Sew to Win Block

I finished the Sew to Win Block for Guild last night. It turned out really pretty. I hope I win this month, but have learned some new techniques that will be valuable in the future.

DH has been in the hospital now since October 10th. This has been the longest month in my life. He almost died in the first 24 hours and was on a ventilator to help him breath from 10:00 am on the 10th through 10:30 am on the 14th. He was in Intensive Care from the 10th through the 13th and in Telemetry from the 14th through the 17th. He transferred to a rehab facility on the 17th and I had him pulled out of there and transferred to Drake Center on the 23rd because of the poor care he was getting. Drake has him truly on the road to recovery! For a while there I thought I was going to be a widow before my 14th wedding anniversary. Now James is more lucid that he has been in months and is aware of thing around him that he missed totally. There has been some definite memory loss during the time just prior to his illness, but his dementia symptoms have reverted to those when he was first diagnosed. He has made progress that I think will impress the doctors to the point he will be allowed to drive. I am already acknowledging that I will be a passenger in a car he is driving. What a change!

DD and SIL spent Saturday helping me prepare the upper level of our bi-level home for DH to return to. Whether he is in a wheel chair or a walker he will be able to move from room to room with no difficulty. We moved furniture to make additional space between traffic areas so the house is more invalid friendly. God bless my daughter and son-in-law! They were so much help! I still have some minor cleaning to do between now and when DH returns home. It will be a breeze after all the assistance provided by the "kids".

I am looking forward to Guild this evening. Terry Tope will be our guest speaker. Her speciality is reverse applique and I cannot wait to hear her speak. She taught a class this weekend that I was not able to attend, but I am sure some examples of students that took the class will be shown during the meeting.

The Sew to Win block for the next meeting is a mystery. I cannot wait to see what they have planned for us. The President's block for our former president should be announced shortly. I definitely want to contribute to that. Also, they should be announcing shorting what quilt teachers will be visiting and teaching for Guild in 2009. I would like to that one or two classes if possible.

I need to get back to my responsibilities. Have a nice day.

Quilting again

It has been three weeks since I worked on my quilting at home. I did attend my neighborhood group on the 3rd Wednesday of October, but otherwise I have not picked up a needle or run the sewing machine. Last night I did some pressing of blocks that I am working on and tonight when I visit DH I will be working on my Apple Core wall hanging. The rows are all finished and now I have to sew them together. I think this is going to work out nicely. I need a piece of fabric for the background. I will be appliqueing the 5 by 5 cores to another piece of fabric. I would love to find something with apples on it, but that may not be possible.

If DH gets out of the hospital in time we are going to Gatlinburg for a week in mid November. I am already planning 3 projects to take with me. I will have to limit my quilting gear as we are taking the dogs with us. Have I introduced you to Max and Roxie? Max is a 95 pound black Labrador mix and Roxie is a 93 pound AKC registered Rottweiler. They do take up the entire back seat of the car so the trunk will be packed from top to bottom and side to side.

The timeshare we are visiting has an inside water park so swim suits/trunks will be in order. Both of us will be taking advantage of this I am sure. We have to get in shape for Orlando in April. Again that will be a trip with minimum quilt gear because the dogs will travel with us then too.

So many plans and such a positive attitude. I have my DH back (we almost lost him totally) and I am in such a happy place!

Have a great day.

I did some quilting

Thursday I went to my guild sponsored neighborhood group and worked on my Apple Core wall hanging. It was so nice to see everyone. It had been a long time.

Several of us are dealing with husband's with health issues. More people to place on my prayer list. One member is dealing with cancer and she is a fighter. I know she will win this battle and the war!

I don't know how much if any quilting I will get done this weekend. DH is being transferred from the hospital to a skilled nursing facility (rehab) and it is further away from our home than the hospital. I am also back on call for our daily reporting cycle at work.

Even though I am trying to take care of myself, it seems that I am fatigued all the time. I need some quality time to rest and gather some strength.

Have a great day.

Najavo Tears

Thursday evening I completed the first 14 blocks of this quilt. I haven't been able to do any quilting or piecing since then. My DH has been in the hospital with pneumonia, kidney failure and massive sepsis. He is recovering after being on a ventilator since Friday morning. All I have been able to do is to comfort him and read while he was heavily sedated. This morning the discontinued the ventilator and he is breathing on his own. We almost lost him.

I will post when I am able to get back to my quilting.

Have a great day.

More progress

I completed three more blocks last night. Then I realized that I had put the two side HST pieces on the wrong side and upside down. What a bummer!

Tonight I will be un-sewing the block and putting it back together in the correct order. This quilt is my top priority right now. I don't know how much longer DH will be able to live in our house. His health has taken a dramatic turn for the worse and I think he will be in a wheel chair shortly. I may have to take up the carpeting to make this happen.

Sorry to put such depressing news in my quilt blog.

I need to find a strong man to help me carry in two book cases and a student desk for my quilt studio. They have been riding around in my truck for weeks. Maybe I can use the wheel chair. LOL

Have a great and blessed day.

Progress

I have completed three more Najavo blocks for a total of seven completed. This is about 1/4 of the blocks I will need for the quilt top. I am planning on setting the blocks on point with earth tone fabrics between. The blocks take less time than creating the HST needed to put the blocks together. I still have 240 HST to make before I am finished. wow.

For the time being I am sewing in the living room to keep an eye on DH. He is struggling. I am taking one day at a time or even one minute at a time. There is no rush in this disease so I learn as I go.

Today I go on call for my employer. We have a daily cycle that will be my responsibility. For the next 7 days I will be responsible for any problems that crop up here at work dealing with our area within I/T. This will be the last time this year until year end closeout.

Be happy and enjoy life.

Charity Quilts Donated

At Guild last night I turned in the two finished quilts and the two finished tops for the Alaska Maternity clinic. I returned all the fabric that I had intended to use for additional quilts for the Alaska Maternity clinic as well. I am sorry that I will not longer be able to make quilts for this worthwhile charity. I love making the small quilts and thinking about the newborn babies that will have a blankie to love.

My membership in Guild has been renewed. I was not able to stay for the entire meeting, but my main goals were to turn in the charity quilts and pick up the Sew to Win block for the November meeting. The winner of the October Sew to Win was so excited when her name was called. I was very happy for her. Even if I didn't win, I know how to make the blocks and can make one for my self. That is the advantage of being involved in the Sew to Win process. The November block is a pine tree with HST along the edges. Thangles were included in the package.

This will be another learning experience for me. I use the method of adding 7/8" to the finished HST and making a grid of 3 by 4 square the enhanced size. Then I sew along diagonal lines between the squares and created 24 HST without having to sew on a small piece of fabric along the bias. The HST do need to be trued up to the correct size and there is some waste, but the finished project makes the loss of fabric easier to accept.

This last weekend I made 240 HST triangles for "Navajo Tears" along with socializing at the retreat in 1 1/2 days and started putting the blocks together. My next learning experience will be making QST (quarter square triangles). My heart almost quakes.

I have the NICU quilt top layered and basted. It is ready for quilting and binding. My deadline for this quilt is Sunday, October 19. We will be making another pattern for the NICU. Wonder what pattern they will choose to teach us.

After guild I continued to unpack from the retreat. I have almost everything stored or in place to continue to work on my projects. I have so many projects that are scheduled for Christmas gifts that I will be busy all the time.

Have a nice and blessed day.