Family room to a Studio

My husband even complemented me on the progress in changing the family room into a sewing room. I have one large box of things to go through and then I can start to use the TV again. I have a goal of switching out two bookcases and then moving the couch to the north side of the room facing the front windows of the room and facing the TV.

I think I have decided where to put my quilting frame. It will be located on the east side of the sewing room so that I can see the fireplace and TV and look out the sliding glass door on the north side of the house.

One step at a time. I still have to change the east side of the family room before I can put the quilting frame together. I had planned on ordering it Saturday, but with one thing and another I had to put it off. I moved the money I had saved for the frame to my VISA so I can purchase it at any time. I am really excited about getting it.

Yesterday DH and I were talking about the studio and I mentioned that the next thing I want to purchase is the Weekender Mid-arm from Hinterberg. When he found out it was $1,699.00 he hit the roof. I think I will have saved enough to pay cash for it by November or December. It will be my Christmas present to myself.

Have a nice day.

MIL Wall Hanging -- new deadline

Well, they changed the dates on me at the nursing home and I have not finished the wall hanging. I will just have to settle with December 25 as the deadline.

Perhaps I will get to work on the hanging this weekend. It is supposed to be rainy Saturday afternoon through all of Sunday. A perfect excuse to seclude myself in the quilting!

Have a great day

Christmas presents

Surely I wouldn't start a Christmas gift after Thanksgiving? You want to bet.

I have started on a Santa wall hanging for my MIL. I have almost all the pieces cut out. Since NASCAR season is over I can plan on working on it Sunday.

Right now I am mostly working on my knitting.

Have a great day

Mouse Pad

I recently read in a magazine (new or back issue I do not know) that putting a mouse pad under the sewing machine foot pedal will keep it from walking across the floor. Yesterday I found an old one at work that I really don't know why I saved. I took it home and now need to get my machine out and try my new not to walk pedal.

I am finally past the 2 week lifting restriction and can get my machine out. DH has been working on the outside and is so tired that asking him to help me is more than I can do. He is exhausted by the end of the day.

Have a nice weekend.

Guild was fun last night!

Our quilt guild met last evening. DH was so concerned about my driving to the meeting and back. I did fine. But, and there always is a but, I should have taken him up on his offer to drive me. My pulse rate was up too high to sleep until almost 4 this morning. 2 hours of sleep is not enough!

The meeting was just what I had hoped for. The show and tell had a lot of Shashiko quilts and the students of the class from Sunday brought some of their work to show as well. The speaker is a member of guild and she gave her "Memory Quilts" presentation. There were times when I wanted to cry and other times when I felt inspired to new heights by her endurance. I think she was talking about another class in the future. I would surely like to go.

Guild is planning a trip down memory lane next meeting and they asked if we would bring in quilts that had special meaning to us; either our first quilt or one with special background or one that had been made by a family member. I signed up to show my great grandmother's "Grandmother's Garden" quilt. I have been hand quilting it since forever. Maybe in the next month I can get some more done before the show and tell. It is a precious quilt to me and one that will never get used. It will be stored and displayed in a safe environment.

Several members of the guild came up to me and we had wonderful conversations. My old "friends" of course avoided me. I don't continue to attend the guild because of them, but because it is where I belong. I learn and get inspired by all the members!

I found out that the group that was sending quilts to the maternity center in Alaska are not doing it at the present time. Such a worthwhile effort and so special to the mothers. I may have some fabric and patterns that I had set aside for future quilts and can put them to good use. I will ask Jerri if she will give me the address and I might just send up some quilts on my own. That would make the people at the center and the mothers feel so special. I love doing that for others!

With the restrictions the cardiologist put on me for the next two weeks I cannot make more than one trip downstairs each day. The one for today is done. Tomorrow I will get out GG quilt and look it over. Let's see if I can make it a little more presentable to my guild members.

Have a great day and keep on quilting.

Why did I take my sewing machine?

We got back from Orlando late Sunday after having a wonderful trip. I got my sewing machine out on Saturday and there it sat for seven days until I could pack it up again. Too much to do and not enough time to do it. By the time we got back to the Condo it was all I could do to get into a nightgown and fall asleep.

Max and Roxie traveled with us to Orlando and stayed in the Bass Pet Motel. They were happy to see us when we visited and really glad to go home. The kennel said they were welcome back any time.

We had a great time in Disney World and at Discovery Cove. I finally got to swim with a dolphin. I have been dreaming about this since 1992. Another thing to scratch off my bucket list. Oh...I need to start a bucket list.

The sewing machine is in the living room waiting for me to get at it. I stopped at two quilt shops on the way home and picked up more patterns and equipment for my quilt studio.

Have a great day.

Florida here we come sewing machine and all

We leave for Orlando tomorrow and I cannot wait. I am taking two projects that have all or most of the fabric precut and my sewing machine and a few tools for these projects.

We have three days at WDW with the entire family and then other things we want to do around the Orlando area. We also have a dolphin encounter at Discovery Cove and get to swim with the dolphins. Also there is snorkeling with rays and tropical fish. I cannot wait!!!!!

Have a great day.

Progress on MIL quilt

I have cut out four of the blocks for the quilt. By that I mean that a total of 17 blocks are cut as each one has four identical blocks placed in the top.

Saturday I was watching a video on QNNtv about EQ and realized that the top was missing somthing. No sashing. How amazing! I pulled up the design and added sashing in the same color as the borders. It is a really wonderful red. The cornerstones of the shashing are going to be white on white fabric. It really made the quilt pop. I cannot wait to start the sewing. However, I am going to have all the cutting completed so that I can just start sewing and not have to jump back and forth between.

We are leaving for Orlando on April 9th. I will be taking the cut pieces for my MIL quilt and Navajo Tears with me. In my spare time between Disney World and Discovery Cove I will sew and chat with our family. I cannot wait.

I hope we will be taking my DH computer with us so that I can post while I am down south, but if not I will update you when we get home.

Have a great day and enjoy Spring.

Helen's Quilt

I have actually started my MIL quilt. It has twenty five blocks 6 different patterns. It is based on the Christian Cross and then moves to other patterns that have crosses. I have cut out the one block that will represent five in the top and another block that will represent four in the top. That leaves me with 4 blocks to cut out. I am so excited. Surely you can tell by reading this.

Too many times I have posted my intentions and then life gets in the way. Not to be a Pollyanna or a goody-two-shoes, but no more intentions and only completions. Unless I have to get on the pity-pot.

We are leaving for Orlando on April 9 and I have packed "Navajo Tears" as one project. I want to have Helen's Quilt as my other project. I think two tops to piece should be more than enough. There I go again with my intentions.

Friday evening the Patchwork Party Spring 2009 started showing up on the websites of the 12 quilt shops that are participating. I was having so much fun with the blocks and the fabrics that I stayed up until 4:00 A.M. on Saturday. That was a long day, but really got my creative juices flowing. I still need to do some cutting on the PP Spring 2008, but I don't think I will get involved in the new one.

Have a great day.

Vikki Pignatelli at Guild Meeting

This month our guild had Vikki Pignatelli as our guest speaker. She also taught two classes over the weekend. I was fortunate enough to be able to take her Curves class on Saturday and her trunk show and talk at guild was inspiring.

I finally got my sewing machine out of moth balls after no sewing since early November. It felt really good to be creative. I learned a lot about myself as well. By going outside of my comfort zone I discovered that the zone is much larger than I ever knew and it can be increased with little if no culture shock.

The curves class was great. Finally a way to applique without struggling. Well that isn't quite true. I did have difficulty using the blind hem stitch and staying in the ditch. My accuracy needs some more practice! The technique Vikki teaches is going to be so useful. I think that hand applique will diminish in my piecing and quilting.

Tonight after two doctor's appointment and several errands I will get to work FINALLY on my grandson's Cub Scout vest. It has been sitting too long! After that I will continue to work for a hour or so each day on my quilting. I have been immersing myself in reading for the last month instead of creating I have been involved in someone else's creativity. Now it is time for me to express myself.

Have a great day and keep quilting!

Guild Meeting

Last night I attended my quilt guild for the first time since November. At that time DH was still in the rehab center recovering from sepsis, pneumonia and kidney failure. He had lost over 30 pounds in one week and at one point was on life support.

My former friends in guild ignored me. In fact I said hello to one and she just walked passed me. They all gathered in a corner near the membership and name tag table. I would never treat a worm the way they treated me.

I know that some will believe what I next say is a lie, but I would never wish any harm to them, I would never wish they have to go through a devastating life change like mine and I will never attempt revenge on them. They were my friends. They are now people that I know but do not wish to associate with. I will be polite and keep my distance. I just want them to be polite and leave me alone.

We moved my MIL into a nursing home over the weekend and closed her apartment. She is adjusting very slowly. She likes the food and that is a big help. Everyone in the nursing home is so friendly and helpful. I think we made a good choice in where to have her live. She is not so sure about that, but I think she will come around to realize that it was for the best.

My quilting goals have gone totally out the window. Between my own recovery from total knee replacement to DH recover to MIL I haven't had my sewing machine out since November. Once things settle down I will start to access my works in progress and projects that I want to make or finish and set some specific goals.

I haven't done any knitting in years, but have a project I started two years ago for DH as a Christmas gift. It is a hooded sweater. I think I will take it with me when I visit MIL so I won't fidget when visiting.

Have a great day.

MIL Quilt

I received a comment about the quilt for my mother-in-law and wanted to respond. Thank you very much for the advice. This quilt is not supposed to be a special quilt. It is to be a bright and happy way to welcome her to a new home. The fabric is not high quality as I know that it will be washed many times. If I have the opportunity to make another quilt when this one wears out I will be pleased. It will show that she loves and uses the quilt which is my intent.

Just the same the advice is wise for a quilt that would become an heirloom.

We are fortunate to have many quilts in her family that have been carefully taken care of. The even survived a major flood in 1997 when the Licking River in Falmouth, KY covered the house she was renting with muddy water for almost a week. The quilts had been layered on a bed in her 2nd bedroom so there was almost no wear. We washed them two or three times on a gentle cycle and the mud came out. We did not allow them to dry before the first wash. We were very lucky. Most of them are crazy quilts and they look as good as they did before the flood.

Change in priorities

MIL is moving into a nursing home the end of this month. Because of my surgery I was not able to give her the quilt intended for Christmas. My new goal is to cut all the fabric, piece all the blocks, sew the blocks together, layer the backing, batting and top and sew it together like a pillow case and invert it. Then I will tie the quilt together rather than quilt it. I want to have it on her bed in the nursing home before she walks through the door or at least have it on my arm as the first thing to unpack.

All other projects will have to go to the bottom of the priority list for the time being. So many projects and so little time.

Our vacation schedule for 2009 has been fairly well settled. I plan on one week in Gatlinburg in March, one week in Orlando in April and three quilt retreats spread out through the year.

In the meantime I am slowly working my way into the family room to transform it into my sewing room / quilt studio. One item at a time each time I go down stairs. (Stairs are still difficult for me). My goal now is to have everything in place before we leave for Orlando so that I can pack quilting that is minimal in space requirements. Each time I pack I get a little better at taking only what I need and not over packing.

God bless you and keep you and your love ones safe and healthy.

Back to posting

I am recovering well from my surgery. I spent four days in the hospital and 10 days in a nursing home before coming home on December 22. I had additional medical problems that made it impossible to be discharged from the hospital directly home.

Quilting has not been an active part of the last five weeks. I am enrolled in a class at Quilt University called "Wheel of Mystery" and received my second lesson yesterday. I have chosen my fabric. I need to start cutting it and piecing.

DH gave me $50.00 as a Christmas gift towards the purchase of a quilting frame. I am looking at a Grace frame.

God bless you, Karen

Other objectives

Although I had a four day weekend I did not have the opportunity to do any quilting. Most of the time was spent working in the kitchen, working on a toilet that will not flush and searching for 5 pistols that belong to DH. The kitchen is almost back in pristine shape, the toilet is still not working and DH found 4 of the pistols. Today he will be looking for the last one. Finding these pistols takes a load off my mind.

We did have a wonderful Thanksgiving Day with DD, SIL and GS. Jeremy is growing into such a wonderful boy. He and I had a long conversation and I must say he is fantastic. I love him too much to define. After dinner we had some target practice. Wait, you say. Jeremy is only 7. Well that kid can sure shoot a marshmallow blaster. I learned from him. What fun!

I have a very heavy work load during the next 15 calendar days and on December 16 I will be having my right knee replaced. I don't know how much blogging I will do in the meantime. I also need to stick very strictly to my diet so that my physical therapy after surgery is easier. 30 minutes 3 times a day for knee replacement physical therapy and some of it is patient driven. Thank God some of it is a machine that works on keeping the knee flexing. I will start at 35 degrees and end up at 110 degrees flex. After that any additional flexibility will be on my own.

Have a great day.

Getting ready

All my sewing equipment and projects that went on vacation with us are now in the house and ready for me to get to work. I had obligations for this evening that just got cancelled so I will be setting up a sewing area in the living room and working on the completion of the Navajo blocks. I have 8 left to complete and then the next step in this quilt top.

There is a new quilt guild that a LQS is starting. I have investigated it and am thinking about attending the initial meeting. Since it will be very close to my home it may be another way of extending my quilting.

DH is doing much better so I will be able to be more outgoing in my small group and guild attendance.

Have a great day.

Home Safe and Sound

We have returned from a very relaxing and restful week in Gatlinburg, TN. The sewing machine and my projects are the only remaining things in the car. I ran out of energy with the unloading. Thankfully the next vacation in April will be with a healthier husband and he can help with the unloading. He kept apologizing for not doing more, but he drove both ways and that was the saving grace.

I didn't get as much piecing done as I had expected. Creating 240 HST take a lot of time; with sewing and squaring up. I have almost 3/4 of my blocks completed for "Navajo Tears" and then I will lay out the blocks on the point with other fabric between. I have two options with the other fabric. Simple 8 1/2" squares or making QST and placing them in between the Navajo block. I will have to get my design wall out to make the decision.

This week is only 2 1/2 days of work. The rest will be some minor house cleaning after our vacation and getting ready for the holidays. Vacations are very nice, but there is always the let down and the recovery. Fortunately I love Thanksgiving and Christmas so this gives me a slow let down from vacation. I did some shopping in Sevierville for Christmas and only have a few items to purchase. Then the wrapping.

Have a great day.

Final day of vacation

Today is our final day in Gatlinburg. We are well rested and relaxed and ready to get back into the fray.

We will be packing all our belongings today after I do laundry and put everything but our morning needs into the car today. Then we will be on the road home.

Only one stop on the way home. JoAnn's has a super store in Knoxville and I plan on spending a little time there. I picked up two patterns from Holloway House yesterday and they call for fat quarters. I have to look at the ad from JoAnn's to see if there is anything I would die for.

Have a great day.

Gatlinburg, TN

We have been here since Saturday and have 1 1/2 days of vacation left. I have finished the hst for "Navajo Tears" and am putting together the last 14 blocks. Then I will need a surface to lay out the blocks and decide the order I wish to put them together in.

The quilt for MIL is still in the bag. We have been having so much fun here that very little sewing has gotten done. But that is okay. This is a time for us to reconnect and heal after two very hard years.

Have a great day.

Sour Apples

Right now all my former friends from Guild are enjoying their selves at a retreat at Blue Licks Battlefield and State Park. They are eating and drinking and sewing and sharing quilt tips and talking and having a wonderful weekend. I do envy them. I love retreats.

I have no hopes that these former friends will ever become my friends again. In fact I don't want their friendship. However, I cannot imagine cutting myself off from the guild and future quilt retreats. I am not sure what I will be doing about it, but a solution will be found that makes me content in myself. If they are uncomfortable about my solution that will be something they will have to deal with.

These former friends never understood what I was going through. They just saw my sorrow and anger at circumstances and could no long deal with it. Again, that is their problem. That my DH almost died on October 10 is something they know nothing about and I don't really think they would care.

I have lost one husband to an auto accident, divorced a second because he shut me out of his life and almost lost a third one to kidney failure, sepsis, staph infection and pneumonia. For three days we kept DH alive on a ventilator while trying to heal the infection, restart the kidneys without dialysis and clear his lungs from the pneumonia. That we have had four weeks of hospitalization to deal with; that DH has lost 30 pounds during his illness; that he is using a walker or wheelchair because he has no endurance; that I have been beside myself with worry; in all of these things they were not there for me.

They pledged their friendship and help and then withdrew it because they could not deal with me. I regret that they were unable to help me. I would have loved the support of friends. However, I am moving forward and getting my life in order. My DH still has dementia. He will continue to slide downhill into a memory loss. There will be times that I will want to strike out at anything to deal with the anger of my husband loosing his memory. I will find other friends who will comfort me. I will find other quilt buddies to interact with. I will go on with my life and be a happy and content person.

I can only feel sorry for these women and hope that they never have to deal with what I have been going through and what I have ahead. I wouldn't wish this on anyone. I have been at the brink of death and seen my husband pull back into a life that we never thought we would enjoy again.

Whether these women read my blog or not, I felt that I finally had to express my sadness at their reaction to my deepest pain. They were not there for me and I can never forget what they did to me. They are forgiven and written out of my life.

I am sorry for the sour apples...but I needed to get this written so that I can go on with my life. The pain inflicted has continued to eat at my heart and I don't want that pain any more. I don't want them to apologize. I just want them to stay away from me and leave me alone.

In spite of the content of my blog today, please have a happy and safe day. May God watch over you and keep you in his love.