Robert Browning might have preferred April, but as months go, March has a lot in its favor.
For those of us who have lived in the frozen northland, March is the month when it finally seems that winter might be loosening its grip. It’s fickle, to be sure, and I’ve definitely seen my share of March blizzards – but there are also days when the temperature rises above freezing, and the eaves start to drip, and you might even dare to crack open a window a bit without fear of hypothermia. If you’re lucky, March is when you might start to see some bare ground, or even a few patches of spring growth. (I’m not sure lifelong SoCal dwellers can truly understand the sheer exuberant joy that comes from seeing the first crocus of spring poking up through the snow!)
March is the month when two of my favorite saints are celebrated on the same day. March 17 is the saint’s day for both St. Patrick (patron saint of Ireland) and St. Gertrude (patron saint of cats). As far as I know, the record is silent on St. Patrick’s opinion of cats, although he’d probably have approved of at least one of mine, who shared his drive to rid the world of snakes. (And in case you were wondering – no, my cats and I do not celebrate the day by drinking green beer. Ick.)
March is also National Women’s History Month, and March 8th is International Women’s Day. It’s a great chance to learn about some women who have done amazing things. If you’re not already familiar with them, take a moment to look up Dr. Mary Walker, Bessie Coleman, and Rosalind Franklin, to name just a few. Also, if you haven’t yet seen it, this would be a great month to watch the movie Hidden Figures, and learn about some of the incredible unsung heroes of NASA.
But perhaps most importantly to everyone reading this, March is National Quilting Month! Okay, to be honest, I looked at several “official designation” lists and couldn’t find this on them – but it DID appear on some quilt-related websites, so that’s good enough for me. Plus – and this one is official – March 16 is National Quilting Day! It was created by a resolution at the 22nd annual show of the National Quilting Association in June 1991; the NQA is, alas, no more, but National Quilting Day continues to be observed every year on the third Saturday of March.
In honor of this momentous occasion, WFQG has reserved the small classroom at The Sew N Sew in Glendora on the 16th, and will be holding a special all-day sew-in! (I mean, what better way to celebrate, right?) The hours are the same as the shop hours that day, 9:00-4:00, and we have room for up to 16 to be sewing at a time. Even if you didn’t sign up at the February meeting, do stop by – we still have room. There will probably be some boutique item kits for people to stitch, or feel free to bring your own project. If there’s not space for everyone to sew at once, you can always have a snack (it’s illegal to hold a quilting event without snacks) and maybe do some fabric shopping. Hey, we’ll be in the right place for that, and it seems a shame not to take advantage (don’t forget, the shop has a guild-member discount).
Hope to see you there,
Pam