I realized this morning at 6 a.m. EST that, for the first time in my quilting years, I am not working on a quilt for a Christmas gift. Lordy, what have I been doing with my time? This seems like a full-on emergency. I have a list of people that I would like to gift with a quilt as long as my old wooden yardstick, but I’ve got nothing, nothing in the works.

Now I must admit that many or perhaps most of my previously gifted “Christmas” quilts have been delivered in July or later (sorry Nathena!), but the process of making them kept me happy, centered and productive during the holidays. Because, for me, spending time in my sewing space and creating is part of the pleasure of the season.

I’ll have to spend a bit of time today thinking about who I’ll pick off my yardstick list and and consider what I’ll begin making during this holiday season. Potential candidates:

• Florida-based brother-in-law, husband of our youngest sister. She wants a barn-themed quilt for his birthday on April 2. Cindy says she has a lot of scraps to contribute to the cause.
• Bestie from college — I’ve had an orange and gray quilt in mind for her since I visited her lovely home in Charlotte a year or two ago. It’s all designed on paper, but I need a trip to the fabric store. (Linda — I know your reading this — is orange still the right color for you? Love you.)
• A quilt for each of my roommate’s grandchildren. There are four little ones now. If I start immediately, maybe they’ll be ready for high school graduations???

Who are you sewing for this season?