Still fighting

   Do these hands belong to Rocky?    Ready to fight, maybe.  
    I am wrapped up-- almost 3" thick-- and able to move fingers at least.  I have to keep them elevated as much as possible.  The pain is minor so far, and for that I am very grateful.   No lifting, tugging or pulling for 3 days.
    Can't say it was easy as I had a panic attack when they strapped both arms down, inserted  3 IVs, and put the blood pressure cuff on my leg.   I had a nightmare with my eyes wide open of the horrors from this past summer in the hospital.  The nurse anesthetist  said "Time to sleep" .....and that's all I knew until I woke up in recovery.  

  The doctor said all went well, and that when he snipped the ligament, it snapped back.  Pressure is relieved, and maybe, just maybe......I think there is a bit more sensation in the right hand.
  I thank you all, faithful readers, for the notes of encouragement and prayers and hovering thoughts around me.  Just know how much I appreciate them and how much strength I gain from them.
  I can't do much, barely can I hold a cup of coffee.  But I have permission to try and stitch strips together today.  Still fighting, happy stitching.

Deciding on Geese

   These wild geese were flying every where as I pulled out several fabrics to try as sashing.  There a dark blue, a grayed-black, and a dark tonal green.  I tried a red, but quickly knew I would not be happy with it and put it away.  Of these 3, I liked the dark green best.  The black needs to be darker and truer with out the grayed splotches.  So since we were planning a quick trip to Fletcher, NC, a short stop at Foam and Fabric would solve the black dilemma.




   I did find a beautiful black tonal fabric I will use for the geese.  But I will save  photos of it until I get some geese strips sewn.  Nicki suggested the name of Flight in the Night if I used black.   We will see......
    I also picked up a couple of books at 50% off....I am such a sucker for quilt books.    The Color book is by Becky Goldsmith  of Piece O Cake fame.  Lots of great projects in it to entice me.   I am reading thru it right now and will share a review maybe of wisdom I gleam from it.

   Sir Old Man spotted this one on the flat fold table.  I did not need this, but loved all the sentiments/sayings expressed on it.   So one yard will make a ton of mug rugs and snack size mats for using, giving, or donating.  I love making the small size projects in between the big stuff.




   I will probably be silent for a day or two.....carpel tunnel surgery is tomorrow.  Thank you all for the support.  I will be back.  Happy stitching.  

Pantry re-do is done

  My pantry closet was never large, but I was always glad for what space I had to work with after 26 years of no pantry in the old house.  The challenge here was wasted space.  The original 18'' deep shelves needed to be reduced in depth.  Items were easily lost in the back of that cave. 

  First everything was removed.  Wire shelves were cut down to 13''.  Once the closet was painted, the wire shelves and supports were replaced.  

 

   Cutting back the wire shelves, left a good bit of usable space on the side wall.  Narrow shelves there could hold a lot of small items.

  Sir Old Man designed side shelves and supports that he could fashion from wood .  He used cleats as support for the shelves.

   Just so you know how much work Sir Old Man put into this.....each side shelf had to be measured, cut and fitted for each individual space.   It seems walls are not square anywhere😒.

  A perfectionist he is, and was in agony over the gap in the miter for the un-square corner.  I finally convinced him that pantry police, like quilt police, will not be allowed in for inspection.







     The side shelves are in and working great!  Sir Old Man also added a metal clip to the end of each shelf that  locks into the wire grid shelving.  Believe me....those small shelves are not going anywhere.

    Then my work began, as I was filling the shelves.  I have a feeling that we will be moving and shifting things around for a few days before being finished.

   A quick idea to share.  Sir Old Man brought up an extra unpainted shelf.  Since I wanted nothing sitting or stacked on the floor, he simply placed the shelf on top of the floor molding.

  Now to get it all organized and enjoy the improvement.

Favorites from Let's Book It!

  Saying good bye to major motivating force in my last couple of years of quilting is not easy.  Let's Book It has been fun and liberating to participate in each month.....many thanks to the  scrappiest quilter who devised and lead us each month,  Sharon at Vroomans Quilts.

  So here are my favorites from the monthly event.  It was so difficult to settle on these few projects!

• The Charming mini and the larger Charming Bricks version just propelled me to look for a project to work on each month.  
• A bargello I called Catching the Light  came together when I found the border fabric.
• A table runner, scrappy and lots of plumes used in the border.  This is a  small version of the  full size quilt below.
• A welcome banner of a scrappy Pineapple....fun to make, and I love the topknot Dresden plate pieced for the leaves.  
• Where My Feet May Fall took several months to make, but the border of blended floral fabrics turned out exactly as I wanted.
• Plume Crazy was gifted to a friend in much need of comfort.  My favorite quilt of 2015.
• Trippin' Thru the Flowers......I use this as my blog banner.  The pattern is Many Scrappy Trips from Bonnie Hunter.

    The Finale is the Pineapple Blossom top.  I began this in September as my Let's Book It project....here is the post.  I began with a test block, then a set of four, and finally a top with borders.  Thanks to Let's Book It I was motivated to get this together by month's end.   The quilting will wait until the new year until the arm strength returns after the carpel tunnel surgery.  

    Things go on, time marching forward to new motivations.  There are several sew alongs, and monthly challenges around......one of them will probably fit me and become a new motivator.
    I just wanted to give special tribute to this idea that kept me moving  and stitching.  It has been great.  Thanks, Sharon!✂
Happy stitching.

What color am I grateful for?

 I saw  this list of  prompts  for a gratitude journal.  As I read through them one caught my eye.  

    I remember saying that my hospital stay this summer was so devoid of color.   I felt starved from it and took great delight in the blue sky as Sir Old Man finally took me home.   I commented "I forgot how blue the sky can be", and then I cried.  I am grateful for blue....always.  Here are a few of my favorite things in blue.

 
   This quilt used blocks from a monthly block exchange at guild from many, many years ago.   When I decided to clear out the UFOs, this was the first project I completed.  Simple and serene.   I love the classic look.









   Some of the blue baubles on a winter wall hanging from a few years ago.  All the shades of blue from icy light to dark of night shades created this
 one .   I used decorative stitches on my machine, with blue threads, to create the  bead/chain between the ornament shapes.







   In the garden window in the kitchen are an assortment of a pale  blue vase, a bottle,  a canning jar, and a small pitcher.  I enjoy the light reflection during the day when the sun is shining on them.

Blue is my favorite color and I will always be grateful for it......
And purple runs a close second.

  And on this Thanksgiving Day, I am grateful to still be blogging.  I am grateful for all the emails and comments, and notes that were sent this summer and fall  during my health crisis.  Not only did they lift and carry me, but each one meant a great deal to Sir Old Man.
   I am grateful to my therapists that pushed, and prodded me to keep going by their belief in me.  They challenged me to go home and live.  It was a challenge I took to heart.  Today, I can walk, I can sew, and I can be semi-independent.  That is so huge.  Yes, I have much to be grateful for.  ♥💙💙
Did you know Blogger has added symbols/emoji, and etc that we can now use?
Happy stitching.

Time for another re-do

Since our Thanksgiving will be quiet, we decided to use the time for a pantry re-do.  OK, it was my idea, and Sir Old Man is fulfilling it.  That is usually how it goes around here anyway.
  Our pantry closet is not large, but enough for us.  The original shelves were just too deep to be really functional.  So Sir Old Man took them down, and has cut the wire grids to 13'' from 18''.

   That means food items were moved to the garage and dining room too.
The photo has the additional wood shelves in the bottom left corner.  Sir Old Man devised shelves that are about 8'' deep that will go along the side of the closet .  They will be cleated and have a metal hook attachment to keep them attached to the wire shelves.

  The end result will be less wasted space, much more usable space, and nothing stacked on the floor!

   The nail holes from the supports have been filled.  And a couple of spills wiped up.  Today will be the painting and prep for the shelves to be installed tomorrow----we hope.







On the design wall......



 Wild Geese.......I have about 90 of these sewn.  They were spilling out of the box, so up on to the design wall they go.   The colors and prints are wild and varied.  Just lots and lots of scraps and gifted fabric.

    If I use this vertical setting,  I think I need  to use some solid gray (maybe) for the setting sashing.  Gray should help unify and settle all the bold colors.   I will play with a couple of other layouts over the next few days.  Suggestions, and thoughts welcomed.

   Giving thanks for a handy/capable/willing husband as he fulfills my wild ideas.

Venture down the Rabbit's Hole

  Have you ventured down the rabbit's hole?  You know the one I mean, don't you?  Pinterest....it's a handy tool for inspiration for design ideas, or it can suck up your time and deplete your vision.    I have shared many quilting hints, tips and finds on my Friday Finds posts.  Readers asked how I found that....here's a few things I  have learned/discovered along the way.

•      I ran across a couple of small wood working projects that I showed Sir Old Man.  He said to save those......instead I had him create a new board for his pins.  I also had him make it private, so only he or I can view.  That will keep those pins from overwhelming my followers view with wood working ideas.  

   So where is the rabbit hole?   When I click on a photo to pin to a board, it is isolated on my screen.  A pop up window shows up for me to select the board to save the pin to.  So I can save it and view any time later, and go visit the original source to get the details.   This is a recent find.....improv birds from pieladyquilts blog. 

•  But, you can also find and view other pins that may be related in description or subject,  just by scrolling down the page.  And that is where the rabbit hole begins.  

  Like a detective unraveling clues to the mystery, one pin leads to another and another.  Ideas begin to appear and expand on the monitor.  You save one and find another.  Surprises happen, you find a better idea or unexpected solution.

• Follow people who like the things you do.  I don't really follow a lot of pinners, but when I see some one that likes much of what I like, I follow the boards on their page that I have an interest in.  If your taste/style change, just unfollow that board. 
• Their pins will appear on your main feed.  Of course you get some ads....hint, click on the small "x" of the ad and answer you don't like ads/or that they are offensive (the latest buzz word it seems).  Lol....many disappear.

 
I have a link button on the side bar or click here to my main page on Pinterest.    Don't be afraid to try Pinterest or to set up your own boards.  Just be smart in how you use it and don't stay down the rabbit hole too long. :)

There you have it....find some pins, search for ideas, and enjoy!

A quick update;  Some of you offered prayers for my friend's daughter who was facing a double mastectomy and reconstruction surgery.   I got an update email this morning that precious Carlin came thru 9 hours of surgery and over 500 stitches!  She is beginning to walk and regain strength, and will have a follow up with doctors tomorrow.  This amazing young wonder woman will hopefully be home by Thanksgiving.  Thank you for the prayers.
Happy stitching.