Friday, November 30, 2012

I sewed!

Oh my gosh!  I got some sewing done.  It's been so long that it was almost a struggle to get started, but once I did, I was off and running.  

I got these baseball jerseys shortly after Christmas last year.  Yes, I said jerseys.  Aaaaaah!  What they heck do you do with those?  I kept procrastinating because I really had no idea what to do with these stretchy weird fabrics.  I think one was even spandex.  Quilts are supposed to be made of cotton, aren't they?  

A month ago a dear friend met with me and gave me a short lesson and a set of instructions on what interfacing to use and what setting to use on the iron and made sure that I used parchment paper or something, so those vinyl(?) numbers didn't get sticky and come off.  I was holding my breath and crossing my fingers the whole time.  It was very nerve wracking, but once again, once I got going, things seemed to work out okay.  I got most of those blocks made and then they just

Here's what I accomplished on Sunday.  I finally came up with an idea for what to put in the four corners.  I cut and sewed those blocks and then sewed all the blocks together into a top.  Yeah, progress!  I was going to put a red border, but then realized that the red in the border would bump up against the red in the frames around the numbers.  Argh!  So, I decided I was going to need to put an extra grey border to buffer that area.  Then it was suggested to me that I could possibly only add those grey borders on the sides, since the top and bottom really didn't need it.  Nice compromise.  Grey strips added, red border on.  I was running out of steam, but there was an inner voice screaming at me urging me on "Push through. Push through.  You're just one baseball border away from having a finished quilt top!"  
Tada!!!


Now, I just have to make a back and get that sucker quilted......

Monday, November 12, 2012

Revolt!

Every muscle and tendon in my body joined together to stage a revolt this morning.  That's what I get for sitting on my butt for so long and then trying to move the world all in one day!

I got right in working on my sew day. Trying to finish up two duffle bags that I've been working on.  Had to take a break at 1:30 to go to lunch with Mom.  Then we rode out to visit Daisy at her quilt shop.  We ended up staying about an hour and a half.  It was a nice visit and Mom needed an outing.

Sunday, November 11, 2012

Avoidance Behavior

After a hectic non-sleeping couple of days in the hospital, I really needed a quiet day.  Well, yesterday served that purpose, but it was hard not to sneak in another one.

I was up early this morning and it was a busy day.

- Vacuumed the house
- Wrote recommendation letter for a former employee
- Straightened up hall bathroom
- Moved daylilies out of square bed in back yard
- Moved bird bath from square bed in back yard
- Chopped up and moved huge tree limbs from yard
- Picked up sticks and limbs from yard
- Pulled up railroad ties around square bed
- Weed-eated all around cement steps in yard and around garden
- Mowed little back yard
- Swept carport
- Watered newly planted daylilies
- Grocery shopping

I think I was overcompensating.  After yesterday, I was afraid to sit still for too long or I might fall asleep.  Well, after making dinner, I spent some time catching up on my recorded TV shows and I had no trouble whatsoever staying awake.  Glad to know I'm over it.

Now that all the work is done, Tomorrow will be a sew day!  Do you ever find that your sewing time ends up last on the priority list?  Why is it that I can't allow myself to put everything else on hold?  Or is this my way of avoiding sewing?  Good question.  I guess I'll find out tomorrow.

Saturday, November 10, 2012

Exhausting Couple of Days

Had big plans to drive to Lafayette on Friday to visit old friends and also to check out the sale at the local quilt shop there.  Had to put those plans on hold.

My brother called on Thursday evening late to tell me that he was on the way to the hospital with my mother because she was having pains in her left arm.  She had x-rays of her arm, a CT of her neck and blood tests.  Her potassium was low, so she was given an IV of potassium.  The CT showed something that COULD POSSIBLY INDICATE that she MIGHT have had a stroke sometime over the last couple of days.  After spending all night in the Emergency Room, we were finally taken to a room at 5:00 am. We were awakened at 8:00 am the next morning when we were prepared for an MRI.  The MRI showed that there was no stroke, which was good news, but we were stuck in the hospital being observed for the rest of the day and another night, which we pretty much slept through.  It's hard to make up for missing an entire night of sleep.  Took Mom home today at lunch and things are fine.  We are blessed.  I guess we just blame everything on low potassium, which apparently can cause arm pain.

Since I got home, I've emptied my car, washed the car, done 2 loads of laundry, cooked and eaten dinner, cleaned up my sewing room, stripped the bed and anything else I could think of to stay busy.  I'm so afraid that if I sit still for too long, I'll just drop off to sleep again.  It's a wonder anybody comes out of a hospital  better than they went in.  It's plumb exhausting!