Winter Partridge

So some of my coworkers and friends treated me to a "girls' night out" to celebrate my recent birthday.  I don't "do" birthdays generally, but it seemed a good excuse for a "girls' night out".  On the way to their chosen downtown pub / night spot, I walked past a downtown used book store that I didn't know about!  (YES!  General rejoicing here!  MORE BOOKS!)  As I dawdled to look in their windows ... although it was a quick "dawdle" considering it was minus 16 degrees at the time! ... I noticed this:

 It's a 1960s edition culled from a school library.  When I was growing up, my Dad had a copy of the original 1912 edition of "Rhymes of a Rolling Stone", along with "Ballads of a Cheechako" and "Songs of a Sourdough" ... all by Robert W. Service.  My Dad could also recite nearly every single poem from those three books by heart.  He could also recite a huge selection of William Henry Drummond's poetry ("Leetle Bateese, not much you care how busy you're keeping your poor grandpere ...").  He had a special spot in his heart for poets who wrote about REAL people, places and events.  In fact, he had a special spot in his heart for real people, the folks who had experienced some of life's nitty gritties and never forgotten that fact.  This was one of the poems he recited about that topic:



Reading this on Friday night brought tears to my eyes as I could hear my Dad's amused voice reciting the lines just as clearly as if he were standing right beside me!  I also thought it was an amusing piece of rhyme to find last Friday as Saturday was Municipal Elections Day here.  I wonder if our new mayor will remember her "junior" down-to-earth roots after she's been in office a few months?  Hmmm.

So this was the weekend craft project:

 Comes from a "100 Quilt Blocks" magazine (that usually gives me way too many ideas for possible projects!).  I envisioned place mats ... wintery theme but not necessarily Christmassy.

First bit of leaves
stem
and golden ring.

More leaves
and golden pears.

Some of the little pieces were ironed on
using 'Heat Bond'
and some were temporarily stuck on
using fabric glue stick.
All necessary because Miss Boots
REALLY wanted to rearrange
all those little pieces of fabric!

Here's a partridge on the branch.

And here's the partridge
with beak and berries added.

 The next step is blanket-stitching down all the little pieces along with adding a few touches of embroidery.

After the decorative stitching is done, the partridges will get sandwiched with backing and batting, and then quilted.  I'm doing two sets of four placemats, so this should keep me out of mischief for a couple more weekends.

Madam was quite PUSSED OFF AT ME!!! cuz I wouldn't let her play with all the little pieces of fabrics.  She sat across the room and hissed and spit at me everytime I glanced her way for the longest while, then retired to the rocking chair in a huff!

It snowed all weekend.  When the first week of snow (the picture below was taken last Thursday, I think) is up to the top of my suede boots ...

... I'm thinking it's going to be a very snowy winter ahead!  I brought out the tall boots this morning.