Happy dancing! I am done with my part of the row robin and ready to mail as soon as the local post office opens today. As planned I finished piecing the three blocks that remained on Wednesday. Thursday, I concentrated on appliquing down the stems, leaves and the flower centers. I decided to buttonhole stitch around the flower centers with two strands of floss though as I thought it added a bit of texture to the Poinsettia centers.

I love the piece of pine needle fabric I found for the setting triangles. A few weeks ago Judy L mentioned an online shop that specialized in Christmas fabrics called the Christmas Cloth Store . Thanks, Judy! Because I was not sure that I had enough of what I thought I might use in my stash, I went over posthaste to check it out. The pattern showed a warm brown tone piece but I wasn't so crazy about that idea. I found some snowflake stuff that might work with my bluework snowmen blocks and this Maywood "Ho, Ho, Ho Pine Needles" in gold. It seemed to be the perfect choice with the block background fabric I had used. That is some of the yardage I got at the retreat in August, the red a piece from the yard sale earlier this month and the green, a Debbie Mumm from my stash that I probably had purchased for some fall raffle blocks. Not much stash busting there but at least some of it got used, if not used up.

My row measures 72.5 inches across so it was hard to get a good shot of it from across the room. I knew better than to ask DJ to hold it up though unless it was held sideways or something, LOL. But there it is........

So what do I want to work on today? HMMMM. I have 6 donation tops pinned but there is not a rush on any of them. I promised myself that I would work on something of my own for a change. Maybe some more 4 patch posie blocks?? Or that friendship star that I had been working on months ago and had to set aside--on my top ten list for all these months. So far back that I cannot even find it to refer back to?? No shortage of things I could sew or finish up. But you know what I really feel like doing today? Hand quilting some hearts on the Joanne BOM--at least for a little while.

I had to laugh at Pippi last night. I was working on the row so needed the pressing surface for something other than her pathway to the water bowl. She was just standing and appeared to be looking for something. Hey, there was no quilt for her to sit/lay on! As soon as I laid one down she was snuggling down and keeping me company. Is she spoiled or what?

Other than running a few errands yesterday, my morning walk and going back to the hairdresser to get the "Hooty Owl" look trimmed out from above my ears that is about it around here. It is probably too short now but DJ thought it looks better without the tufts. I was beginning to regret ever getting it cut in the first place so this IS an improvement.

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend----