Lots Happening Here; Not Much Quilting!

Since last Friday, I had plumbers and a tile man in and out of my house every day.  First the plumbers were here to fix a leaky commode in my master bath, and also a leaky tub faucet.  In the process, they managed to break some tile around the pipes to the tub.  Of course, the tile was old, and no longer available.  Also I could see that other tile problems were brewing.  Because of my strokes, I have a difficult time stepping into the tub, so I talked to them about removing the tub and installing a large walk-in shower.  They recommended a good tile man; he came Saturday morning, and long story short, he cut the tub out, and today is preparing everything to begin putting the new tile shower in tomorrow.  Of course, the plumbers had to come back and move the drain and faucet handle, etc.  It's been quite an interesting process for me to watch.  It probably won't be finished until next week, but I'll get by with my other bathroom.

They recommended I take all my glass, pictures, and flowers out of the bedroom and hall to avoid any breakage and lots of dust.  Also the pictures and antique clock had to be removed from the living room wall backing up to the bath wall, and my organ and chairs in the living room had to be moved to the other side of the room to get them out of the way.  Everything removed is crammed in my back bedroom, and it is full and overflowing with pretty "stuff"!  I hate waking up in my bedroom with only the furniture.  The dresser had to be moved to middle of the  room, and of course, the couch in the den had to be moved over, and I draped the piano with an old quilt from a yard sale to protect it as they rounded that corner with their tools and materials.   My house is in total disarray!

But.....I did make my Block Heads block 26.  I started it last night, and hit a snag when the large half squares were not large enough to work with the pieced triangle portion. If any of you are making that block, I'd suggest you cut the light blocks at 3", and then trim the block to 2.5".  Fortunately I discovered that when I tried to put the first one together.  No problem after that.  I finished it this morning.   Here's my only sewing for the week!

When the construction is finished, I'll show a picture; it's too big a mess now!

The rest of the house will require a major clean-up too.  I'm not looking forward to that!  I'll just be glad when they finish!  I think it will be very nice, and safer for this old lady!

---"Love"

My Moda Block Heads Block 25

Here it is, my Block Heads Block 25:

Moda Block Heads Block 25

Again, I really have nothing else to show.  No excuse; just haven't done any other sewing.

The big sewing expo is in Arlington, Tx, this weekend, with five or six guilds participating.  I would love to go, and a friend and I had planned to go, but because of the storm in south Texas, much rain is expected up here too.  In fact, it is pouring as I'm writing this.  With all the predicted rain, the huge crowds that will be there, and my "incapacities", we have decided to forego that show.  Hopefully next year all those big guilds will have their own shows again as in years past.  That way, we get to go more often and see all of the quilts at each show, with less traffic.  I don't know how we could see all the quilts that will be there this weekend, even if we stayed seven hours, much less all the other quilting stuff that will be there!  Maybe someone who goes will post some pictures, and we can see at least a few of the beautiful quilts that I'm sure will be there.

Tuesday I got one doctor (my heart doctor) to agree for me to go back to my regular meds like before my recent vertigo event.  Actually, I had already begun doing that; glad she agreed.  I think I am feeling better, but still spinning a little occasionally.   I told my son I knew there was nothing wrong with my heart.   Otherwise, she would have wanted to see me again before six months, which is when my next appointment was set for.

So there!  Just two more doctors to see in the coming days, and I may never go to a doctor again!  No, not really; I'm just kidding, of course.  Thanks to all of you for your concern and kind words to me.  I really appreciated them.

I really enjoyed all the eclipse pictures from everyone up North.

---"Love"

Not Much Happening Except Another Moda Block Heads Block, Week 24

Again, not much to report for the past several days.  I've been still having a few health problems, some brought on, I think, by conflicting medicine changes made by too many doctors.  I just have no energy or "want to".   I decided Friday to go back to my same med routine as before the vertigo event, and I really think today I'm in a better condition.  I'll be seeing more doctors in the next two weeks.  They may get upset with me, but I'm just not ready to be a total wreck just yet!   So they will just have to deal with it!

I finished my Moda Block Heads week 24 block last night, thank goodness!  If I calculated correctly, there are 72 little half-square triangles in that 6 1/2" block!  That's way too many!  Of course, I used the Easy 8 method to get them made.   I think I like it ----- especially finished!

Moda Block Heads Week 24 block

I tried to do some quilting on my big log cabin quilt, but the poly thread kept shredding, even after I changed needles and did all I know to do.  I gave up and decided to maybe change back to cotton thread, and of course, that means doing some ripping.  Also I had to order more black cotton thread, and it hasn't come in yet.  I just haven't been motivated to work on it anymore this week; maybe next week.  Hope my thread comes in tomorrow.

Today I was looking back over my blog posts for this year, and realized that everything really that I've done, except the Family Rules panel, and the one unfinished Christmas top, has been of the patriotic theme.   Then I realized that there was something else I need to do.

Now, all you old APQ Bloggin' Buddies, again think back to that first place where we all "met", and remember that it went down very suddenly for all of us.  Some of us printed our blogs quickly; I was one of those, and I've continued to do that from time to time.  I realized today that I was behind on printing my blog posts, (since March this year I think), so I have accomplished that much today.   Now doesn't that make you proud of me?  So who cares, you say, and you are probably right.  But I do use this blog to keep a permanent record of my quilts, thinking that maybe someday, my sons, grandsons, and maybe one daughter-in-law anyway, will enjoy looking through those notebooks.  Who knows, maybe I myself will enjoy them when I'm no longer able to quilt and get stuck away somewhere with nothing to do but look at the walls........That better not be anytime soon!  So, my question to you is, are you still printing your blog posts?  If so, are you up to date with it?  Just wonderin'.  

Guess I better stop this muttering, and try to do something more productive.  

Don't ruin your eyes tomorrow watching the eclipse!  I'll be watching it on television.

By the way, did you see the beautiful Eclipse Sky quilt made by Canuck Quilter Joanne?  You can see it here


Hope you had a great weekend!

---"Love"

  

changed

Caught Up Again on Moda Block Heads Blocks

I've not accomplished much since my last post.  I have sandwiched and pinned the black and white log cabin quilt, but have yet to decide how I will quilt it.  I have a few ideas, and hopefully will take a closer look tomorrow and this weekend.

Tonight I did finish my Block Heads Block 23.   It actually was not that difficult except for the tiny pieces!  I finally finished Block 22 today also.   It took me forever!   Let's just say applique is not one of my better skills!  In fact, if I never did any applique again, I'd never miss it!  I love to see the beautiful applique of others, but I'm just not capable of doing it.  My left hand has no idea what it is trying to do, and it drops everything I need to hold.  Oh well, that block is finished, such as it is!

I finished Block 21 several days ago, and it turned out fairly well.

Week 21

Week 22

Week 23

I'm still having a few ear and vertigo problems, but I'm feeling a little better.  I'm able to do most things I want or need to (except applique!).  I have doctor's appointments for follow-ups with all my doctors in the next ten days.   I'm not expecting any bad news from anyone.

Maybe I can get some quilting done this weekend.   Wish I had more to report tonight.

I'm sure all of you will be getting lots of quilting done for sure.  Looking forward to see what you do.

---"Love"

A Not So Fun Week-End, Followed by a Fun Retreat!

Back on July 22 while I was helping with a funeral dinner at our church, the world started spinning around my head and body at about 100 MPH!  I yelled out that I was falling, and a couple of the ladies also helping with the dinner grabbed me before I hit the floor and walked me over to a chair. Things seemed to go from bad to worse, and one of my quilting friends, who was also working the dinner, decided to take me to the local hospital ER.  I didn't want ambulance sirens screaming while the bereaved family was arriving from the cemetery.

I was afraid I was having another stroke.  The ER doctor decided to send me by ambulance to another nearby new hospital for an MRI, and also a Neurologist was nearby there.  That was my first ever ambulance ride; it was a little rough, but the guys took good care of me.  A specific room had been saved for me, and they took me straight to my room, which had a beautiful view.  I think they ran every test known to man, and assured me I had not had a stroke, thank the Lord!  They finally dismissed me late Tuesday afternoon, and my DIL brought me home.

I had been having a roaring wind sound in my right ear for about a week before the incident, but my ENT doctor could not see me until Wednesday, the day after I was dismissed.  I still think if he had seen me earlier, perhaps this would not have happened.  Anyway, my son took me to see him last Wednesday morning at 8 PM.  He said, after much testing, that I have Meniere's Disease, which is a problem with the inner ear.  He gave me some new medications, but I still have the roaring wind in my ear, and I'm a little dizzy and out of balance quite a bit.

It truly "took a village" to take car of this old lady through this incident.  One to take me to the ER, a man helping with the dinner to drive my car home and take the keys to my neighbor, another friend who has a key to my house to come and get a few things I needed from home and bring them to the hospital, a DIL to bring me home, and a son to take me to the ENT doctor the next morning and run me around town to pick up needed groceries, meds, and other things needed for the days ahead.

The really sad thing in this for me was that my DIL and I had planned on going on a quilt retreat on July 28-30 at the same place we went last Fall, and we were both so looking forward to it.  You can see the place here.  Now the question was should I try to go, and would she be willing to put up with me and help me as needed?  I was determined to go!  And I certainly wanted her to go because I knew she was really looking forward to it too.  It was settled! We would go!  She drove, of course, and loaded and unloaded everything, and waited on me hand and foot as needed.   What a sweetie I have for a DIL!

She worked on her  large paper-pieced stars like the one she fell in love with at the first quilt show I took her to about a year ago.  I can't believe I failed to get a picture of her blocks at this year's retreat.
The picture below is from the quilt that inspired her last September in Weatherford, Tx.

You may remember she drew a pattern from that picture I took and pieced her first quilt block ever in less than a week!  I bought Carol Doak's book with that pattern for her, and now she is paper piecing blocks like crazy for a king-sized bed!  I'm so proud of her, and the other gals who returned to this year's retreat were absolutely amazed!

I had one day to prepare for the retreat after getting out of the hospital.  Fortunately when I dug in the sewing closet, I found a tub with 30 four-patch Stack and Whack blocks, with sashings already cut, for a Christmas wall hanging.  I got that top together, and will add a narrow border maybe next week. I love playing with those blocks on the design wall.  Here's how it turned out.

Here's what's left of the fabric I started with:  (and it shows the color much better)

This is a close-up of some of the center blocks:  We all played with the blocks on the retreat design wall.

While at the retreat, I also finished hand-stitching the binding and label down on the Family Rules wall hanging, and I also made 20 more black and white log cabin blocks and got them sewed onto the big Log Cabin quilt.  With ten more blocks on each side, it completes the pattern the same on all four sides, and makes it square.  I hope to sandwich it later this week.  I still have to decide how I'm going to quilt it.  It looks better with the added blocks; I'll get a picture when it is finished.

I haven't made this week's Moda Block Heads block, but here's mine for the week before I had the Vertigo attack.

Hopefully the retreat was what I needed to get my mind and body inspired to get back to quilting, and indeed trying to do anything.  At least I've had fun this past week in spite of the vertigo.  I hope it goes away soon and my hearing gets back to normal.  I can't tell what direction sounds are coming from; that was aggravating at the retreat!  My son will take me to see my primary doctor Thursday;  I hope she can help get things settled down!

I'm so far behind on reading blogs and e-mails, but I will catch up someday.  I don't want to miss seeing all the pretty things everyone else has been making while I've been out of commission.

Happy quilting to everyone!

---"Love"