The Iowa State Bird

I confess...I HATE WINTER! Anyone who knows me is not surprised by this statement, but somehow summer is enough to make me forget. This year winter seems so sudden and rather brutal. The wind by the river as I walked to class this afternoon was merciless. I try hard to continue walking to work in winter, reminding myself that even if I'm very cold I'm unlikely to die in the 20 minutes it takes me to get to my office. 

The only good thing about winter, as far as I can tell, is that it provides the perfect excuse to stay inside. None of those "I should be outside enjoying the last beautiful day of fall" worries. The weather is horrendous—truly, people die in weather like this (except when walking to work)—and so permission is granted to huddle inside in your PJs and sew all day long. 

And what could provide more sewing cheer than this goldfinch fabric (Alexander Henry-In the Kitchen) that I found at Craftorama in Austin? I didn't know how I'd use it and so I only bought a yard...those birds just call out to be fussy cut (or as my friend Wendy suggested, cut out and appliqued). Something cheery and spring-like to ponder, while ignoring the ice and snow outside my window.