STITCHING OVER THE HOLIDAYS

I am happy to say that I was able to do one of the things I love. I was able to immerse myself in stitching over the holidays. Are you one who tends to take on more than you should for the holidays? Do you have big ideas and great plans? Well, that is exactly what I did this year.

This is my story. Our granddaughters quilt needed to be quilted and bound, our grandsons need to have the dinosaur appliques button hole stitched, quilted and bound. Our daughters needed to be quilted and bound. Let us not forget the two test quilts I signed up to test. Yes, you read correctly, two test quilts. If case you were not aware, with test quilts there are deadlines. Holidays or not those must be met. I have this, or so I thought. The first test quilt was due December 28th, the second test quilt was due January 11th. I should be able to do this without a problem.

I will work on the grandchildren's, then our daughters and still have time to complete the test quilts in time. I set out with great intentions, I reviewed what I needed to accomplish. The first item was a baby quilt for our granddaughter. It warmed my heart to be able to finish it. I even included my first label. Hmmm, I never thought I would include a label on one of my quilts. I guess they are right when they say “Never Say Never” whoever they are.

Then I began to work on those lovely dinosaurs, each stitch making me smile brighter and brighter. I think I even giggled a time or two. While working on the dinosaurs we came to the conclusion that we wouldn't be able to see them until after New Years. That stung a little but was the right thing to do so okay I decided to move on to the next one and I would come back to his to finish it so I could meet the deadlines without a problem.

All I had to do was quilt our daughters as the top had already been completed. Which is probably the one I should have began with. Then I could devote the rest of the time to the test quilts. Okay, enough negativity get moving. I had a plan of action.

I think someone thought it was time I learned a lesson, that was way over due. The lesson of planning ahead. Have you ever heard the saying "Don't put all of your eggs in one basket?" Well that is exactly what I did. Boy did I pay for it. They say Stress is a killer, man I thought for sure I was heading that way.

This is how the lesson was taught. After working all the way up to Christmas Eve on our daughters to make sure it would be under the tree before Christmas morning. I looked over the test quilts knowing the first one was due in 3 days I began putting it together. Okay that went well. Then I began the second quilt. I thought okay this is going to work out well. Famous last words.

When I began the piecing process I had an unexpected visitor. Have you ever had a visitor who over stayed their welcome? Unfortunately I did. I bet you can guess his name, if you think about it. My visitor was none other than Jack. Needless to say during this extended stay, Jack and I got to know each other real well. How long was his visit you ask? The entire time it took for me to finish the second test quilt.

Jack kept me company with each and every block. We spent more time together with this quilt than any I have ever placed under my needle. Why some blocks we even visited 2-3 times. I was frustrated as well as embarrassed. Why was this happening? I love to piece quilt blocks together. This is how I learned to quilt. Watching them come to life just makes me smile, it sparks something in me that keeps me wanting to create even more. Jacks visit took it's toll on me. This is when the doubt set in.

I will admit while working on these two test quilts I began to wonder if I had lost my touch when it came to piecing. I began to question if I was up to putting together this last test quilt. I was actually looking forward to hand stitching or my applique blocks. Did I say that out loud? Man, don't let Bonni know I said that. I'll never live that one down. Guess I shouldn't have teased her so much about her hand stitching and love of applique. Maybe she learned the lesson sooner than I did.

Why was Jack able to over extended his stay so long? Let’s take a deeper look into the reason behind Jack's visit:

• One quilt for our daughter by Christmas, completed on Christmas Eve no less. 
• One test quilt due right after Christmas and one two weeks later. So that means the fabric for both quilt’s had to be cut and ready to sew right after the holidays.
• Having said daughter begin not to feel so well during this time. Talk about stressful. 
• Additional stress from the holidays, not being able to visit family and friends. 
• Missing family members who are no longer with us. 
• Discovering I did not allow enough time for all of the above. 

Well I had deadlines to meet. Like they say "Suck it up, Buttercup". Again, who are they? So I pulled up my big girl britches. I was not going to back down. Yes, I was up for the challenge. Yes, there were elements of the blocks I had not attempted before; and yes, there were more points than a compass has that needed to match up. I was determined to make those deadlines. It was down to the wire but I did it.

From this lesson I have learned:

I will continue to miss our family members we lost this past year no matter how much time has gone by. Was everything accomplished? It was. Was it how I wanted it to be accomplished? No. I must be accountable for what I accept to take on. Stress is not one of them.

The end of the year may have taken me through more that I thought but it taught me more than I would have ever guessed. Did I love how everything turned out? Most of it yes. Am I done? No, I still have to quilt my grandson's quilt that will be delivered by Monday. Will we be able to visit with the grandchildren I do not believe so, sigh😞. Will they be covered in love, you betcha!

Moral of this holiday adventure:

Either don’t take on so much or allow for more time to do everything you want to get done. Hmmm, which one do you think will happen next year? I think I need to start in July for the next holiday season. What do you think? 😊

P.S.
Did I forget to mention that I told myself over and over that I needed to update my blog? You bet I did. It has been brought to my attention quite plainly that I need to use the planner I printed out for 2021. This way I can make sure I am on track for all that I want to get in the coming year. I have January already filled in with my plans for the month. I will let you know how it works out for me.

Enjoy The Walk

Susan