I almost had a “squirrel moment” on Sunday. If you read my last post, “Decorating for the holidays, quietly,” you’ll know what I mean. I almost got distracted by a shiny new nut in my possession. Instead, I made a quick cup of tea, assessed the situation, and found my quiet place. Whew! It was a close call.
I did have a really nice, low stress weekend. On Friday evening, my husband and son headed out on the ice in front of our place for a little fishing. We have about 4-5 inches of solid ice on the lake, which is enough for them to walk out and fish in the open or set up their portable house. While they did that, I dug out a WIP (work in progress) from LAST winter: my low-volume version of the “Happy Trails” quilt pattern from Lori Holt’s Scrappy Project Planner. I\’m in love with this project all over again, maybe because I haven\’t worked on it in several months and it was like a found treasure!
I don’t have a design wall. I have a design floor. Luckily, our living room is right next to my sewing room and it has ample space. With a Christmas movie playing in the background, I was able to sew together some blocks and lay them out on the floor. I’m not gonna lie, this is a killer on my knees. But, I consider all that up and down, bend and squat to be a good form of calisthenics. Ha!
It’s not lost on me how lucky I am to enjoy my hobby and watch my husband through the window as he enjoys his favorite pastime. I say my thanks daily. While I was writing today’s post, it dawned on me that I also wrote about our fishing/quilting relationship three years ago: Fishing, quilting & marriage. It’s kind of a funny post if you’d care to read it. Below I\’ve included a picture that Luke took from Thanksgiving day. Brad is drilling holes for the kids and their cousins. They didn\’t catch enough for a fish fry, but they enjoyed spending that time together.
On Saturday afternoon, one week after the tree went up, I finally hung some ornaments. I took a picture to share with you, and I made sure to light up our dining room and close the beautiful French doors so that you could see them. The previous owner had them installed from the farmhouse where she lived as a child. Being a country girl at heart, I am so thankful to have moved into a home once owned by someone who cherished those things from the past. I love that sense of history and connection.
On Sunday I while I watched the Vikings LOSE to the New England Patriots (bummer), I did some binding on Luke’s college graduation quilt. I don’t want to show any sneak peeks of that just yet, but I will say I am so happy with how it turned out. I hope he loves it. Here’s a photo of the fabrics I used.
During halftime of the game, I needed to move around a bit. So I went to my sewing room and did some organizing. That’s when the squirrel moment almost took hold. I finally had a chance to really dig into my November Sew Sampler box from Fat Quarter Shop. This box is fabulous! It features the lovely new collection by Lella Boutique called Garden Variety, along with a super cute pattern. I had the urge to drop everything and begin a new project right then and there. That’s when I made the cup of tea and went back to my binding. I fully intend to make the November box project, but now is not the time. Focus!
After the game I put my binding away and perused my in-progress projects. I pulled out a project that is near and dear to my heart. I’ll be making a high school graduation quilt for my niece, Molly. Her favorite color is blue, and I’ve chosen the blues from another lovely Lella Boutique line, Nest. Isn’t this a soothing sight? This quilt has now moved to the top of my priority list!
Thanks for stopping by the blog today and allowing me to share my near-squirrel moment with you. My quilting friends, you\’re keeping me honest! Have a lovely week!
~Taunja