Home Again, Home Again Jiggity-Jig

String X

It's a top!

42 x 56 (I think)

When I work with strings I usually make a few quilts with longer strings and as the strings get shorter and skinnier I make quilts like this one.

I used Bonnie Hunters free pattern. 

Originally I thought I was going to use some lighter colored 5 inch squares for the side setting triangles; however, when I went to finish up the blocks I noticed that the squares were only 4.5 inches and too small. Someone had recently sent me the print with colorful dragonflies on black that I had not yet put away so I grabbed it, made a calculation to see if I had enough yardage, and then used it. 

I had this top all assembled and was going to blog about it on the 21st but hubby John ended up in the hospital. 

John has a fragmented jaw that got infected and we were waiting for an appointment at Univ. of Iowa Hospital and Clinics on the 27th. 

On the evening of the 20th at around 9 pm he asked for help getting to the bathroom. He was dizzy and unsteady on his feet. When we got to the bathroom he started spitting up blood mixed with yellow mucus. And I noticed a hole had appeared in his jaw and was oozing pus mixed with blood. I had to hold a menstrual pad left here by granddaughter to the hole that formed to soak up the discharge.  I got him back to his chair and the oximeter indicated high pulse rate and blood pressure was low and he had a slight temp as well. I called the ambulance because I knew I would not be able to get him to the car to take him myself. 

By the time I got to the ER at about 10:30 pm he was non stop coughing. I think the discharge was going down his throat and since he can't swallow it was coming back up and then being aspirated into his lungs. I told doc and nurse about the jaw and infection but they didn't seem to care about that. So after 10 hours in the ER they transferred him by medic to MICU at Univ. of Iowa Hospital and Clinics a little over an hour away. I think while in the ER he developed pneumonia. 

I had no sleep in over 24 hours so ran home and thought I would take a nap before I made the hour+ trip to the hospital but I think adrenaline and worry kept me awake. So I grabbed a few hygiene things, undies and a couple of shirts and threw them into a bag as well as some clothes for John to wear home after discharge. I made a jug of iced tea for my thermos and popped some popcorn to chew on to keep me awake for the drive to the hospital. 

Then it was an adventure and lots of frustration at the hospital while trying to convince health care professionals the the root cause of everything was infected and fractured jaw.  So, anyway, long story short...John made the appointment with the ENT on the 27th and then they did some tests like vascular studies and CT scan to see if he is eligible for free flap surgery to fix jaw. Then we go back for another appt. and if eligible surgery will be 6-8 weeks out. In the meantime he is on an antibiotic hoping to keep further infections at bay and has some pain meds. So again we are playing a waiting game. 

He was discharged on the 27th in the late afternoon. He needed oxygen for the trip home. Well, when we got home John was unresponsive and unable to get out of the car. I thought something was wrong with him on the way home but was hoping he was just sleeping. Well, I was about ready to call the ambulance again and then noticed that the oxygen tank had not been turned on by the discharge nurse who hooked him up. So he had an hour ride home without oxygen. After I turned it on and let him sit awhile in car he came around and my son and I were able to help him up the stairs and into the house.

Yesterday we sort of got our routine back to normal. He is up and around and getting strength back with normal tube feeding (they did not give him enteral feed for three days of his hospital stay). Jaw pain is the main problem. 

 

String Star Finish

It's a finish!

String Star

40 x 40

I started this in December 2025. Someone gave me the 12 gray floral half triangles. I decided to use them as half a string block and pulled strings from my string bin that were the colors in the gray florals.  I used a newspaper foundation.  I decided on a String Star layout. I made four all string blocks for the star center. Top was completed in January. 

I quilted it on my sewing machine with swirls of gray.

The back and binding. 

And now it is ready to give a child a hug. 

And sew on...

Monday Musings at Brenda's Songbird Designs

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The weather has been so weird this year and I'm behind in gardening tasks. I haven't even cleaned up my asparagus patch yet and noticed I had asparagus to harvest. In fact, some was already overgrown. I had aspragus for dinner the other night and again last night. 

I like it sprinkled with olive oil and kosher salt and then roasted in a 425 degree oven for 10 minutes. Tonight with the leftovers I think I will make an asparagus fritatta.  Since hubby gets his food, a formula via G-tube, and since I don't like asparagus frozen or canned it looks like I will be giving away asparagus soon. I'm sure there is more out there for harvest today. 

***

I finished a book! It is the first book in William Kent Kruger's Cork O'Connor Mystery series - Iron Lake. I started on the second book of the series. I think there are 20+ books in the series so I will continue to read whatever is available with the Kindle Unlimited subscription.  I enjoy WWII historical fiction but need to read something a little lighter for a while.  

"Bird Quartet" Stitching Finished

I've finished the crewel embroidery on the decorative pillow from a kit called "Bird Quartet".  I had a difficult time following some of the color symbols and stitching in the smaller areas of the birds where there were a lot of color changes and outlining and almost set it all aside unfinished. I took a short pause from this embroidery to do some big stitch hand quilting and to do some embroidery on an easier project - "An Old Irish Blessing" and then picked this project up again with renewed interest mainly because it was still taking up space in my hand sewing basket. 

Piping and zipper were included in the kit as well as pillow backing fabric. Now I just have to make a 16 inch pillow form with some muslin and small cut up batting pieces. Then I will put together the pillow cover.  I don't really need a decorative pillow so when finished it will go into the gift box of items to give away. 

 At the end of 2025 I dug into a bin of items I picked up from thrift stores over a number of years before I retired over 8 years ago. In November and December I worked on a lot of little cross stitch ornaments. 

In January I pulled out this crewel embroidery pillow kit that had never even been opened to work on. You can still see the 95 cent price I paid for it at the DAV (Disabled American Veterans) thrift store. Actually, I probably paid less because I usually went on senior discount day for a 10% discount. 

I have already started stitching on another kit from that bin of thrift store goodies!

And sew on...

Slow Sunday Stitching at Kathy's Quilts

A Few Pink Scraps

Cheerios

10 inch finished

Made with 4.5 and 2.5 inch width scraps

Now I have 48 blocks for a 6 x 8 block layout and a 60 x 80 quilt of pink, blue and purple blocks.

I have been making blocks from scraps as a Rainbow Scrap Challenge (RSC) project since 2024. After I had a big pile of them I divided blocks into piles for several different quilts. I already finished a couple of smaller ones:

Green Cheerios

Red and Yellow Cheerios

Yankee Puzzle

(aka Big Dipper or Hourglass)

9 inch

This also has been an RSC project since 2024. I have been trying to use up a small box of 4 inch width scraps and squares. One of the blocks I have been making using those scraps is Yankee Puzzle using the tutorial at Suzy's Scraps. But note that I used 4 inch instead of 3.5 inch squares.

I need 7 more blocks for a 48 inch block set.  This set has light backgrounds.  I previously made a smaller top with 2 color blocks. 

And sew on...

RSC ScrapHappy Saturday

 

String X - Working on It

I have all 48 of the blocks made for a String X quilt. I just need to find time to get it assembled. 

I used Bonnie Hunters free pattern. 

More on the blocks and quilt later when I have a flimsy.

And sew on...

Finished OR NOT FINISHED Friday at Alycia Quilts

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I've been doing a lot of gardening as weather permits.  Here's some of the latest photos I took while walking around in my gardens. I love this time of year. Something new pops up every day. 

 

Rays Of Sunshine - String Quilt

Rays of Sunshine

It's a flimsy!

60 x 80

I've been working with the overflowing string bins this month.  I usually do that in a month after I have a quilting marathon because I end up with a lot of quilt back trimmings. 

And I get some strings from other folks. I never have to cut strings for string quilts - strings just happen. 

When I was trying to decide what to use for the center string I noticed quite a few yellow strings in my 2 inch width scrap bin. Most were width of fabric and were given to me by others. So that is what I decided to use - yellow - rays of sunshine. I cut a few more yellow 2 inch width strips from some yellow scrap chunks. 

I use paper foundations and made 10.5 inch unfinished blocks. I save weird small cuts and triangles of scraps I receive from others or make myself to use as string block corners. I use longer and wider strings to make this type of string quilt. With shorter and skinnier strings I make other types of string quilts. More on that later. 

And sew on...

***

On April 8 I posted about state of husband John's health:

"Still trying to get my husband some treatment for his pain due to Osteoradionecrosis of the Jaw (ORNJ) and Osteomyelitis (bone infection) - one of many side effects of radiation received over 20 years ago for stage IV squamous cell carcinoma at the base of his tongue. He went to primary care physician on March 10 for swelling of face and received an antibiotic. Two weeks later he had a CT scan. Finally, he got a referral to Oral Surgeon and now that he has all the records he needs and Easter vacations are over we are waiting for a phone call from that office."

On April 9 the Oral Surgeon's office called to say there was nothing they could do for him so he needed to make an appointment with the Otolaryngologists at University of Iowa (UOI) Hospital and Clinics (state teaching and research hospital) that is a little over an hour drive from here. That is where John went in 2017 - 2018 to have the left side of his jaw replaced with his fibula (fibular free flap restoration). Of course, the doc he had then is now transitioning to a job in Arizona so he will see another doctor. And since it has been over 3 years since he has had an appt. then he will be considered a new patient and needed a referral. Ugh! So, I called in tears to the primary care physician and for a change they got right on that referral!! I heard from UOI on April 10 but there are no appointments available until April 27. The nurse I talked to told me to call once in a while until then to see if there are any cancellations so he can get an appt. sooner. 

***

I finished a book -The Nine: The True Story of a Band of Women Who Survived the Worst of Nazi Germany by Gwen Strauss. "The Nine follows the true story of the author’s great aunt Hélène Podliasky, who led a band of nine female resistance fighters as they escaped a German forced labor camp and made a ten-day journey across the front lines of WWII from Germany back to Paris."   What incredible women! 

***

Oh joy! Donna and Doris sent me boxes of lovely scraps and fabric and thread. That kept me busy sorting and measuring each piece while sitting with John.