This is a pheasant. Isn't he beautiful. Beautiful colors. Beautiful bird. But, as a farmer's daughter I can acknowledge that something is beautiful... and yummy! I have grown up all my life knowing that my daddy is a pheasant hunter. His home state, South Dakota, has wonderful pheasant hunting. The hunting season opener is practically a major national holiday in our family; all the available Fjellands come from near and far to enjoy a weekend together. My family (by that I mean the extended family) even has a Fjelland Fjeasant Fjort. It's a small 'man cave' that is all fixed up for to stay in when everyone is in town for opening weekend. The best part of hunting is.... they come away with tasty pheasant birds! Pheasant dinners are a special night at our house. It is hard to make and takes my dad hours of work, but it is really yummy!
This year for Christmas/ Hanukkah gift I suggested a quilted table runner for my folks. My mom had the idea of a pheasant dinner themed table runner ~ She recently picked up some amazing ultra suede placemats in fall/pheasant colors. With four days home sick last week, I managed to finish this table runner. To tell you the truth, I really love the fabrics. I think the real reason I quilt is because I'm addicted to the fabrics! This project has sleek, modern fabrics ~ which is just like my parents. And a fairly modern look (Ironically, I learned this pattern is called flying geese.) On top of the gorgeous fabrics, I think this little guy turned out good enough to go on a table! The corners and points are almost exactly where they should be. After about 20 quilts, I finally feel like I might be 'an intermediate' quilter.The hardest part of living so far away is that I had to pack the precious little bundle into an envelop and trust it to Royal Mail. However, I did take a flip video and asked my parents to watch the video while they were on the phone with me so I could hear the initial ohh and ahh. I hope they enjoy this splash of color on their table this year. Wish I could be home for the tasty pheasant dinner too!
