Iris turned off her sewing machine with a tremendous sense of satisfaction. She had spent the day sewing in celebration of National Quilting Day. The last star block for the quilt she was making for the local women's shelter was finished. Iris was too tired to sew another inch and she was at a good stopping point. She had pushed herself the last hour to make the block and she was glad that she had. She had another sewing day planned tomorrow and it was going to be nice to jump right into sewing all the blocks together into the Irish Chain setting she had chosen to feature all the different star blocks she had made. If Iris worked quickly enough without too many interuptions or errors, she could probably get the quilt sandwiched with its batting and backing fabric tomorrow so she could machine quilt it the following weekend. The Downey Women's Shelter and Crisis Center was opening in two weeks and her donation quilt needed to be finished in time. Her quilting circle had vowed that every bed in the shelter would be covered with a quilt on opening day. Iris couldn't let the shelter or her friends down.
Iris walked around her quilt studio turning things off. Before turning off the main light switch, she stooped to pick up the sleeping cat out of the chair she was nestled in. Bowzer, the white and black long haired stray Iris had adopted recently, gave a meow of protest. Iris couldn't leave the cat in the studio no matter how vocal the protest. She'd learned her lesson a couple of weeks ago when she'd been woken up at 3 a.m. by the cat's frantic meowing and pawing at the studio door. Iris, not used to having anyone or anything in the house besides herself, had forgotten Bowzer in the studio. She still couldn't figure out how one cat could have made such a mess. Iris opened the door to find the studio in major disarray: fabric hanging out of drawers, pins all over the floor, books off the shelves, and the sewing machine back on. Bowzer gave a yowl, bringing Iris back from the memory of that weird and unexplained experience, and squirmed out of Iris's arms. The cat sauntered down the hallway with a swish of her tail into the kitchen.
Iris walked around her house making sure that the house was secure for the night and that everything potentially hazardous was off. She had grown accustomed to living alone after her divorce five years ago. Iris had quickly developed a nightly routine. She was still sensitive to every creak and groan of her old house, but she lived in a safe neighborhood and, as long as she diligently checked her locks and windows before bed, she usually felt safe enough. She still considered getting a dog as a type of early warning system, but now that she had adopted Bowzer getting a dog might not be a good idea. She also still liked to travel to quilt shows and retreats a couple times a year. If she got a dog, she'd have to worry about kenneling it when she traveled. Iris could always get an alarm system if and when her level of comfort changed.
Iris circled back to the kitchen. There was no sign of Bowzer. She heard a click of the oven's heating element turning on. Darn it! She'd forgotten to turn the oven off again. Iris got very distracted when she sewed. The last time that happened, she had left the oven all night. It was a wonder that she hadn't burned the house down. If only the oven had an automatic shut-off feature like her iron. She checked Bowzer's water dish and refilled it before heading out of the kitchen and up the stairs to her bedroom.
At the top of the stairs, Iris rolled her neck and shoulders. Sewing was hard on her body and she wasn't as young as she used to be. She needed to look into raising her cutting table and maybe getting a better studio chair, but that was a chore for another day. Iris considered taking a shower to ease her aches and pains, but decided to save on her water bill and take an analgesic sleep aid instead. Iris put on her pajamas, brushed her teeth, washed her face, and then got into bed. She had blissfully snuggled under her quilt when she remembered Bowzer. Iris begrudgingly got out of bed and opened the bedroom door so that the cat could come and go as she pleased. Iris got back into bed, arranged the covers, and grabbed the quilt mystery novel she was reading. She read a couple of chapters before giving up the fight. The pill she had taken was starting to take effect. Iris fell asleep thinking about the quilt she was working on for the shelter and the next quilt she had already started to design in her head.
to be continued.....
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