Brrrrrrr

Suddenly, the weather shifted here in the mountain valley with clouds moving in with this real biting cold. My body also shifted from feeling a lot of energy in the cooler temps to wanting to hibernate under all the quilts in the house. Forecasts say it will warm again but not get too far up into the 80's by the end of the week. 

It feels like Winter is Coming. 

Today was more of a quilting play day. I continue to work on the Cottage mug rugs for the swap. They are quite detailed and I am learning a great deal from the process. One of the 'tops' is completely finished now and ready to bat, baste, quilt and bind. It is definitely a WIP.

Meanwhile, I worked on two of the thanksgiving mug rugs I offered as PayItForward gifts. Dresden Plates have been making a huge comeback in quilting from the traditional methods they were made. My friend Virginia gave me a plastic ruler-template from her Mother's estate, and so I started collecting ideas from what others have made. Its almost addicting to find ways to make. These mug rugs will be turkeys! I might have to make one as a non-PIF gift so I can show a photo of it.

Each of the blades for the turkey feathers come from a 4" square. So far, I've joined pieces, cut background fabrics for two mug rugs.

An interesting twist to my PIF offer is that two of the people who signed up for it live in Australia. Well, Thanksgiving is a US holiday, so my plan shifted. Australia is a huge country, and their weather is as varied as any here in the states. australia-weather-and-the-seasons. One easy way to understand it is that we are in the Northern Hemisphere and they are in the Southern Hemisphere so our seasons are opposite from each other.

While I am feeling that biting cold settle in, some of my quilting friends in Australia are at the beach, having picnics and enjoying warmer climates. Christmas is a huge holiday there and is celebrated at the height of their Summer. That meant browsing the web for a summer Santa concept. I did get an idea and pulled fabrics to make it happen. I do not mind making a different season of mug rugs for them.