half gone or half full . . .

Rabbit, rabbit!  It's hard to believe it's July 1st and we're halfway through the year already!

June was busy, but good.  We got the very good news that the PET scan images were good, so Todd was cleared for surgery.  That will happen on July 5th ... in four days.  It's a major surgery.  They'll remove the right lobe of his liver, his gallbladder, and ablate any mets they find on the left lobe.  They think there might be one, but they've never been able to get a good look at it, so that's the first thing the surgeon will do.  Todd will be in the STICU for three days post surgery, and then moved to a regular room for another seven.  BUT, if it means he'll come home cancer-free, then hallelujah!

We started June by celebrating Edith's graduation from Kindergarten.  

She's a rock star!

Next, we celebrated Olivia's NINTH birthday (from afar, which I hate, but I'm so glad for technology that allows us to be in on the fun, even if it's from afar)!

The sweet birthday girl enjoying one of our gifts.  She's a rock star, too!

We're both really enjoying the time off from chemo.  He's starting to be back to his old self!  We were able to enjoy a week on the lake, which was really nice!  

We've rented this same home for several years now — in June and then last year we added October.  It's a beautiful location, a simple home, and a terrific boat house.  It's really lovely.

Todd did a lot of fishing . . . 

I did a lot of project prepping (so I have plenty of things to keep my hands busy during surgery and hospital stay) . . .

This is a UFO from 2010 - Jaybird Quilts Hexagon Quilt Along - that I *remembered*.

And some fabric/scissor shopping (would you believe I forgot to pack a pair of scissors????) . . . 

Yes, lots of reds, whites, and blues (but, true to form, also some pumpkins—who am I, right?)!  I saw some really cute patriotic bowl fillers in the Summer 2023 issue of Primitive Quilts and Projects, and I knew I wanted to play around with them.

And so far, so good!  They may not be completely finished by the 4th holiday, but it'll be close!  This will be my Slow Sunday Stitching, for sure!  :)

We also had the grandgirls over one day to play and splash!  

We celebrated our anniversary while we were at the lake ... but no pics.  I was so sick!  It went from a stomach virus to a gastrointestinal virus and I'm still not quite fully recovered!  Yuck!

Things at the camp are going well . . . turtles are out and about (and starting to lay eggs!) and things are blooming! We had a wet June ... things are green and gorgeous!

And I'll leave on this sweet note . . .

Hard to believe this sweet (and saucy) baby boy will be TWO in just a few months!

Happy July!  Happy Slow Stitching Day! Happy Independence Day!  

:)

can it be . . .

Y'all.  Tomorrow is the LAST day of August, which means Saturday is the FIRST day of September, aka the FIRST day of calendar fall (as opposed to astronomical fall which begins with the September equinox--on the 22nd--this year).

WHAT???!  I think my 'all caps' tell you how I feel about this.

Sigh. This year is going by so very fast. And the summer's gone by even faster! Probably because I spent most of it in a sling. You think? Speaking of that, the right shoulder continues to heal and I continue to do physical therapy. Yesterday I consulted with the doc about the MRI I just had done on the left shoulder ... it's torn too, so as soon as I've got the right shoulder up-to-speed, we'll start the process all over again with the left one. Aye yi yi!  The good news is the doc said there's VERY little chance of either side tearing from use and age(?!) ever again. Whew!

Never mind that. Let's think on happy things.  Like pumpkins and hexies.

Or hexie pumpkins!  We'll introduce our seasonal mug rug swap at the September guild meeting and the October swap is autumn themed, so I'm prepping some appropriate samples. One of my co-chairs (Sarah P.) won't be able to be at the September meeting so she handed over her samples early.  Check out these cute little fellows . . .

Aren't they wonderful??!  They aren't finished (she's going to put faces on them), but still, so fun! She also did these leaf embroidered/strip pieced mug rugs.

I really love these - especially the elongated, embroidered oak leaf!  I'm going to play with something acorn-y for another sample . . .

Not sure where this is going to go with fabric, but I'll work with it and report. I noticed something funny...these two pics printed exactly the same, but whether it's the angle or the lines I've marked around them, they look different.  Illusions.

Here's another happy . . .

Finished whipping together the top of the starburst hexie topper. I was going to let it sit for a good couple of years before finishing it, but Sarah (of sarah did it!) was emphatically against that plan and insisted I have it finished for Veteran's Day. {grin} I'm still thinking big stars in the tone-on-tone solids, and maybe circling the inner starbursts on the stars.

I have one last A Quilters Journey piece, but I haven't decided whether or not I'll share it yet. It was a compilation of a broad sampling of other guild members' thoughts about the 2017-18 guild year -- I just wrote the intro and the closing.  It was still a fun piece, just very long.  I may share it by itself tomorrow -- close out the month, so to speak.

Hip hip hooray, today's a vacation day (and the start, thanks to Monday's holiday, of a five-day weekend)! So I'm headed to the Nook and may not emerge until Tuesday. J/K.  I'll be out to the lake tomorrow!  Happy {long} weekend!

:)

chronicling the journey . . .

Nothing much going on here . . . still in a sling, still pecking away one-handed, still slugging through daily physical therapy. More notably . . . still no stitching. But there's light! I'm past the halfway mark of the five weeks in the sling . . . just a little over two weeks, in fact, until it comes off. Hurray! (And HURRY!)

The February installment of A Quilter's Journey, discussed chronicling one's quilting journey. I really do use my blog to look back and see when I did things and what things I've done. I found over the past year, when I wasn't quite so faithful, that I really missed being able to look back and see finishes (or more likely, starts), fabrics I'd purchased, a particular pattern I'd used. That was one of the reasons I've come back! Anyway, without further ado . . .

As I went through my quilts preparing for last month’s guild program, I realized that most of my *favorite* quilts that I’d completed were quilts I’d gifted away. And I’d imagine there are a lot of us quilters that feel that way. And if you’re like me, a lot of heart and soul goes into those favorite quilts (if not blood, sweat and tears), and while there’s definitely joy in the giving, there can also be that hollow feeling that comes from giving a bit of yourself away. 

Quilt Journaling. I’m convinced that may be the answer. 

Quilting journaling has become very popular over the last several years, with merchants coming up with eye-catching journals and layouts to tempt us into chronicling our journey of creation. Journaling can take a lot of different forms. Today’s quilting journal books provide prompts, blank spaces for photos or design doodles, areas for fabric swatches (and detailed information about said fabric), and some even have space for planning sewing time (or shopping time??!). A quick search on Pinterest revealed LOADS of resources you can print yourself. Project worksheets, quilt planner sheets, quilt design planners, quilting goals, even instructions for how to make your own quilt journal! (Want to take a look at a free quilt journal/planner set of printables? Patchwork Posse has a fun *free* set you can download and use as you see fit – a great, inexpensive way to play around with the concept of journaling, especially if it’s new to you: https://www.patchworkposse.com/16-days-of-free-quilt-planner-printables/.) 

Going through all these resources it dawned on me that I’d been journaling a lot of my creations from the first quilt I’d gifted. In fact, for my very first quilt, I kept a notebook of each month’s block construction instructions, along with small patches of the fabrics I used for each block, some scribbled notes/comments on the process, and after I’d completed a block, I took a digital picture of it and printed it along with the name of the block and which month it belonged to. At the end of the notebook is the date I finished the quilt along with a full-size photo of the finished project. I did that for all the block-of-the-month quilts I’ve done, which it makes it really easy to keep up with those. 

Not long after making my first quilt, my sister gifted me with a darling little 4” X 6” scrapbook she’d made especially for my quilting. The next quilt I made I used that sweet little book to document the making of a baby quilt I gifted back to that same sister and my newest niece. Pictures of the process and the completed quilt, along with notes of where I got the quilt pattern, snippets of fabric, and the website where I found the template I used for the bunny applique. 

And don’t forget about blogging! What a great way to journal the process *and* share it with a like-minded community (and make quilty friends around the world, to boot!). I’ve kept a blog since 2003 but it wasn’t until 2008 that I found the quilting community online and began sharing pieces of my quilting journey on my blog. But in 2010 – 2012 I blogged nearly every day, and my quilting life is laid out for all to see. This has been particularly helpful to *me* when I want to go back and check a pattern I used or particular fabric I had or check my timeline. Social media – Facebook and Instagram in particular – can also be a great way to digitally journal your quilt projects, and get feedback at the same time. 

Somewhere along the line I purchased a plain, lined journal. For a while I doodle-journaled quilt concepts and sketched out ideas, as well as some true-to-form journaling (deep quilty thoughts). Then I had the GREAT idea (famous last words) for a personalized hexie-crazy quilt, where each hexie was themed by a memory or hobby or other aspect of my life. So I drew out the appropriate sized hexie across the center of the journal . . . on about 40 pages . . . and then as I thought about it, I sketched out the block map with embellishments and embroidery stitches I planned to use for each block. This is a work in progress, so I’m still playing around with it—let’s just say it’s a LIFE project. 

Do you journal your quilts? What steps do you take (especially when the quilt won’t be spread on your own bed or hung on your own wall) to preserve the memory of the time, effort and energy spent in creating? Do you create photo albums or keep fabric snips, or write notes? How do you preserve the creative process? Things to ponder . . . 

My name is Denise and I’m a quilter. :)

teabloom party for five . . .

So, bear with me. Here I am nearly two weeks out from surgery, but still have no use of my right arm/hand. Which means typing is a joy. Not! The easiest way for me to do this was to use my speech to text on my phone, and email it to myself so I could cut and paste it into my blog. LOL!

All in all, though, I'm recovering well and feeling good. Jocelyn and her girls paid me a visit this week and that was such happy medicine! We had a tea party (of course), with a lovely new teapot and tea from a new-to-me company called TeaBloom. 

When I updated/freshened up my blog, I spent a good deal of time checking/adding links and content on my All Things Tea page. Evidently it must have caught the attention of online merchandisers, because TeaBloom contacted me and asked if I'd be willing to try their products and add their link to the tea page. Of course!

Pre-surgery I shared a pic of a pretty glass butterfly....which graced the lid of the teapot I chose....the Wings of Love teapot.

Isn't it pretty? I knew the grandgirls would love it! It came with two blooming flower teas, but it also has a pretty glass infuser for loose teas. 

I showed the ball of tea to Evey and Ellie and they wondered over it and sniffed it (and it had a wonderful 'bouquet')....but let's face it. It was a brown ball and nothing special. 

Until you added hot water. 

The girls were captivated watching it unfurl into a beautiful flower! I have to admit I was pretty captivated, too. 

Not only was it pretty tea, it was tasty tea!  It was a light green tea, but very full flavor and bright. A nice pick-me-up tea! (Plus, it could be re-steeped with fresh hot water.) I highly recommend TeaBloom for their teas and tea wares.  

Even Edith Rose thought it was delicious! And don't let her diminutive size fool you ... girl knows what she wants and she wanted her own cup of tea!

Mind you....neither Jocelyn nor I managed to get any other pics of the girls. My brain was still muddled from surgery. That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it!

No stitching yet...but I do go back to work Monday. I'm doing a lot of blog reading, just not so much commenting/typing. My PT is going well and the therapist tells me I have great range of motion. All positive things! The sling comes off July 30th. I *am* counting days (and it *will* be a JOY)!

Happy tea-drinking and happy weekend!

:)

a quilter's journey . . .

Surgery went well; physical therapy starts today.  I admit that I'm a little more anxious about the PT than I was about the surgery!  

The pain is manageable, as long as I stay on top of the meds and keep the ice pack in play.

It's time for the next installment of A Quilter's Journey.  I didn't do an article for the December newsletter; so this is January's contribution.  Our guild year ends in August, so I've only got one more to go! Now to decide where the focus should be . . . any thoughts?!? 

At Christmastime, Santa was the one making a list (and checking it twice).  But as the New Year makes its entrance, ‘most every quilter I know begins their own list . . . of resolutions (or good intentions), that is!  If you’ve been on the quilting journey for any length of time (over two months), no doubt there are some “quilty” resolutions filling up your own list of resolutions—or goals, as I like to refer to them.  Here are a few things you might find on a quilter’s New Year’s Resolutions list—or perhaps on your own list:

-I will buy no more fabric; instead I’ll use only fabric from my stash*

     *exceptions:  there’s a great sale-of-a-lifetime at any of the LQSs

                         there’s a great sale-of-a-lifetime online

                         I find a new favorite fabric line

                         I fall in love with a quilt kit (that I promise to work on in 2018-fingers crossed)

                         I visit a quilt show or exhibit and need to support the vendors

-I will take a quilting class and learn something new

-I will get rid of anything (fabric, gadgets, patterns, etc.) that I don’t love

-I will document my progress through my quilting projects (either by journaling or photojournaling)

-I will finish up all the UFOs (UnFinished Objects) I’m currently storing*

     *exceptions:  I forget where I am/what I was doing with a particular UFO

                             I quit working on it because I hate it

                             a new and/or better project comes along

                             I ‘lost’ it

-I will spend a little bit of time each day in my quilting room

-I will only make quilts that are fun

-I won’t purchase any more quilting gadgets unless I’m really going to use them*

      *exceptions:  there’s a great sale-of-a-lifetime at any of the LQSs

                              there’s a great sale-of-a-lifetime online

                              I visit a quilt show or exhibit and *need* to support the vendors

-I will organize my sewing area which includes organizing my fabric stash

-I will actually do any BOMs that I sign up for or participate in

-I will not point out any mistakes in my finished projects

One or two (or all) of these may be on my own list of goals for 2018.  What about you?  What quilty resolutions are you making for the coming months?!  Happy New Year!

My name is Denise and I’m a quilter.  :)

stitching therapy . . .

Two days in a row . . . please don't pass out!

I wanted to share my finished "Cattitude" piece from Saturday's workshop.  I had a little Nook time yesterday afternoon and managed to get it quilted.

Nothing fancy ... I did a little stitch-in-the-ditch machine quilting and then I tied it with yarn (because Gwenevere loved playing with yarn and string) which felt like the perfect touch.

Really pleased with this finish and have it hanging over my laptop!

I couldn't do the workshops on Friday, but I saw a lot of the finished pieces from the afternoon session.  In fact, I shared a picture of Meg's 'word quilt' in yesterday's post. I got the itch to do a word quilt of my own, and while I was brainstorming for an appropriate word, I realized I needed to stitch while the stitching is good.  Tomorrow is D-Day . . .

I know, right?  If they'd skipped everything between "shoulder" and "procedure" it would have meant the same to me! But what it will mean is limited mobility for at least five weeks, aka, no stitching. As I thought about all that, the perfect word hit me . . .

Heal! And since I had taken the photo workshop, I pulled up a png of a band-aid and printed it off to lend a visual to the project.  That was a fun and easy finish, too, and it's hanging over the space where I'll more than likely do most of my "recovery" for that first week! This was my pre-surgery therapy. Very fulfilling.  :)

It seems like there's always something blooming at the camp . . . but these yellow water lilies were so beautiful, I had to share them:

And in the same area (the turtle sanctuary), the lettuce had gone to seed and produced some beautiful purple flowers:

Yellow and purple are a favorite color combination of mine! That lettuce has never flowered before. Funny how nature works, isn't it?

Not sure when I'll be able to manage a keyboard, so it may be a little dry here for the next week or two. But I'll be reading (if not commenting).  But when I do post next, I'll expound on this pretty little picture . . .

Fits right in with my lilies and lettuce, no?!

Have a GREAT week!

:)

finishes and fire stations . . .

Whew ... what a whirlwind the past couple of days have been!  Monday morning I got my stitches out -- easy-breezy -- and I had a long enough wait that I was able to finish quilting my mini-hexie top, write and address several note cards, and finish my grocery list.  Aye-yi-yi.  From there it was errands and grocery shopping, and by the time I got home, it was after two-thirty!  (I left at seven-thirty!)

I had a guild board meeting ... there was lots of discussion and it gave me the opportunity to finish up stitching together my other hexie project . . . 

Yay!  Mr. Owlie in the Burning Ring of Fire is ready to put together and quilt!

I've told y'all I'm a magazine addict, right?  These were some of the issues at the meeting that were 'free to a good home':

I'll go through them and carry them back to the December meeting (or send 'em out upon request). There were some cute things that caught my eye.

Especially these two titles, which I'd never seen before.  Since the one on the right is published in France, that explains that one!

Yesterday I spent the daytime with Ellie ... I can't believe how she's practically growing up before my eyes!  She's crawling and pulling herself up, and walks very competently (frontwards *and* backwards) when she's got a finger or two to hold onto to.

Needless to say, I had my hands happily full with her -- she's such a darling delight -- and I didn't snap a single picture.  I remember lamenting about this when Sawyer was this age, too!  The above is compliments of Jocelyn.  :)

I finished up the binding on the mini-hexie project while Ellie was napping:

Yay!  The binding is so dark it just blends into the background -- but it *is* purple!

Yesterday afternoon I picked up Sawyer and we headed to the Fire Station to have dinner with Paw-paw!  He was ready to GO when I got to his house ... Kim said he'd pretty much talked about it the whole day long!  He sure did talk about it the whole drive over there!

Sitting in Ladder #6 with Paw-paw!

Ready to drive off in Rescue #6!

Strapped in and ready to go!  That helmet is so heavy,
he's having a hard time holding his little head up! 

In his Paw-paw's turnouts!  You'll notice Todd's holding him up?
When he'd let go, Sawyer would fall over (he's wearing the coat,
boots, *and* pants)! 

In the driver's seat of Ladder #6 with the lights flashing!

He really had a marvelous, marvelous time -- and talked about it all the way home!

I spent a little time at the house when I dropped Sawyer off ... I got in a little June time, too!

Yup, I'd say it was a day well spent!

Gotta get busy today ... lots of cooking to do!  I hope your day is filled with happiness and marvelous smells from the kitchen!

:)