of her aging portrait frighten her to death.

There's always a place we should avoid because that's where we get into trouble.

You know where I'm going with this, right?

On Friday, I have the great pleasure of fabric shopping with a friend for whom I will be making a queen-size version of the Kona and batik quilt.

So not only will I be exposed to bolts and bolts of fabric, I will get to purchase a quarter-yard of this and a half-yard of that. With someone else's money. It can't possibly get better than that. 

I am trying to steel myself against the excitement, which could otherwise result in a spending frenzy all my own. Like Rocky in training, I've cut out caffeine, loaded up on cough syrup to steady my nerves and am thinking of asking the butcher at Kroger to let me punch a side of beef in the meat locker just to release some of this excess energy (presumably, icy numb knuckles can prevent one from extracting her credit card from her wallet). I plan to head to Quiltworks with my resolve intact.

I don't want to come in empty-handed, however. As I've mentioned before, Quiltworks is the sewing and drop-off location for a number of organizations that accept quilts and spare fabric, including Project Linus. So I sewed two simple baby blankets to bring with me. Each is a manageable 24 X 24, flannel on one side and cotton on the other. I hope they'll comfort the baby and family who get them. If you sew, I encourage you to participate in Project Linus. For just a little bit of fabric and not much time, you get a big reward.