Quilt for a friend

 Hi Friends

Hope you are well and gearing up for the holiday season.  I do appreciate and understand those that have a hard time with this season.  I am struggling a little myself.  We lost my Aunt Sue a year ago yesterday.  And that started the worst year of my life.  I was just starting to feel a little lighter but with the holidays, it's been hard.  All of these firsts without them.

Let's not be dragged down by emotion.  Let's celebrate life and crafting!  A friend recently retired from my work.  He was on the facilities team and a great guy.  He still stops in for lunch occasionally so we still see him.  He is a big fan of the Green Bay Packers.  I decided on the week of his retirement to make him a quilt.  I do work best under pressure. :) Monday night I decided to make the quilt.  After work I found my fabric, cut out what I needed and sewed it into a quilt top.  Tuesday after work I was auditioning backing fabric and didn't like any of it.  I ran to the local quilt shop with only 10 minutes to spare before they closed.  I found a pretty, light green Lori Holt plaid.  Went home and basted the quilt.  Wednesday after work I quilted it and bound it. And gifted it on Thursday. I don't know why I don't do that more often.  I would get through my scrap pile more quickly.  I could probably make a quilt for everyone on my team with all of the scraps I have.

Here he is with his quilt.  He loved it!

I included all the Wisconsin sports teams, Bucks, Brewers, Packers and Badgers. It was a great way to use up my scraps. I just did straight line quilting to finish it.

How fast have you made a quilt?  Actually, this wasn't my fastest finish.  I made a baby quilt in one night a few years ago.

The weather has been in the 40s so I am working on the stocking for my daughter to be.  That is almost done.  My sister asked me to make some bowl cozies.  I have my reasons why I have hesitated to make them.  I will share that in another post.  I am also working on my word of the year and my list of goals for 2026.

Do you make gifts for friends and family or do you just purchase items?  I do a little of both.

Wishing you a blessed Thanksgiving!

Amy

Reading

 Hello Friends

Hope you are all doing well.  I can't believe how fast summer has gone.  But when you are grieving, there is no such thing as time.  At least for me anyway.  The past almost 8 months have been a blur.  But I feel like I am coming out of the fog.  For those of you who have lost someone close, you may understand.  Since mom passed in January, I have not done much in the crafting area.  I am hoping to change that as the weather changes.  We had a taste of fall last week and I found myself at the sewing machine.  I am currently working on a jelly roll rug.  I am also making a felt stocking for my daughter to be.  Yes, my son is engaged!  We absolutely love her.  She came with 2 dogs and recently got a third.  They are the best!

I do have some quilting that I need to work on.  I need to bind a quilt and I need to get backing together for 5 other quilt tops.  I found a long armer in a neighboring town and they did great work on my latest quilt.  I would like to take more to them, but I am not sure I will have anything ready before the Christmas rush.  I don't need these done that fast. I have Legendary by Elizabeth Hartman cut out and ready to sew.  This will be for my son.  I also found a pattern to make a quilt for my daughter to be.  Those will have to wait until next year. I also have 2 scrap quilts that need backing.  Those I may quilt myself.

But let's talk about reading.  I made a goal this year to read 6 books. I have just started book 14.  I can't believe I have read that much.  In January when mom was in the hospital, I finished the first book in the ACOTAR series. I have read consistently since then.  I bought myself a kindle in July and have been using Libby.  I am reading a quilt murder mystery series.  There are 20 books in the series but I am only on book 4.  I will probably take a break from that after this one.  I have other books I would like to read.  I try to keep my reading light and not read anything too heavy. I have 8 paperbacks that are pilling up that I need to dig into. Earlier this summer I was reading 3 books at one time.  It got a little confusing so I have stopped that and just stick to one.  How many do you read at a time? Do you enjoy audio books?  Four of the books I have 'read' were audio books while I was sewing.  Do you think audio books count as reading?  I do.

I will leave you with this picture.  I made this a few years ago.  My bestie Marilyn and I did a block swap. Fall is my favorite season. 

Blessings

Amy

What I have been working on

 Hello Friends

I have been sewing.  Even before mom's passing I was sewing.  Spending all day in the hospital is hard so I would come home at night and go to the sewing room.  Before she went to the hospital I took a Saturday to myself and made this unicorn pillow.  It was for the Project Quilting 16.1 challenge-Mythical Creature.

It was big.  It's 26x26.  It's called Lisa the Unicorn by Elizabeth Hartman.  My sister is Lisa so this will go to her.

I also worked on my word for the year.  I had picked my word in October of last year and thought about changing it when my Aunt and Mom passed.  But I decided to keep the word.  This is also for Project Quilting 16.2-Ombre.

Time fades.  I know that more than ever know. The letters were made with my book from Sam Hunter called Quilt Talk.  I use that book for all of my lettering.  I bought a light pad from Amazon to trace the letters so I didn't have to use a copier.

I also made 2 baby quilts for friends.

I have made 4 baby quilts in the last few months.  And I almost hate to say it, but I had all of the supplies and didn't need to buy anything to finish them. It's almost sad really.  But I suppose some people would be happy that they didn't need to shop.  I like to shop, I just can't justify it when I have all of this fabric.  I am working on 2 scrap quilts right now.  I hope to give one to my Bestie soon for her retirement.  It's long over due that she gets a quilt.  

I do have a quilt retreat with my quilt guild in April.  Maybe I can do some quilting on it then.  I also have 2 quilt kits that I need to get cut up and ready to sew.

My mom would have been 78 on Monday March 3.  I took the day off last year so I could take her out to lunch.  I am keeping the day off and going to do something for me.  Maybe quilt shop?  LOL!  Like I need to buy more fabric!  I am in the process of rearranging and purging my sewing room.  Hopefully my next post has updated pictures.

Talk soon!

Blessings

Amy

New Year New Challenges

 Hello All

I had every intention on sharing my goals for this year and wrapping up last year, but some very sad things happened at the end of Nov and continued through into this year.  My Aunt who is also my God Mother, passed away shortly after visiting with her Nov 19. I was devastated.  She meant a lot to me and it was a struggle to get through.  Also that week, my son lost his grandpa and great aunt on his dad's side.  

We gathered together for Christmas.  My uncle was able to attend.  It was nice to see him visit with mom.  We didn't know at the time, but it was a blessing for them to see each other.

January 10th mom hit her lifeline button because she couldn't breathe.  She had high potassium and needed dialysis.  She has been a dialysis patient for 6 1/2 years.  She needed a little more dialysis on Saturday and my sister took her to that.  She was in a lot of pain all over but she told her she would be fine.  On Sunday the 12th at 1 in the morning, she called me and asked me to help her get from her chair to her bed.  Her back was hurting and she couldn't get up.  I went down to her house right away.  Got her some Tylenol and got her in to bed.  I tried to wake her at 9 but she was so tired I let her sleep until 10am. When I took her CPAP off, she was moaning terribly.  I asked her where her pain was and she pointed to her chest.  I knew right away she was having a heart attack.  I called 911. She was having a heart attack.  The hospital was overloaded with Influenza A patients so they didn't have a bed for her.  She was sent to a Madison WI hospital. They discovered she had a staph infection. With staph, you have to find it and take it out.  Just treating it doesn't work.  So they thought it was in her shoulder but it could have been in her heart, knee replacements or anywhere.  Her heart was not strong enough to operate if it was in her shoulder.  They needed to take her to the cath lab but couldn't because of the infection.  Every time she got dialysis her heart rate would go into the 200s and so would her blood pressure. That Thursday it was decided to stop all treatment.  Switch to comfort care.  That was the hardest thing we had to do.  She was not ready but her body said no more.  Her brother came to say good-bye and I called my son to come home too.  They told us 2-3 days or less than a week.  Well, one thing about my mom, she was a fighter!  The following Wednesday they moved her to a different floor.  She was on palliative care but the hospice place did not have a bed.  By Friday they did and she was moved to Agrace hospice that afternoon. After 13 days in the hospital.  We spent most of Saturday with her and she passed on Sunday morning the 26th. We were not with her but she was sleeping.  It was a long road.  I only worked 6 days in January. We had her funeral on Feb 3 and buried her on the 4th.  I came back to work on the 5th.

Tonight we will turn in the keys to her apartment.  I have been working every night to bring things to my house and empty out the apartment.  It is bittersweet. I was always in that town to do her shopping and cooking.  It will really be a change to not have to go there.  I currently have about 8 boxes of her things in my kitchen.  I am hoping to go through a box every night and also purge some of my stuff.  It's amazing what we accumulate. 

While I was home at night after visiting all day in the hospital, I did so some sewing.  I finished my word of the year and did a big pillow for Project Quilting season 16.  I will post those soon.

I hope you all had a good start to the year.  At least a better start than we have had.  I sure do miss her.

Take care,

Blessings,

Amy

Currently no sewing

 Hello Friends

I don't have much to share with you today.  I have not been in the sewing room for a while.  I did manage to get 20 pot holders made for a friend who is donating them to the food pantry in her area.

It was a great way to use up scraps.  I can't believe it didn't make a dent in my Holiday fabric tote.  I also found 7 full yards of fabric that I don't remember buying.  Not sure what those were for unless I caught a sale.

I am currently working on another baby quilt for a friends new grandson.  I hope to have some time this weekend to finish it.  Then I would like to finish one for a coworker/friend who is due in December.  I would also like to make a jelly roll rug for my sister if time permits.

Do you make gifts for your coworkers?  I have for many years but I am running out of ideas.  If you could share your ideas I would appreciate it.

I have been thinking about my goals for next year.  I am going to think a little more before I share them here.  Maybe next post will have them figured out.

If I am not here for a few weeks, I want to wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving if you celebrate.  I will be cooking for my family and we will be playing bingo.

Blessings

Amy

A little sewing

 Hi All!

How are you?  This summer went so fast!  I don't have a lot to show for it though.  My mom tore a tendon in her hip and was in a rehab facility for 4 weeks.  My sister and I had to take her to and from dialysis 3 days a week.  Then I would run every other day to do her laundry.  She is home now and getting more rehab at home.  She is doing about 85% better. She also had to have a cath lab on her heart.  There is some calcium build up in one of the arteries so she will need another cath soon.  That does not leave much time for sewing.  Which is fine by me.  This is just a season and will pass.

This is National Sewing month.  I have tasked myself with sewing for 15 minutes each day.  Now this 'sewing' includes, cutting fabric and quilt layout.  Not all actually machine time.  So far this month, I have been able to do it every day. I am working on some pot holders for a friend.  I hemmed some curtains. I made a baby quilt from start to finish.  And I have 2 more next to my machine to get sewn.  Here is the baby quilt:

I was able to make this with all fabric from my stash.  The batting and backing included. I also have the other 2 cut out from my stash.  It's really nice to not have to go to the shop for supplies.  But it is kind of sad that I don't get to do that either.  I just have too much. I am going to work on using as much of my stash as I can before buying any more.  I would like to visit my local quilt shop but I can't justify it until I make more quilts from my stash.  I will work on my goals for next year and see if going to my local shop is something I should do.

What do you call too much fabric?  Do you just buy what a pattern calls for or do you buy what you like with thoughts of how to use it.  I just bought too much of the fabrics I like.  With no intentions.  Which is nice to have on hand but also a curse. :)  I have 3 totes of scraps.  And not little totes, 30 gallon totes.  I better get off of here and go and sew something!

Blessings,

Amy

Word of the year

 Hello Friends

I have finally finished my word for the year.  Any guesses?  I went to a quilt retreat offered from the guild I am in. I was able to get a lot of things together.  I had 3 quilts cut out and ready to sew.  I got 2 made and my word.  This is a word that can have a few different reactions to it.  Here it is:

Now, what was your first reaction?  Was it, 'I've had enough!' or was it 'I am enough!'  See?  It depends on your day and what you are going through.  It's a grey word so that is why I used these colors.

To me the word is more on the positive side.  I am enough.  I have enough.

What would your word be for this year?

Blessings

Amy