Quilting, Elf Day, and Kudos

When your back is up against the wall, you get more than a sore back! I learned this lesson when I decided to make something for a door prize for our annual Coffee Club Cookie Exchange and Exhibition at our rink. This has become a wonderful tradition, this year being our 11th year of the event.

I didn't want to purchase any fabric, so off I went to my stash. I've never made anything "scrappy" and don't even like this concept because it pushes against everything in me that is structured, symmetrical, and simply obsessive about order. But, this little topper - which features holiday and skating fabric - seemed to scream, "Scrappy is good!", hence, the highly disorganized and slightly silly nature of the piece. But, it was fun to make and easy to put together.

What was the lesson? I was going to have this professionally quilted (yes, I know this seems silly), but decided to do it myself, because we are spending major bucks on the house, so I'm trying to economize elsewhere. So, I screwed up my courage, got out my very best quilting reference book and plunged in. Dear Husband said the outcome (sans binding, which I will add this weekend) is very "cute," which is high praise coming from him. Learning something new is one of the best aspects of quilting. I truly think this craft is keeping my mind sharp as I enter my *senior* years. Of course, this piece was no big deal, but I did quilt it myself with a cute red zig zag stitch-in-the-ditch technique and will add red binding myself, and a label. All-in-all, I feel a sense of satisfaction for doing something from beginning-to-end on my own. Small accomplishment, but feels good anyway.

Tomorrow, I will get up bright (no, it will still be dark) and early (on a Saturday no less) to volunteer at Magic Circle Theatre. I'm playing an elf in the Roseville Santa Parade. Fortunately for me, my elf duties are inside, because Santa will be at the Roseville Theatre, so the kids will come to him and I'll be right there by his side. Three hours of children will be a challenge for me, but fun. I'm also officially a one-day a week volunteer for the Mercy S.O.U.L./Hospice program. Thursday will be my volunteer day. I'll be working out of the office in Rancho Cordova. The irony here is that I once occupied the very same office back in the days when I worked in marketing for an HMO. Scary!

My BSB passed her Ten Fox dance test! Yay! Great for her. The test session ran long so she is testing her European Waltz in January, but she is now a Pre-Silver ice dancer. I'm so proud of her for yet another skating accomplishment. She also picked some absolutely magnificent music for her next program. It's perfect for her gorgeous skating style.

Onward!