Sunday, April 28, 2013

Quilting = Mental therapy

Early March, I laid out some very old....and I mean old blocks.  I mean after talking to my daughter, we decided  these blocks could be somewhere around 9 years old. 
 
This was March 9 (four days after breaking the arm)
 
 
I laid them out because I was going crazy after breaking my arm (right arm at that...dominant arm); and I just HAD to do something constructive.  Well, just laying out these blocks put me in pain for a day. 
 
Then a couple weeks later, I decided to pin them in rows.  There went another day of pain.
 
Another week or so, I finally sewed the rows together and ended up with the center for the top.
 (April 1)
 
 
Well, the cast was removed this past Wednesday with physical therapy not going to happen until next Wednesday. 
 
I did some research online about what kind of therapy I would be getting to get the range of motion back in my hand and get rid of the pain that I am having, too.  It all looked pretty painful, so I decided to start taking matters into my own hands and I just started ....doing.  Hey, if I am going to have to endure some pain to get some gain, I might as well enjoy myself. So....I picked up this quilt again yesterday  and just eeked out what I needed with the  fabric I had  for a small inner border and enough to make a piano key border for the final border. 
 

 
 
Here's a  little closer look.
 
 
Now, since these blocks are so old AND the fact that the pattern that the guild handed out for these  charity quilts were just for the blocks, I am lucky enough to have had fabric left over to make this quilt just a little more elaborate than what I am sure was intended. 
 
 
It has ended up to be 77" square and it may not be a super special quilt, but I can't tell you how excited I am to have accomplished what I have  with my limited mobility.  I even had enough red fabric to get the binding cut out for this one, too. 
 
So, yes....quilting can be good mental therapy.  I am feeling so good about this quilt and can't wait to get back to more of my projects that are calling my name.
 
Oh!  My new Millenium is calling my name, too; and now that I have the tension worked out and a little problem that I was having with the encoder, my next post will be some more pictures of my practice progress. I am hoping after the practice sandwich I have on her right now is complete, my next project will be one of my practice charity quilts.  Can't wait to share that with you. 
 
Happy quilting!

Friday, April 12, 2013

Just doodling....

I am going to put myself out there for ridicule, but remember, this is my first attempt AND it is all one-handed as my arm is still broken and still in a splint, but I just had to play.
 
I haven't monkeyed with the tension yet and I am sure I didn't 100% put my fabric onto my new Millenium correctly, but I just had to play (I already said that though, didn't I?). 
 
My butterfly.
 
 
My contemporary blocks
 
 
My crisscross
 
 
Scribble holly.
 
 
Best of the worse Large Popcorn panto.
 
 
Leaves and cherries (scribble)
 
 
More leaves and cherries.
 
 
Meander (I think this is pretty easy).
 
 
Water
 
 
Twirly "e's"
 
 
My attempt at pebbles. LOL
 
 
Even dear husband gave it a whirl. 
 
 
I am NOT going to show you my feathers though.
 
Oh well......practice, practice, practice.
 
 


Thursday, April 11, 2013

New baby grandchild coming in October.



I am going to have to start planning some baby quilts.....curtains, bumper pads, wall decorations....so on and so on....  LOL. 

Michigan quilters, take note

  Come see us at our first Quilter's to Quilter's sale.   Don't know what that is?  Well, it will be 28 quilters/vendors selling...