I've really enjoyed the last couple of weeks because I was finally able to spend some quality time in my sewing room.  ('Bout time too!)  I got another row of blocks made for my scrappy pineapple.  I think this quilt is going to grow from a lap quilt into a larger one.  I really like these pineapple blocks and they're actually fun to make.  I've been working out of my tub of 1 1/2" strips -- so that REALLY makes it easy!  Yup, this one is definitely going to grow.

Spring Has Arrived!

I planted some bulbs last fall and I've been waiting (not so) patiently for them to come up.  They not only came up -- they're blooming!  What a treat to look outside and see these sunny little flowers from my kitchen window!  Now I'm waiting for my crocuses......... 

When Greg and I decided to get married we received this guy as an engagement gift.  (Can't explain it -- sometimes you've just gotta go with it.........!)  We love him and he comes out every year and sits on our front stoop waiting for Easter.  By the way -- he lights up!

I've actually been doing some sewing in an attempt to get ready to vend in Paducah.  I'll be selling my own patterns but I also demo and sell patterns from Little Foot.  They're top-method foundation pieced and once you realize how easy they are it's pretty mindless -- which is why I can demo them (and talk to people while I'm doing it!)  I finished 12 blocks of Hunter's Star.  I like it!  Now I just need to get the other 12 blocks finished.

Getting Back To It

I actually wrote this post a couple of weeks ago and never got it posted because I was interupted.  Anyway-- I actually DID get this little bit of sewing accomplished while my hand was healing.  My handis almost (but not quite!) back to normal.  I still have a little pain when I try to do or lift too (which I'm sure will go away eventually) but overall it feel SO MUCH BETTER than prior to the surgery.  I'm glad I had it done.

I couldn't stand not having my hands on fabric for any longer!  I had this runner that I'd machine quilted quite a while ago but had never bound.  I managed to get the binding sewn on before I had my surgery in hopes that I'd at least be able to do some binding.  It wasn't working for quite a while.  I'd try a couple of stitches each night......  and each night I'd be able to do a few more than the day before so I just kept at it.  A couple of days ago I was finally able to do the last 18" of binding.  HURRAY!!!!!  I now consider myself ALMOST back to normal!  It's nice to get something finished! 

Recovery!

Okay.  I'm still dealing with the carpal tunnel surgery.  It's really surprising how many things take BOTH hands to accomplish -- or at least make easier.  I've been doing fairly well but it's been frustrating to me to actually have time to work on designing or sewing -- and I can't do either one!  I've been using my left hand to run the mouse (and I'm getting better at it!) but everything takes SOOOOO much longer and I don't have the patience for that.  When I'm designing I need to get my ideas down in a hurry -- before I foget!!  Left-handed "mousing" just doesn't cut it!  Sewing blocks would work just fine but I don't have anything for my new design cut out and I can't use a rotary cutter or scissors yet.  Once again -- frustrating!  I"VE GOT STUFF TO DO AND I WANT TO DO IT!  Okay.  I'm better now -- maybe.......!

For any of you contemplating CT surgery -- got for it!  I had very little pain after the surgery; far less than I expected and certainly less than I've been putting up with for the past few months!  My hand and wrist already feel better even though I'm still restricted to no lifting with my hand and they haven't removed the stitches yet.  So -- I'm hoping that in a couple more weeks I'll be back to normal again.

For those of you who want to see the icky stuff I've included a couple of photos.  One with the cast they put on after surgery (which came off a few days ago) and another of the stitches (which come out tomorrow).  BYW:  The purple stuff you see around the wound is the marker that the surgeon used.  I think I'm going to have to use Goo-Gone to get it off! 

 

I didn't much care for his stitching.............  Honestly!   But I guess that's not the point! 

Beware! A New Scam!

I was checking my e-mail before I went to bed last night and received an e-mail from a friend that I usually only hear from a couple of times a year because that's about how often our paths cross. My thoughts were that it was good to hear from her but kind of a strange time for it. Okay. So, I read the message and...........it was a message of distress! She was (supposedly!) in the U.K., had been robbed at knife-point, had all her ID, credit cards and cell phone stolen and was in dire need of help. She had (supposedly, again!) reported everything to the local police. She wanted badly to come home but the hotel wouldn't let her leave until she'd paid her bill so could I please loan her $2500 so she could catch a flight home within the next 12 hours? It had me going for a couple of minutes because I really like this woman and would help her if I could! Then........ I started to realize that there were a whole lot of other people in her life that she'd be contacting for help before my name came up on the list. Besides, she's a smart woman and would have immediately contacted the American Embassy for help. Okay. Got that figured out. Still.............. So, early this morning I got on the phone and called her if, for no other reason than to let her know that her computer had been hacked. Apparently, I was the umpteenth person to call because she immediately told me that no, she wasn't in the UK and no, she hadn't sent the e-mail. (I knew it but it's always nice to get confirmation!) She did, however, mention that it was nice and kind of surprising to hear from so many people! So.............


THE MORAL OF THE STORY............

Be Careful! This looked like a legitimate e-mail from a friend, it got past all my computer security stuff and my spam stuff because it was "from" someone I'd approved and the e-mail itself sounded almost (but not quite!) like an upset, desperate friend who needed help. If you get ANYTHING like this please check it out before you act! I'm very suspicious about these kind of things and it had me going for a couple of minutes!

On another note,,,,,,,,, I'm now typing with two hands -- sort of! I can now use the middle finger of my right hand so typing is going MUCH faster! Huh. I've got another three days before the big bandage and brace come off.  So far so good -- but that's MY opinion........... Greg may see it differently!  (BTW:  He made a GREAT homemade pizza last night!)

Successful Surgery!

Well my carpal tunnel surgery went just fine and now I'm in the recovery stage.  I'm still at the point where I need to keep my arm up to avoid swelling but that should end tonight.  Actually, there's been very little pain -- more along the lines of discomfort rather than pain and that makes it a whole lot easier.  I'm a little bit ambidexterous and that helps however, typing one-handed is a pain!

I'd intended to post these photos before my surgery but that didn't happen.  Guess it's a case of better late than never!  This pineapple is one I've been working off and on for a while.  It started out as a demo block at my booth at shows and I liked it so much and it was fun (and somewhat mindless!) to work on when I didn't want to have to think too hard.  (All I had to think about was light and dark.)  Now I've got 12 blocks finished and I think I'll keep going.  I'm using the top method of paper piecing so the blocks all come out to be the same size.  Boy!  Does that make a difference!  A number of years ago I made a bunch of pineapple blocks using a pineapple ruler..............Not good.  The blocks were all different sizes and there was no way they were going to go together so they ended up wadded up somewhere in the depths of my sewing room..

This wreath is (was!) a Christmas present for a friend that didn't get finished in time.  (Sound familiar?)  I finally got the binding sewn down just a couple of weeks ago.  (You know I've got to be hurting when I don't do my binding because I LOVE doing binding.)  This is made from four more pineapple blocks.  The only thing that's changed is the color placement.  Kinda fun!  I think I'll wrap it up and send it as a Christmas in July gift!

Off The Grid

Once again I fell off the grid with my blogging.  I didn't intend to -- but, as the saying goes, life happens!  I thought I was doing pretty well until I realized that I needed to get patterns to my publisher and they all needed to be re-checked and re-vamped so that they'd be compatible with the publishing software.  I didn't think that would be much of a problem.  HOWEVER.........  almost over night the carpal tunnel that had been bothering me "just a little" decided to become REALLY painful and that curtailed any extracurricular computer time!  I knew I couldn't have the surgery right away so I've been trying to "save" my hand/wrist/arm as much as possible.  However, since I'm scheduled for surgery on Thursday I really don't care any more!  Now I've got some catching up to do!

My friend Rosanne and her husband are now living in Italy - which in itself is pretty neat.  Not long ago I received an e-mail from her with this photo attached.  Here's the story.  Quite a while ago Rosanne purchased a pattern and kit to make my Red Hot Leftovers quilt.  Honestly, it was so long ago that I'd forgotten she'd done that!  She took the kit with her to Italy, pieced it there, brought it back to Iowa at Christmas time to have it machine quilted and it's now hanging in their apartment in Italy.  Wow!  Not only does it look nice but it's well-traveled!  (It's really "odd" to me that something of "mine" is in Italy!  The quilting world is getting smaller all the time!)  Pretty neat!

Then, about 10 days ago I received an e-mail from Sharon in IL asking me about a  quilt pattern that I'd had on my website a while back.  Turns out it was Fractured Stars, which I had on the website as a mystery quilt.  In the course of e-mailing back & forth, Sharon sent me a photo of her quilt, which she made using her scraps.  I really like it!

Sharon also sent me a photo of her friend Tina's quilt -- which is also done with scraps but Tina used muslin for her background.  Looks good to me!  What I think is pretty neat is that Tina reversed one little piece in the pattern and ended up with a pinwheel in the center of her stars.  Who knew?  I think it looks good and I really like it a lot!

Thank you to Rosanne, Sharon and Tina!