Week #2 Making Christmas / Solstice

Its been a real help to have and work on a list of projects that need to ship from CA to relatives and friends in MN and WI.
There have been many years in my life that I stress out about the season and always wonder what causes that. I tend not to go out shopping and don't have a TV to feel pressured by advertisements. Its almost like something is in the air spinning around the world to catch people in the hype.

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I have what seems to be a very long list. And at the very top of it is a quilt that is ready to machine quilt. I made a practice piece yesterday trying to do free motion quilting on it, and spent so much time ripping out lines that didn't work quite right. What I learned is that I need to take a class with the instructor in front of me to help me change what I do incorrectly. All the videos and tutorials just don't work for me.

What I noticed is that I just worked on it and rather than allow myself to stress out by thinking it wasn't good enough, or that I was doing it all wrong, I found ways to make it ok.

Being enough or doing enough is always a challenge. And for whatever reason this season puts pressure on people, I am unwilling to participate in the hustle.

Sami's Holiday Mini Quilt is another one I do not want to quilt yet because I want it to be something she will cherish. I selected such lovely fabrics for it. Quilting either makes or breaks a piece. I have some ideas for it, but my confidence is not high enough for me to do it.

Hah! Waiting is ok. I see by my list that I have time!

Also, I filled out and returned the questionnaire for the Secret Santa (Befana). The exchange limit is $20 total. 

LaBefana is the giftbringer in Italy and actually visits homes on January 6. Its confusing for some to have a Solstice holiday instead of Christmas, and Befana instead of Santa. Most of the time, I just give way to mainstream traditions and simply honor the dates of those recipients I send things to. My private practice remains, and for those who share it with me, its not so much about gifting as it is recognizing who she is and what she does when she comes into someone's home.

The other swap for the Doll Quilt hasn't assigned partners either, so both those projects that I have agreed to participate in have yet to begin.

I have started work on the November Calendar block exchange with RexieR.

I selected a block pattern that has a lot of pieces and a lot of steps to it. As soon as she is ready for a reveal, I will post the pictures of what I sent for October and what I received.

And I did more work on those Faux-Vintage Mug Rugs. Again, they became practice pieces for me to test out my machine's decorative stitches. They were done quite simply with one stitch used as a border with a plain back.  I like how they are turning out.