Category: Miranda’s Journey

Oma’s Treasures –Well, it certainly is bright.

Trying to decide if it is too obnoxious or loud.  My goal was not to take away from the embroidery.  I am not sure that I did that here.  I don’t mind the happy colors, but when you look at it’s like a slap in the face of color. I still have a couple things in mind to do.  One more one inch green around the outside, I think.  I plan to quilt the outside, but I am not sure how yet.  For where the embroidery is, since it is a such a long piece, I think I will sew tiny glass beads in the centers of some of the flowers to ensure the batting does not shift.  Of course, my binding is a bit crazy.  I have a striped piece of fabric (green/orange/pick/yellow) to add to the craziness of this piece.  Feel free to give me your opinion on my color choices and any suggestions on quilting (kinda stumped with that).  You will not offend me if you think it is awful.  I asked for it. LOL.

On a positive note, some good news, my older daughter, who was in a horrific head on collision nearly a year ago, has moved out.  I would say she is 90% of her old self, which is pretty good considering what I saw the first night in the ICU.  While it was a challenging six months after the accident. The outcome was far better than I anticipated.

Happy Sewing

Happy Quilting

Hospital Hexies again…

20170310_070254_resizedWell, I am at the hospital  making hexies again.  Today Miranda is having surgery on her elbow.  When she had her accident, she had a compound fracture of her elbow.  She also lost about 3 inches of the bone.  So today, they will take a bone from her thigh and use it to permanently repair her elbow.  She has limited movement, so hopefully this will provide her better range of motion.  The x-ray is totally scary looking.  I have a few others I will ut on her page.

For now, I will continue to make hexies to pass the 20170310_094411time.   I still have two more pieces to make for the entire bedroom set, so at least it is productive.

Happy Quilting

Happy Sewing

Treasure your family

Finally, some time in the sewing room…and some Quilting I don’t hate.

20170211_112954_resizedI actually completed something.  The English Paper Piecing Dog Bone Hexie Dresser scarf is complete.  I even went as far so to clean off my dresser and put it in its home.  Three more to go, but they are all smaller pieced.  Two for nightstands and one for the tall Dresser.  Overall, I enjoyed English paper Piecing.  I had never done it before and started it when my Daughter had her accident.  For weeks I was at the hospital and this gave me something to do in the ICU.  It was quite a while until she was able to talk, so it was mostly sitting there listening to machines.  I am really glad for that to be over.  Much easier to deal with when you have something to occupy your mind20170211_113029_resized and hands.  I just about have one of the nightstand scarves done also.  As for the quilting, I don’t hate it (like usual).  As I mentioned in a previous post, I would choose a different marking method (Not the clingy plastic wrap).  The dog bones I quilted actually resemble dog bones.  How about that.  Shocking.   It might lead me to get more adventuresome with my quilting.  Who knows.

I also completed some Uncle Donald blocks.  Since these are scrappy, there are memories that go along with each one.  For me, that makes this more enjoyable to do.  As I piece these, I take a trip down memory lane.

So for my Uncle Donald Blocks, I have “Becky’s Block”(my niece).  This was made from the scraps from her college graduation quilt.  It was a picture quilt with many photo’s of her growing up.  Addison’s Block (Addison is actually Becky’s daughter, my Great-Niece) are scraps from her baby quilt.  It was charm squares and I chose not to use any that had dark colors since I was making a baby quilt.  The Crazy Dog Lady Block is totally mine, since I am the crazy dog lady.  These are scraps from many dog fabric blocks. Then we have Derrick’s block.  Derrick is my later husband whom I miss dearly.  He always wore camo.  Sometimes I had to ask him to wear something else.  He always made me laugh.  Only the good die young.

udHappy Quilting

Happy Sewing

Treasure Your Family

 

The holidays totally got the best of me…..

20170107_184745_resizedI had some time off, but I was not off during the entire holiday season like I am used to. I user a lost (most) of my vacation time with Miranda’s Accident.

As always, I have big plans for my quilting/Sewing and it did not happen. My sewing room is a disaster, because we had company for new years. This means that everything got dumped in my room. I look at it right now and it frightens me. Trying to move stuff a bit at a time, but it seems to be daunting task.

I wanted to make a page for all the items I really need to finish this year. Did not that done either. Of Course On December 30th I was at the Immediate Care with Bronchitis. It figures. Company coming and I am sick. I made it through, and had fun. Two of my sister came for the New year, which had never happened before. We had a Chinese gift exchange which involves stealing gifts etc…. I wound up with a toilet light. It was meant to be funny (and it is) but I also find is useful. Makes me not have to turn on lights when I get up at night. Unfortunately, my nephew Alex got the gift I provided. Cottenelle wipes, Toilet Paper and PooPourri. Needless to say He won for worst gift. It was worth a laugh though.

I did manager to work on my English Paper Piecing and finished the one that will go on my dresser. Dog Bones for the crazy Dog Lady. I have now begun work on the nightstands and will eventually get to Kevin’s dresser. I like to work on my English paper piecing while I am watching TV with Kevin or my daughters. Gives me something to do besides snack.
I plan to attempt to quilt dog bones on the dog bone dresser scarf. Will see how that goes.

Happy Quilting
Happy Sewing
Happy 2017
Treasure your Family

Struggling Snowflakes

20161124_124600_resizedI made this table runner for my own table.  I usually don’t make much for myself, but it seems odd to be a quilter and not have quilted stuff all over your house.  It is an interesting batik and I was not appalled at my quilting this time.   When I did the quilting, I was sort of thinking/going for snow drifts.  It came out all right.

The snowflakes are not struggling.  I am guilty of that.  Basically I have been feeling like crap and am sick of it.  I have two conditions that are currently competing with each other in my body.  For years I have had something called Dopa Responsive Dystonia.  For me, it basically means that I have the worst Charlie horses all over my body.  Medication had solved about 90% of it until the Rheumatoid arthritis reared its ugly head.  So the drugs for that cause the dystonia to be a zillion times worse.  Like I actually have cramps in my jaw (awful) and my tongue (imagine how that looks and sounds when talking).  I spend a lot of my free time at work, hoping no one notices that occasionally my arm shoots across the table without warning and begins contorting, which often causes tears to run down my face.  They attempt to solve this with powerful anti-seizure drugs that I don’t want to take because they can be very addictive and when you have to take them around the clock.  It makes a person wonder.  Then there are the two doctors, the rheumatologist and the neurologist, who don’t really want to talk to each other, they just want to prescribe more drugs.   Yesterday I was at the neurologist and pretty much begged him to talk to the Rheumatologist.  Just got a dumbfounded look and an offer to write him a letter.  Really?

Actually discussed with Kevin last night if I should just stop taking everything, because I am not sure much is helping.  If you want the Rheumatoid to be better you have to screw with the dystonia drugs.  It is a no win.  My only saving grace is the inexpensive hot tub Kevin put in the garage for me.  It is really the only thing that helps. I find myself in it 2-3 times a day.

I know I should just stop feeling sorry for myself.  I just don’t want to always feel like crap.  On a positive note, my daughter Miranda is doing well after the accident.  Working on therapy.

Happy Sewing

Happy Quilting

Treasure your Family

Mystery quilt and packing….

So, I am trying to get back to my normal life.  My daughter is home from the hospital, which is great.  But, you do sort of trade one set of circumstances for another.  Glad not to be running to the hospital, but there is a lot to do having her home also.  This weekend is the Quilt Retreat.  It has been a while since I have been to one.  Part of me feels like I should be staying home and part of me can’t wait to go.  Kevin tells me I am going…… I have been gathering my things together in my new wheeled “I am going to a retreat” case.

Since this is a mystery quilt retreat, I have been spending 10 minutes here and there cutting out the pieces that I need.  I am done, need to label them and get them into bags all sorted.  I have never done a mystery quilt, so this is a new experience for me.  I used some fabrics that I had purchased previously and then purchased a couple other coordinating fabrics.  I will post photos as we go.

Now for the what to pack?….  Wine (check), Diet Pepsi (Check).  I am guessing I should consider a sewing machine and other supplies.  We will be leaving at 6am Friday morning, so I really need to be ready by Thursday night.  That should be a challenge.

We are staying at the Berlin Hotel and resort.  Since it has been so warm here, the trees are just starting to change, so it will be very beautiful.  Fall in Ohio tends to be very picturesque.  Can’t wait to go to one of my favorite shops , Millers Dry Goods and there is a shop hop going on.  WooHoo!

Progress, in several areas

Well. my hospital hexies are finally looking like something.  I feel like I have made progress.  I believe my plan will be to make a scarf for my dresser.    Seems fitting since I am the crazy dog lady.  As I type this there is one at my feel and one on the chair next to 20161003_195603_resizedme and one on my lap.  This is a great travel project because everything I need fits into my little dog bag (of course).  In my photo, you can see my Ruger.  This was my late Husbands “Hunting Dog”.  He weights six pounds and is scared of ants, so I am not sure what he would hunt.  Cute as a button though.  He is the only male dog in my herd, so he thinks any female is his.  He frequently rolls all over me as if he is making me his and then gives Kevin the evil eye.  Miss Moka’s paws are on the table where they should not be.

Other progress is with my beautiful daughter Miranda.  I think I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.  It has been six weeks now since her accident and she makes progress everyday.  I update my Miranda’s Journey page often.  It has saved me many many phone calls and texts.  Friends and family know they can go to the page and get an update on how she is doing.  We still have a long road ahead, but we will get their.  Thanks to everyone for their support.