The Christmas Rush

Wow! Time flies when you are having fun. That is sooo true. Its the Christmas rush here in the Pine Freckle Forest/Black Bear Quilting studio. It seems that everyone wants a quilt done for Christmas. What is it ladies? Does Christmas come as a surprise or what? How about that lady who called to ask I had time this week to quilt a baby quilt she needs for a Christmas gift? This week? Surely you jest! Not even this year! Babies take nine months my friends. That allows you plenty of time to prepare and get your project to the long arm quilter before the wee bundle of joy arrives. Christmas is even less of a surprise than a new baby. It arrives at the same time every year, and its one of my favorite times of year.

I love the hustle and bustle. I love the shopping and wrapping. I even enjoy the baking. (I love the cookies more!) I decorate the house within an inch of insanity. It drives my husband crazy, but he puts up with it with little more than a few snippy comments. Tina took me shopping yesterday and we got almost all my shopping finished in one trip. Wendy took Dave (hubby) today and they finished all his as well. (Tina and Wendy being our twin daughters.) Everything is wrapped and ready to go.  Now to get started on the baking. I'll do that in the evenings, and save the daytime for quilting.

Rush jobs are part of being a long arm quilter. It interests and confuses me is that people often call up wanting a quilt finished in a week, or worse yet in just days. It's been said to me "Can't you fit me in, it's not like you have a real job. You just stay at home and sew." Why is it that a home business is less valid than a retail or office job?

I've got news for you, I put in eight hour days most days and often work evenings and weekends just to get everything completed. That does NOT include my design time while working on new patterns. And lets not forget writing instructions, testing patterns, billing, pattern printing, answering the phone, teaching and worst of all accounting. Oh yeah, blogging. I apologize, I've been sadly remiss in getting things posted.

With all that going on all year, it seems like late November and December as especially hectic. Don't get me wrong I enjoy the extra work the holidays bring, but its easy to over commit ones self. So, I've made a decision. Each and everyday between now and Christmas I'm going to take some time for myself. I'm going to relax and regroup and do what ever moves me. It might be making cookies, or maybe making a Christmas card for a special friend. Maybe I'll work on my Zentangles. (A new obsession sparked by the latest book. Zentangle: Fabric Arts Quilting Embroidery, by Suzanne McNeil.) I'm going to make time for me, and make time to have coffee with the special people in my life.

Question of the Day: How do you relax during this busy time? What's your favorite part of Christmas?