AND ANOTHER LOSS

Nyki (New Year Kitten)

January 2009-January 2025

I am doing well physically, for which I am very grateful.

 My emotions are all over the place.

Who knew you could cry so much?

 

TRAGEDY

 I am not going to be around for a while; my 9 year old grandson has perished in a house fire.  We are devastated.  

A PATTERNS SHOP HOP

We went to two shops yesterday-I held up well!  As usual there was a lot of inspiration and good fun. I bought some fat quarters for a couple of new project bags, a panel and background fabric for a quilt and a charm pack to make the quilt in the foreground.  

Mary is a good shop hopping friend, to say the least! 

 It was so good to be out and about again!

 

CAMELLIA BLOOMS

These are the bushes in our side hedge; 

 usually not much for blooming until this year!  

Even a double bloom on this bush!

And this is the first year for this one to bloom-

they are just stunning!  

I'm so happy to see these perfect flowers! 

 Even is they don't have a perfume to match! lol

I'm off to a few quilt shops with Mary for a Shop Hop;

it will be a real test of my stamina!

 

A PRE-SEPSIS PROJECT IS FINISHED!

The lovely fairy garden 3 yard quilt finally has binding (and I put it on right to machine stitch it all the way this time!) It was all ready to finish just before I got sick and it has languished all of this time!  Now it is even washed and dried!  But if you remember , there is something extra special about this quilt---it glows in the dark!!!!

This is a view of the corner!

And the blocks with the mushrooms look like this---

in the dark!  How cool is that!

The quilt finishes at 44" x 54"

 

I DID IT!

I loaded up the table runner and worked on it throughout yesterday.  I cut out the binding and stitched it on only I sewed it to the wrong side so I had to finish the binding by hand--no longer an easy job for me!  (I sew my bindings on and have for years but obviously I forgot what I was doing!)

But even with the binding delay, I had the runner done by bedtime last night!  This is my first pieced/quilted project of 2025! 

 (and the first in 4+ months!)

 

EARLY MORNING VISITORS

Aren't they beautiful birds?! 

 The Sandhill Cranes  are tall--48-50" each. 

 Their chatter is beautiful and their songs, while a bit boisterous, are incredible, too.  They come up to get some cracked corn to warm up after our chilly mornings lately!  

I stitched all of the blocks together and then had the less-than-thrilling job of ripping all of the paper away from the blocks.  Now if I had used the special paper available in pads for foundation paper piecing, which comes out in the wash, this step could've been skipped but I used thin copy paper.

Here is the pile of paper I ended up with--about 8" high! lol

And most of it peeled away very nicely.

I'm pleased with the results.  

I added some left over 2" strips for borders. 

 The final dimensions will be about 24" x 34" after I layer it up 

and load it on the machine for quilting!

 

READY TO CONSTRUCT

I stitched the last of the woven stars yesterday

 and today I will convert this into a table runner! 

 It is so nice to begin to see and think again--seriously, all the steps to carry on a simple task is nothing 

to be taken for granted!

 

SOCKS ON SUNDAY

They are pretty wild!

It's interesting how they pooled so differently 

in the distinct sections of the sock!  

They definitely could not be a matched pair!

Just a photo to let you see how they look when on!  

 

WOVEN STARS ii

I mess up the star on the second row, left.  Because while you make foundation piecing blocks in reverse, my mind couldn't keep up with the right order.  Since the amount of fabric I have is limited, I didn't want to throw the block away so I will make just one more just like it to make it look like a design element! lol

I did change the layout to be three blocks wide.  I like the way it looks better.  Remember, slow and steady wins the race!

 

WOVEN STAR BLOCK

The block actually goes together quite well.  I had a little bit of trouble with the center matching on the star but I will see if the second one avoids that problem.

 

We had to run errands in the morning so I had a late start to the sewing but I still had a scrap of brain power to do it,

 and that is very encouraging!  

A BIT OF DRAFTING

The woven star block would make a good complement to the courthouse steps blocks.  Unfortunately, I didn't have a pattern to make it so I had to work one out!  And I did it!

And it worked!  Now to repeat it a few more times

 so I can sew them together to make a block! 

 I might be slow but I am getting it done!

 

COURTHOUSE STEPS

I was able to do some piecing--I can make two blocks a day.  It did go better yesterday than the first day. 

 I'm encouraged that the brain cells are beginning to function again despite the continuing migraine.  

 

ANTICIPATION

My faithful friend, Mary, came again to sit with me-she brought some fabric and foundation paper piecing papers so we could make a table runner soon.  I was so inspired to sew for the first time in months; I felt soengaged! The plan was to press and cut up the strips until we could get together next week to sew.  

The new medicine regime has been working and I have been able to think again-clearly think.  Hope was being restored again.  I had told Bill I was going to sell off all of my equipment in the studio because I was never going to be able to do it ever again.  It has been a 4 month fog not to mention the physical problems.  But with the reduction of the chronic migraine pain, reason was returning again and so was the inner spark of my personality!

 And then when I awakened yesterday, I was slammed with a full on severe migraine!  I lose my vision in my right eye for about 1/2 hr to 45 mins and when the vision returns, so the pain begins-imagine an ice pick behind your eye!  I added more migraine meds to two I am already taking and stayed in bed!  As the pain receded a bit in the late afternoon, I got up and cut out the fabric; I was grateful the brain fog had not returned, just the pain.  And just before dinner, my vision turned to sparkles, signaling round two.  It was hard to fight off disappointment!

This morning, I just feel a bit fuzzy and near tears (the usual migraine hangover symptoms) but I am able to follow thoughts still so I didn't lose too much ground!

I have struggled these last months on every level of my being--can you imagine stopping all of the things you do--all of our crafting-knitting, sewing, quilting, spinning, painting, wood turning,  not to mention running of your household, caring for pets, driving yourself places, teaching at church and traveling ?!!!

I had to ask who am I?  Am I only defined by what I do?  I am afraid I have placed way too much importance upon that foundation.  It has been a long road of ups and downs.  I hope these last two migraines are the final bookends to this adventure!

 

TURN THE CALENDAR PAGE TO JANUARY 2025!

Ahhh, eat well and be grateful for a new year is here.

I finished one sock and begun the second!

It reminds be a bit of Lena, who btw, rarely sleeps in this position but this way she reflects the colors in the sock!  I like that!