Waking up on Sunday to a winter wonderland, the entire scene had a blue cast to it with heavy overcast skies in the weak dawn light. The snow was still falling as I took some photos, and it continued falling on and off all day. Big fat flakes alternated with tiny ones. It was freezing cold, and we hunkered down with the fireplace going and watched football games all day. Juncos were on the ground looking for anything falling out of the bird feeder, so My Sweet Babboo scattered some seed on the snow for them. They devoured the offering in short order.
My Sweet Babboo had filled the bird feeder just the day before to make sure the local avian population was well fed during the snowy day. They came in droves, with a dozen on the feeder at once. Titmouses (titmouses? yes, I looked it up), goldfinches, nuthatches and chickadees chowed down.
They congregated at the bottom where the seeds cover the pan. More would fly in and boot out the ones already there. Then the ones booted out would come back and kick out someone else. This went on all day.
The next day was clear with just a few clouds in an azure sky. Snow was piled up on the brick planter and every horizontal spot like the top of the bird feeder and stair railing. There wasn’t any ice, which was a bit of a surprise, so the trees cleared off quickly.
The little birds were back, but much more relaxed in their approach to the seed.
On the veranda, the wind made a little hill of snow. It was high enough to almost cover the pots on stands in the corner.
Inside where it was warm, I designed the pattern for the chicken fabric. I wrote out some yardage requirements and cutting instructions on Saturday. Then I got busy during the snow days on construction to test the pattern and verify my fabric needs. The middle of the oversize table topper is a variable star with a four patch center. These prints are all directional, so I made the star with roosters oriented to all four sides.
I added a border, then the next section will be a border of squares of four of the prints.
After those squares were done, I spent the time and effort to do the final border in the border stripe, and miter the corners. It ended up around 42 inches square, a good size for our pub table, and could also be a little kid quilt. I’ll be writing this up in pattern form for you soon. I hope to get it on the longarm tomorrow while we are still waiting for the snow to melt enough for us to get down the mountain. I don’t really need to be anywhere until Thursday, so I’m not in a hurry.
While I sewed, a pot of Ham and White Bean Soup simmered on the stove. Yum! Hot and filling for a cold day.
More sewing tomorrow, and maybe a rock or two will get painted. We’ll see! Did you get snow this weekend? What do you do on snow days (if you get snow days!)?
From My Carolina Home 
What a beautiful scene outside your window!! I bet that fire was wonderful to have roaring! Love how you keep the birds fed throughout the winter – they must burn a lot of calories to stay warm and finding that much food with all that snow would definitely be difficult for them without your feeder.
Well, you certainly made the snow seem idyllic, lol! Me? I shoveled the snow for 2 hrs, knowing it was slush-ice beneath, wanting to get it out of the way before it was walked on and packed down. Ready for our next wave of rain-snow coming Wed into Thurs. I like your chicken/rooster tabletopper, and ham & bean soup was a perfect choice! Pillsbury makes a cornbread swirl muffins in a can (where biscuits, crescent rolls are sold) that pairs wonderfully with that soup!
Mmmm, soup, fire, snow, sewing, birds on the feeder, sewing. Sounds like the perfect winter day!
We haven’t had any snow days yet this winter; we will likely get hammered in April! Your photos show the pristine beauty, especially at dawn. 🙂 The chicken project is moving forward very nicely. I love those red roosters! I have a list of chores and sewing for the week, I’ll be curious to see how much I accomplish. Some serious deep cleaning needs to be done in the sewing room and our bedroom. Not fun, but I’ll be more creative if it’s not bothering me!
Love the mitered corners on the borders! The table topper turned out very nice.
We are in Minnesota so snow days are pretty common here. If we don’t have to go anywhere I like to snuggle the kids and watch a movie and enjoy some cocoa.
I normally have birds like you describe but this winter I have very few for some reason – I don’t even have many squirrels – there are still nuts laying on the ground a distance from the house from the trees and they are usually all gone by November. I filled the bird feeders before the winter storm (actually weeks before) and in a month I have only had to refill the feeders one time – they just aren’t coming here this year and throughout the whole storm and after I have only seen two squirrels I usually have such a variety of birds it is crazy – I wonder what has happened to them – yours are lovely to see
What a beautiful snowfall. Staying indoors with a delicious bowl of soup is perfect!
Magical snow! That rooster quilt is gorgeous 🙂
I do like chickens and roosters .the soup looks pretty yummy.
We did get snow/sleet here in Lincolnton which is quite an event! (Lincolnton is about 2 hours east of you.) Work was cancelled on Monday which meant another SEW DAY! I spent my snowy weekend sorting fabrics and making CIL blocks. Loved it!
Lovely pictures of your snow. Unfortunately our 2” of snow was and still is covered in at least 1 1/2” of ice. We only venture out to walk our dogs and feed feral cats. It has given me time to finish a quilt top and work on Bonnie Hunter’s mystery. Today I am going to rearrange fabric. Stay warm and have a good day of sewing.
Snow days are so pretty, and especially so if the sun comes out the next day! I’ve noticed the birds around here are often very active on snowy, wet days. Love your blue and white chicken tabletopper – great design!
Oh my, what a beautiful scene with fresh snow. Gorgeous. Perfect day for bean soup and sewing. I love your latest project with adorable chicken fabric.
What pretty snow pictures, and it sounds like a perfect winter day! We have a couple of ham bones in the freezer and my husband and I were just talking about making a pot of beans. I like fresh corn bread with it … and now I’m hungry, lol. I love the rooster table topper!
Our snow was beautiful all day, and then at 7 the ice arrived.
I sewed all day, just binding quilts and oh, I did some house cleaning too
The snow pics are so pretty….. Thankyou for sharing…… Those little birds were hungry…..
The chook table topper is looking great……
Who doesn’t love chickens? I certainly do. Wow, that’s a lot of snow. We dont have snow days here. Wind, rain, sleet and the occasional hail storm is what winter throws at us.
I am down the mountain from you, on Lake Norman. We got about 3-4 inches Sunday…Snow early, then ice (sleet) then more snow. But I am really glad to see it melting so fast with the temps in the mid to high 40s today. They are talking about more on Friday or Saturday!
Snow is so beautiful – as long as you don’t have to get out in it!! My brother-in-law has been sending pics from Gerton, not too far from you!
We were up in northern Michigan to cross country ski but there was very little snow and it was old. This is not normal for this area, and the storms that roll over the state usually drop feet of snow on that side. We had fun anyway! I also have not had the usual amount of birds to the feeder; maybe someone new in the neighborhood with food! I’m going to try your ham recipe with my frozen Christmas ham. Looks yummy!
Okay thanks I’ll have a bowl of that yummy soup! I bought the beans, but used the ham for sandwiches when the boys came over to shovel and meet the foster Husky puppy. So the beans will keep. I have chicken may I’ll try that. The quilt is so adorable. Love the attention to detail with the blue borders. Snow only dusted us this time. (Chicago) Thanks
Try my Chicken Chili!! Chicken and Great Northern beans, thick and hearty, gluten free and delicious.
Here in Southern Ontario, Canada we received about 18 inches of snow in a 24 hour storm which came from the U.S, It was the most snow we have received in that time period in about 15 years. Luckily it was fairly light and fluffy and not that difficult to shovel or blow by machine.
We had between 10-12″ of snow. I didn’t go out to measure it. Luckily my driveway was cleared by two different neighbors. So I stayed inside and sewed a 18.5″ block for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge and worked on 3 blocks for CIL. Also did some crumb blocks as leaders and enders. Made potato, broccoli cheddar soup.
The snow looks so pretty, but it must have been so cold. It’s great that you kept the local bird population well fed. I love the chook quilt. The perfect use of the fabric. Chooky will be eyeing it off. No, we didn’t have snow, as it is summer here. Having said that, we normally have temps in the low 30sC, but today it is only 16C (60F)!! I had to dig out a long sleeved top and cardigan.
The snow looks so pretty, but it must have been so cold. It’s great that you kept the local bird population well fed. I love the chook quilt. The perfect use of the fabric. Chooky will be eyeing it off. No, we didn’t have snow, as it is summer here. Having said that, we normally have temps in the low 30sC, but today it is only 16C (60F)!! I had to dig out a long sleeved top and cardigan.
The fresh snow always looks beautiful. But then I don’t have to clear the driveway or paths, do I?
Living in Texas I hibernate and do a lot of sewing. LOL
Snow and soup, the perfect pair! We also had very active birds this weekend, though not much snow at all. For my son’s sake, I hope we really do get snowfall on Friday/Saturday of this week. I hope your driveway is safe by tomorrow!
Your new table topper design is so cute and love the chicken fabric. Some days it feels good to have a small project to work on and see your accomplishment within the day.
I love watching the birds fight for seed! They’re scrappy (trust me, birds, there is more to come!). It looks beautiful. And I really love your chicken quilt. Very pretty — love the colors.
The snow is so beautiful as long as you don’t have to go anywhere and don’t lose heat! It’s perfect football weather.
Whew! That was a lot of snow! So nice to have a hobby to keep us occupied if/when we’re snowbound! Love all your bird pictures and the rooster project turned out so cute. Love the mitered border. Set everything off perfectly.