finally got down to sew in the new space....boxes gone, some semblance of order, few good nights' sleep and beyond hospital aura....found the binding fabric for the kaffe lozenges or shuttles as some call them....fired Miss Sunny up and got 'er done!
.JPG)
tried a few different colors for the binding but the pink just made it wow! and here's Miss Sunny's new home too...
after some of the most horrific 6 weeks i've had in a long time....let's see...2 hospitalizations, surgery, move, family member illness, cardiac issues, new environment, medication adjustments....how many stress points is that? if not 300 then darn close i think! but seeing light so improving. first up....take note of this....the very LAST box to be emptied!
.JPG)
yeah it's fabric...spent the last 2 days unpacking the stash and fingers crossed it will all fit on the shelves....here it is this morning....the top shelf is going to save me i do believe!
the bottom shelf is taken up with finished wall quilts...well, most of them. there is another small pile of things to be hung on the walls and another pile of things to give away/sell. gonna be a tight squeeze. makes me itching to get sewing to acquire some breathing room here.
here is the pile of quilts for the closet shelf (left) and the wall quilts to go (right)....
overwhelmed yet? i am! inbetween unpacking found a few moments to get my cherry tomato seeds planted...
they are looking good and hoping for a good yield...the variety is 'sweet 100' and i've had them before....very prolific. we have planter boxes here. farmer's market gets $5-6 per half pint of these, beyond my budget, so even a few pints with minimal startup cost would be good.
as mentioned, had another brief hospital visit...cardiac issues this time....all new docs and new-to-me facility. God sent many angels in my path, starting with paramedic who recommended hospital. appointments on board for the month. in addition to fluid and caffeine restrictions, a heart rate stabilizer so feeling a lot like flat stanley as he slinks down the stairs. yesterday was able to drive for the first time since mid-march. grocery store, drug store and bank with library, gym and senior center lined up for later in the week. still lots to make it home...another month should do it. studio area nearly ready to use...another UFO in the hoop as well....it's been a long hiatus!
it's been another busy and somewhat harrowing week post move and surgery...leg swelling almost gone, two more weeks of home RN, more boxes gone and more things found! i think i had a total of 62 boxes in all...down to 8-9...most containing sewing stuff and fabric. the down time gave me a chance to decide where things go and how to maximize storage and ease of use.
fortunately my apartment next to trash room so just sneak next door to shed these as they get emptied. and what did get accomplished?
books and CDs got their new home...easy to access and neatly stacked. the tall shelves they were on has been repurposed to kitchen for pans and small appliances....no more diving into lower cabinets trying to find things. bedroom will be sewing annex with these, treadle and fabric stash.
my slow motion status partly due to slashing my caffeine intake....cardioman said to cut in half, which i've done, but not without annoying loss of energy. worth it to keep off blood thinner.
lastly, in the 'never rain but pours' department, my dear sis has been hospitalized with a serious event...she is our family's youngest and has had many trials--like me--so if you are a praying person, please remember her today.
this is a quilty post! it's been just about 3 weeks since discharge and slowly on the mend with my leg. grossly underestimated recovery and magnitude of surgery itself...home RN and PT on board....might be independent again by May 1st...but i digress....
doesn't everyone move only 3 days after getting out of the hospital? yep, have traded mid-maryland for eastern closer to my daughter and son-in-law. not the best time but couldn't be helped. my angel sister-in-law came for a week to help and ply her nursing skills. so at present things are in a mostly disorganized state....
space is configured a bit different and living room smaller but it'll work eventually....this is the studio corner....stash is still in the bedroom, most in boxes yet...
was shocked to see how many finished things i had....boxes of them! this is just one pile of quilts and wall quilts. bottom shelf of stash also contains finished items...
with one good leg and leg care it'll be a couple of weeks before all the boxes are gone, tolerable by me. am blessed to have a comfortable and safe place with plenty of natural light, close to all my regular haunts and to airport for trips to maine....which, by the way, got postponed.
so, boring Easter for me this year...thankfully services are online and get to worship even with a bum leg. that's the important thing anyway....hoping to get sewing machine set up this week. have a wall quilt ready to bind if peg leg cooperates....
not too much of that going on here...it's been a confusing sort of week around here and sitting at the machine didn't happen, but some needlework done.
this prayer in cross stitch got started when ? cannot recall but time to finish. stitching while TV watching is great for disarming dilemmas and if it gets done, that's a win/win. two possible places to go when finished, so that's always a motivator.
another semi-hidden project got unearthed. in that galaxy far, far away, background pieces were cut for this block....tons of muslin in little baggies just waiting for me....
the reason interest waned is because originally cut ALL the pieces the wrong size, for this 5" block, which was not the original plan. so they got tucked away but now there is a destination for these blocks so back on the active list. deadline is summer so plenty of time, and clearing this drawer will make me smile.
another tuscan starburst was sewn and quilting on kaffe's lozenges was completed, just needs binding so watch for a finish next week some time.
this year for St. Patrick's Day indulged in a smidgen of corned beef, something i've avoided until now, but just a few bites along with the regular veg and some homemade soda bread made for a celebratory treat.
spring arrives monday but it's been cooler, such that exploding blooms belie the fact. biting winds hang on to everyone's dismay. winter came and went with no snow which is just fine with me, but won't be so happy come july and august. hoping don't have to wear my winter coat to maine in a few weeks!
lots of other diversions this week but did manage to finish all 13 of the star blocks in part 1 of the Quiltmania mystery. just starting the applique blocks that might be done by weekend's finish....we'll see.
color's not exact but close enough to get the idea. Part 2 is now out and consists of 3 small birdie blocks and some flower applique blocks....not sure how many....will have to look closer when i get my issue.
good news in the health dept...won't bore you with details but happy to say improvement continues albeit with some function totally normal and some that simply won't ever be...doesn't disable me exactly but my walking and standing endurance is affected. i had a wee cry over it but then off to the gym swapping that negative for a positive. my living situation has contributed, unfortunately, with corporate scum who dropped the ball on their so-called mission statement of "residents first." oh yeah? well i've got a bridge for sale too...
it's been a sorta of wintry day here with a few flakes this morning that quickly turned over to rain--damp, gray, chilly and gloomy--but chicken soup on the stove for me and my soul! good thing it's only 18 days to my maine trip...just hoping no snowstorms while i'm there!
my weekend was busy doing lots of things but not much sewing or fabric-related stuff. mostly i finished kitting up "alaska" blocks...
doesn't sound or look like much but it was a big, time-consuming task....12 different blocks....each baggie contained pieces for 4 blocks....each block had max 12-14 pieces....you do the math. all cut by hand with scissors, templates traced on fabric after ironing....yeah a big job.
in addition, did quite a bit of hand quilting on the lozenge wall quilt--you've seen that. and more prep on the quiltmania mystery part 1--you've seen those as well. the remaining 7 star blocks had to be cut and the circles on the 4 applique blocks had to be prepped.
all the above plus laundry, cooking, exercising and other such boring stuff. anyway, hoping this week will reap some finishes and moving projects forward. the weather is dynamite at high 50s. only a couple appointments this week too. next weekend is daylight savings....bring it on!
so many bloggers have posted photos of beautiful flowers that inspired me to send this to my mom for her birthday.....it bloomed 2 days after but beautiful nonetheless....called 'apple blossom'...if only the sun were out when the photo was taken....across the street is construction of a new police station so all the residents get to be sidewalk engineers...LOL!
it was a busy sewing sunday.....finished placemats....
and blue lanterns got some progress....
thinking maybe 20 blocks in all for this wall piece or 30 at most, will see. these sew up so very quickly....finished all these in about an hour.
then caved for another new start...my absolute last for now. first i need to apologize to a zoom quilty pal. i sort of agreed to sew a quilt with her--"make it blue" by natalie bird--but bailed as i already had a blue piece in progress--"alaska". didn't feel i could commit to another large quilt project. but now the Quiltmania mystery has called to me, reasoning i wasn't committed beyond what i wanted to do. and what color is it? blue with yellow....so that's 3 blue projects....here's what got done today. in the nick of time since the next issue/step comes out march...
the week, that is. summer was here yesterday, nearly 80 and quite enjoyable. a pesky medication glitch interrupted but didn't detour...gave me time to decide.
.JPG)
for the Quiltmania mystery...i know, i know, plenty of UFOs and such but i can only resist temptation so long....thinking about what was on hand and what combo would work. i purchased this solid yellow some time ago for some sort of yellow quilt. i can get more if need be. i can bail at any point as well. so yellow background and blues it is. i've lots of them in different fabric styles--batik, repro, kaffe etc. so an eclectic collection. weekend start it is....camera is subpar in color representation.
and in the moving things along department....
2 more starbursts cut and ready for hand sewing. thinking should make them all before hunting background pieces...and another golden print is needed as well.
the lozenge/shuttle wall quilt is half quilted so probably won't be a february finish, no doubt soon after. plenty of diversions for the weekend and upcoming week with no appointments except my old pal Gym...LOL!
in the interest of keeping the quilting community informed, publishing this page to some FREE Kim Diehl patterns...I am not responsible for any or all you choose to download and/or drool over. http://quiltinspiration.blogspot.com/2023/02/free-pattern-day-kim-diehl-quilts.html
have a good day!
