Irises, A Spring Stitch, and “Radium Girls”

The irises and poppies are blooming. I’ve put together about thirty hanging pots and planters. Whew! Now for the hard part. I have to tackle my gardens; my large garden is a complete disaster. I lost a number of roses and other plants probably due to our warmer then normal and drier winter. Sadly, the weeds seem to be exceptionally healthy, and I could spent more than a few hours digging out all the maple saplings. I keep telling myself that bit by bit things will get done.

Here is a new spring stitch . . . Spring Tulips by designer Priscilla Blain of Stitching with the Housewives. I mounted it on a wood watering can piece from either 141 Designs. com or Paisley and Polka Dots, both on Etsy. I say either because I cannot remember from which company I purchased the watering can kit. Both companies sell unfinished wood kits which you paint and assemble. (This kit with only two pieces was a breeze to complete; some kits contain multiple pieces.)

My young cousin Miss T enjoys acting, and on Saturday afternoon I attended the Arlington Children’s Theatre production of Radium Girls. The entire cast did a magnificent job presenting this very intense play. It told the story of young women who worked in factories painting watch faces with self-luminous paint made with radium. Besides watch dials, the young women also painted dials for instrument panels. They were instructed by their supervisors to point the tip of their brushes by touching them to their lips. Many of these young women later died slow painful deaths due to radiation poisoning.

 I have read quite a bit about the Radium Girls in the past last few days. There are many articles and photos online from the period which document this tragic story. The lawsuits filed on their behalves in the late 1920s led to improvements in worker safety in many fields. 

We had an excellent speaker, Patty Sawyer, at this morning’s meeting of the Crosstown Quilters Guild. The title of her talk was “How I Became So Judge Mental.” She discussed how judges evaluate quilts, the critique process, and tips for quilters who want to enter their quilts in judged shows. Her talk was very well received by members. If your guild is looking for a dynamic speaker, check out her list of lectures and workshops.

So, does anyone want to come help me tackle my big garden? There are plenty of weeds to go around. ;-).

Have a great week.