This past week, My Sweet Babboo had to replace our bird feeder. The old one was falling apart due to constant assault by a pileated woodpecker. He would sit on top of it and jackhammer the plastic with his beak. The plastic tube that held the seed was a bit old and had a crack in it as well. I liked the cage around it as it kept the doves from sleeping on the perches keeping the little birds out, but the pileated could hold onto the cage, and reach his long beak inside. He was eating half the seed in the feeder every day! I couldn’t ever get a photo of him doing this, as he would fly off with any hint of movement, but here is one from a few years ago with him hanging onto the suet cage.

So, it was time for a new feeder. In just a short time, a chickadee gave it a seal of approval.

A titmouse looked puzzled for a moment, but soon figured out the seed offerings were the same.

Then, my nemesis showed up. Yeah, big boy, I see you. His mate was nearby too, so two of them were stealing the seed.

He sat on a nearby branch, eyeing the new configuration. See him on the left side of the photo. I waited to see what he would do.

His first attempt failed when he tried to land on top of the pole, but it is round and smooth so he couldn’t get a grip on it. He fell off and flew back to the tree. See his blurred motion at the top of the photo.

Next he tried a direct landing on the feeder, but he couldn’t do that either. The mesh is too small for his claws, and he flailed around trying to get a grip. In this photo, you can see the blurred wings behind the feeder as he flapped before flying off again.

One more attempt, he landed on the suet cage, but there was no suet in it. We took that cage down shortly after. He gave up after that, and he hasn’t been back.

The other birds are very happy. A little bluebird stopped by for a meal.

A hairy woodpecker got the last of the suet before we took the cage down.

A Carolina wren has been hanging around, literally, LOL! He tends to eat off the ground, but for some reason landed upside down on the bottom of the squirrel baffle. Maybe it was for aerial reconnaissance to find the best seeds.

Under the Christmas tree, I had a Sulky Vintage Vibes mystery box, such fun! I opened it to find a bunch of great items for sewing in the new year. I’ve not done English Paper Piecing before, and the kit has templates for printing on Solvy so it will wash away – no picking out papers! I might just try it. There was just over a yard of fabric, a glue pen, a little ruler, a note pad, three spools of thread and a pack of needles, along with batting and fiber fill to complete the pincushion project. There is enough fabric for the purse project which came in a pattern download. The button package was filled with gold, green and rust color buttons in all sizes, perfect for fall projects next year. I sorted those into a plastic container with dividers, thinking about my friend Barb who loves sorting buttons.

In the sewing room this past week, I made a little mug mat for a cute mug I found. The mug has Eiffel Towers on it, so I wanted something with a French theme. I found this lovely fabric at my local quilt shop, and matched the colors of an embroidery to it. You know how much I love pithy sayings like this!

I actually put it on the longarm to quilt because it is easier to do meandering with it. You can see the blue dots on the batting I used to try to keep the meanders at the same size.

White Glide thread on top, and Bottom Line in the bobbin. It took me longer to pin it on the leaders than it did to actually do the quilting.

I finished the binding and it is ready for the shop at the quilt show. The set of mug and mat will sell for $25. I hope it will appeal to someone who likes French inspired items.

I finished my Worldwide Quilting Day project, but I can’t show that until March, so stay tuned. I’ve also been working on the denim jackets. I’ll show those to you soon. I’ll be working on them, along with a lemon print bag project this coming week. The final Stashbusters check-in is coming on Wednesday, so get your totals ready.

What are your plans for this week?

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Amazon has up to 40% off selected items on its Winter Sale! Fantastic savings on Sewing supplies (scroll down past the daily specials), and save on Best Press. I buy the unscented gallon size, and it lasts for years when diluted 50%. Need a special handout for a group gathering? My friends, Jill and Diana, got these Inspirational Books and Pens for us at retreat, and I’m going to order a set for Safelight’s last delivery.

Today only, Milk Street‘s Inventory Surplus Sale 65% Off – ends midnight 12/28 tonight! The sale includes some of their best sellers like specialty foods and cookware!

Sulky has just a few of their Haute Cocoa Mystery Box deals left but will sell out soon! This indulgent collection includes 15 full-size products to inspire cozy, wintry makes as comforting as your favorite cup of cocoa. Do what I do, get one and wrap it for yourself for under the tree! You’ll have a nice surprise for the holiday, and something fun to sew.

Fat Quarter Shop’s December specials include 20% off the Basic of the Month Sparkle Elements by Art Gallery,30% Off the Notions of the Month Cutterpillar products, 30% off featured Patterns of the Month from Wendy Sheppard, and book of the month Simply Jelly Rolls Quilt. Then, check out Today’s Flash Sale and see the Precuts of the Week.