Winter's Song - For Real

The cardinals (outside, the real ones) are singing again!  Woo Hoo! In honor of this momentous occasion, I will endeavor the provide my quilt-y cardinals with bills, so they might sing along!  :)

Four Calling Birds

These birds were a challenge.  You have to match the 45-degree angles of the back, lower back and tail,  so that it appears to be one continuous line.  There was some ripping,repositioning, and naughty words involved, but I'm happy with the end product. 

The REAL challenge lies ahead.  The instructions recommend using Steam-A-Seam II for the applique.  I've never heard of it - and it sounds complicated.  Might have to "wing it!"  :)

Winter Song is Hummin' Along

Made a little progress in the last few days.  The nine patches are done, and I made my first cardinal - with no major blunders!   Takin' it nice and slow....the instructions are beginning to make more sense.

I questioned the name of this pattern: Winter Song.  So I looked in my birding journal to see when I first heard the cardinals sing in past years.  This proved to be a timely question; I've heard them as early as Jan. 15th (1989) and Feb. 4th (1990).  Hey - Feb. 4th?  That's TOMORROW!  

Every year (long before the robins return) when I hear the cardinal sing for the first time, I want to burst with joy at this, the earliest harbinger of Spring.  Every year I triumphantly annouce to "The cardinals are singing again!" 

Sadly, no one else "gets" it. They say "Sure, Chris" or "Yeah, Mom."  But I know, and the cardinals know: Spring WILL come!  Listen, we'll hear it soon! :)