Rise and grind, campers… for the past week, I’ve only been embroidering eagles on the Carefree Highways borders! Poor Mr. SFO– I’ve seen the look on his face after he’s seen the look on my face at the end of the day, and I’m honestly thinking I should never enter a quilt competition again.

After I entered in the beginning of November, I really wanted to go back and up my game on the quilting– I remember the alacrity with which I pulled off my binding the day after! Then, the quilt sat for two months– I had a lot of other things to do to close out 2025. I did get a bit nervous about it but comforted myself I had all of January to get it done! Little did I know it would take the entire month of January to finish the job.

Here’s where I left you– I was putzing around congratulating myself on my creative border treatment, having completed the Brooklyn Bridge, Capitol Building and flag corner:

After wasting a good three days on this, I still couldn’t force myself to like the way it was working with the side border– does it look right to you?

As opposed to this, which is simple and sensational!

For once I went with the easier plan… I disappointed at least two people! It has gone well, but I must painstakingly place each design, slow my embroidery speed, and stand and watch the entire process for fear of a slipup. If you, as a quilter, ever complain to me about having to pick out a misplaced patch, I will try my best not to smirk! In just a second of machine embroidery gone awry, I’ve had 1,000 stitches to pick out, and not much fabric left underneath.

To break up the monotony, an exciting moment happened when the quilt–it probably weighs 50 lbs.– starting slipping off my big table. I’m sure it would have taken the embroidery machine with it. I was there, faithfully watching, and narrowly averted the disaster! Quilting is just like being a fighter pilot– hours of interminable boredom punctuated by moments of sheer terror, right?

So, enough of Photoshop quilting– we have the real thing now!

As of this morning, I only have one eagle and two swoopy doodads to go. I’ll be breathing a sigh of relief because my chances of ruining the quilt are over– but it’s back on the longarm, to fill in piano keys around the eagles. Then, make a piped binding. How many days are left in January?

And if I’ve also disappointed you with my less creative border– I have learned a ton from drawing it and then from placing 28 eagles and doodads. That is definitely going to be handy when I start the Year on Sugar Meadow finishing design. It’s all part of the creative process, right?

I guess I can’t complain that I suffered all week– I got my day out, sewing at my favorite quilt shop! I got twelve sets of four petals stitched for my Posh Penelope project not to mention meeting more fun people. These blocks have plenty more steps to go but I’m still hoping to have them done before the next sew-along. I signed up for February. It’s going to be my monthly Posh progress and I’m hoping by April I may have the 42 blocks required for the full quilt, as designed.

Exhausted as I was after eagles, I found the time to start a new cross stitch project. Yes, as soon as I decided to finish the felt Christmas ornaments, I dropped them! Why? There’s a little grandson on the way, who will need a stocking!

With some input from the mom, we picked this cute woodland scene– so appropriate for this baby’s first home in a log cabin!

It’s by Stoney Creek, and no, I don’t intend to stitch the two matching wall hangings!

The project has 50 colors which are going to be hard for someone like me to manage, so I started with just the green trees and snow– I bought these cute floss holders in Hobby Lobby to help me:

After just a week, I have this much done! That early project enthusiasm we all feel is a powerful force, isn’t it?

You can start to see the head of the deer, but I’m going to stick with just doing greens until I can’t stand it anymore. ❤️

So that was my week- it’s time to get back to my day job!

But first, the weather report! We’ve had about ten or twelve small snowstorms so far this winter. I’m grateful we’ve avoided a blizzard, but all that snow is still piling up! Here’s a map of the average US temps so far this winter– if you don’t get the joke, we are currently located in Maine.

On the homestead, there’s a lot of speculation about how that snow boulder got on top of that 8 ft. high pile, and whether or not something is rolled up in it. All the chickens are accounted for, thank goodness, but I am guilty of leaving clay pots out in this area.

I hope you’ll stay with me through this long winter–
and we’ll find out together, when the spring thaws us out.

xox
Carol