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. 

 

Fields and Furrows Finish

It's a finish!

Fields and Furrows

(Wonky Log Cabin)

45 x 63

I had an overflowing box of strings so I started making Wonky Log Cabin blocks in Feb. 2025.

 In August 2025 I assembled the top. 

 

I quilted it on my sewing machine with swirls of white thread.

The backing and binding are the same fabric.

The theme in my sewing space this month to move UFOs forward is "log cabins and variations". 

And sew on...

***

"You'll never plow a field by turning it over in your mind"...Irish proverb.

 

A Spiderweb Finish!

 

It's a finish!

Spiderweb

54 x 75

This is one of several string quilts I started last year. 

I've made several Spider Web quilts using different methods but I like Bonnie Hunter's method the best.

There are lots of scraps in this one!

I quilted it on my sewing machine with black thread on each side of the spiderweb seams.

The backing is a black and white floral. The binding is black and all of it came out of the leftover binding box.

I bought a whole bolt of it because I have quite a few tops that can use this fabric on back. Next month I am going to work on getting those tops all quilted unless I run it of the backing fabric, batting or black thread. 

***

And sew on...

Finished Or Not Finished Friday at Alicia Quilts

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Today is my granddaughter's birthday! I can't believe she is 21 years old already!

A String Quilt Finish

It's a finish! 

String Quilt

40 x 50

I made this one with lots of novelty strings. 

I made 10.5 inch blocks using a paper foundation. 

Quite awhile ago someone gave me some 2 inch width strips with teddy bears. I set those aside for the centers of a string quilt. I had almost enough for these 20 blocks. I had to use a different fabric for two blocks. 

I quilted it with swirls. 

The backing is an aqua with gold swirls. 

And I can't believe I actually started and finished something in the same month!

And sew on...

 

Feather Finishing

A few months ago I dug into my string bin and started several new string quilts. I usually start making a quilt with the longest and widest strings and then start several other quilts using shorter and shorter and skinnier and skinnier strings. 

This Feather Bed quilt is the one that used the longest and widest strips. This week I've worked on and off on completing 25 feathers.  I now have 38 of them and the quilt is ready to be assembled. 

I'm not in love with the background fabric but it was about all I had at the time with enough yardage. It has kind of grown on me now. It's not as bright as in the photos. I used the flash on my camera and I think that brightened it up a bit.   So, anyway, you know it's all about "make do" around here so make do I did!

Feather Bed is an Anna Maria Horner pattern.   I picked up the pattern back when it was first issued and was free but now it is no longer free.   I previously made a Feather Bed quilt back in 2016 using the pattern and hand quilted it. 

For the feathers I pull out the longer and wider strings and try to group them together by colors that will work together. Then I sew the strings together into a long and wide enough piece of made fabric to cut left and right feather pieces with a template. 

But before I assemble the blocks I need to quilt a few tops. I haven't had any finishes in awhile.  Last night I pin basted a couple of smalls so I might get around to quilting today. 

And sew on...

Finished Or Not Finished Friday at Alycia Quilts

*****

CELEBRATE! (My word of the year)

Oct. 1 - Spent most of the day clearing scrub brush - mulberry bushes, honeysuckle, wild rose, wild raspberries. Also cleared a few patches of ragweed and pokeberries taller than me. How do the things I don't want to grow grow so fast?   Well, anyway, it feels good to see progress! And I'm thankful I'm using my little battery operated chain saw on scrub brush and not trees that have fallen during a hurricane. 

Oct. 2 - Spent most of the day an hour away at Univ. of Iowa Hospital and Clinics (UIHC). Hubby had three teeth removed and bone biopsy of his jaw. Now we wait for results. In the past he had fibula free flap reconstruction surgery on the jaw on the other side (they made new jaw bone from his fibula). All of his mouth problems (bone necrosis and lost teeth) are a side effect of radiation he had back when he had oropharyngeal cancer.  

  

That's not what I celebrated...I do not like to drive in the dark and interstate has lots of road work going on and lots of semis on the road. We started our journey to UIHC at 5:30 a.m.   Well, weather was nice but a little chilly and we made it there and back just fine. Well, my back kind of hurt a little from being so tense but no worries now.   And hubby is doing fine - very little pain, thank goodness!

Oct. 3 - Daffodil bulbs arrived. I ordered some small and fragrant ones. Also received some allium bulbs.  Deer don't bother either of those. Now I just need to get them planted. I'm putting them in the cutting garden tulip bed with what tulips I have left after the deer ate most of the leaves before they could bloom this year. I met a deer a few days ago in the middle of the afternoon when I went out to do some veg garden clean up. It was munching on my broccoli. This year deer have munched more broccoli than I have. So I pulled up all the broccoli plants and threw them on the compost pile. 

Also - remember when I celebrated sending quilts to Wrap-A-Smile on Sep. 25? Well, the coordinator lives in Asheville, NC. According to tracking info the quilts were held up in Greensboro for awhile but they were able to be delivered yesterday.  Thankfully, Ann, the coordinator is safe. She had 5 trees fall and was without power for a couple of days and still might be without internet. My nephew and family also live in Asheville and I've heard all are safe.   

Feathers and Webs

The theme in my sewing space in July was strings.  I started making Feathers with the longer and wider strings. I have all of the two sides of the feathers made so now I'm just putting them all together into blocks. 

Maybe in August I will get this to flimsy stage. 

I don't really have many longer pieces of yardage for quilts that need lots of background. I did have enough of this green. I figured green goes with everything- most flowers have green leaves. 

I also started making Spider Web blocks in July. I don't have enough for a larger top yet. I don't want to make a kiddo sized quiltt because that black/rainbow fabric I'm using for the centers has marijuana leaves on it. 

It's August and now my theme is KIDS but I will still fit in some string sewing now and then. I don't want the string quilts to turn into UFOs until they are flimsies. 

And sew on...

***

CELEBRATE! (my word of the year)

July 31 - Finished a book! The Things We Cannot Say by Kelly Rimmer - a WWII historical fiction. "Life has a way of reminding you that you are at the mercy of chance, and that even well-thought-out plans can turn to chaos in an instant."

August 1 - A BLT with a big juicy homegrown tomato. Homegrown tomatoes sprinkled with homegrown basil.  Unfortunately my tomatoes are not producing very well this year but I am really enjoying the ones I have harvested. 

 

Wonky Quarter Log Cabin Finish

Wonky Quarter Log Cabin

It's a finish!

50 x 60

I used some colorful and wider selvages to make the blocks. Most of the selvages came from quilt back trimmings to that is why they are wider. I normally don't like to leave that much fabric with a selvage. Most of my selvages are cut thin and I save them to use as garden ties.  

I used some spider web fabric squares for the start of the blocks. 

Blocks finished at 10.5 inches.  

I finished the top in April 2023.

I quilted it on my DSM with swirls in gray thread.

The binding is scrappy -- darker pieces from the leftover bindings box. 

The back. 

And ready for donation!

The theme in my sewing space this month has been STRINGS. I've finished up 8 string quilts and have been working on three new quilts - Feather Bed, Spider Web and Eight Point Stars.  I think that is about all of the finishes I will have this month but will continue to work on the new starts for the rest of the month. Maybe I will run out of strings. 

I differentiate between string quilts and strip quilts. 

For me...strings just happen. I don't cut into any fabrics to make string quilts. Most of the time strings are a result of quilt back trimmings or wonky end cuts of yardage. If someone sends me longer strips of fabric I first measure the width and if it is an even 1.5, 2, or 2.5 inches in width then I usually have one or two projects in process that can use that strip. If it is wonky or not exactly one of those widths then it goes into my string box.   

On the other hand...for me... strip quilts usually involve some cutting of yardage or even width strips I receive from other folks who send fabric and scraps my way. 

Next month the theme in my sewing space will be KIDS.   I hope to work on finishing kiddo sized quilt tops I have in the TBQ (to be quilted) stack and dig into the orphan blocks and make a few tops. 

And sew on...

****

CELEBRATE! (my word of the year)

July 24 - I wasn't really up to celebrating much of anything. My sewing space used to be a back porch and has a flat roof with a very slight slant .  I noticed a small leak in my ceiling the last time it rained. After that son helped me get up there and put a tarp over where we thought the leak was. Well, it rained yesterday and rain still leaked in. I took a good look out the window at the roof when it was raining and I think it might be collecting nearer to where the water flows into the gutter so we need to move the tarp. We have known we need a new roof and gutters for awhile because roof is about 30 years old (we replaced it a few years after we moved here) but with hubby in and out of the hospital, too weak to do much and  still with many doc appointments pending for osteoradionecrosis in the jaw and dysphagia I have not gotten around to getting any quotes. And I don't want to have someone working on the roof when we aren't around.    So, anyway, I went to bed without celebrating a thing.  And then...hubby yelled for me. and woke me up. His feeding tube was about ready to fall out.   I do have a spare one here but first tried pushing that one back in and then measured the volume in the balloon that kind of holds it in place in the stoma and it was low so I added some distilled water to it with syringe and he was able to hook back up to the feed pump ok.  Today I will have to measure volume of that balloon again to make sure it doesn't have a slow leak.   So, I was proud of myself for staying calm in the midst of crisis and taking care of business - definitely cause to celebrate. I'm surprised I can do some of the things I do.  Last time his feeding tube fell out it was Christmas Day and we ended up in the ER. They did not have the right Gtube to insert so they put in temp foley cath. We ended up at the surgeon's office the next day and he put in a new one. I asked him what to do next time it fell out and he said "watch me put this in" and get a spare one for home. I didn't want to but I watched....just in case...

 

Another Wonky Log Cabin Finish

It's a finish!

Wonky Log Cabin

Fields and Furrows Setting

45 x 54

I made this top earlier this year. I used brown and blue strings around an orange 2 inch square. 

Blocks were trimmed to 9.5 inches. 

I used a fields and furrows layout.

I quilted it on my DSM with swirls in gray thread.

The backing. 

The binding is the same orange batik as the extra strip I had to add to the backing. 

And sew on...

***

CELEBRATE! (my word of the year)

July 19 - My Gladiolas.  I think I have the color scheme for my next quilt - purple, yellow, red with touches of pink and light orange. 

July 20 - House Dresses. I ordered a couple earlier this year to wear when working outside in the garden. I thought I would feel a little cooler on hot days. I do. But I can't help but think that from the back when bending over now I look like those bent over old lady lawn ornaments. Good thing we don't have close neighbors! 

July 21 - I finished a book! This one was light reading and not my usual historical fiction. Sometimes a few historical fiction books based on true stories kind of get depressing. Closer Than You Think by Jean Grainger is the fourth book in the Mags Munroe series. Mags Munroe is an Irish Garda.  I'm looking forward to further exploits of Mags Munroe. 

July 22 - Oh joy! I received packages of lovely fabrics from both Julierose and Nann. I am so thankful for their generosity. I hope to turn a lot of it into comfort quilts asap! 

Another Wonky Log Cabin Finish!

Wonky Log Cabin

54 x 72

It's a finish!

This one has heart!

I made the top earlier this year and used low volume strings around a 2 inch pink center for this one.

I trimmed the blocks to 9.5 inches. 

I quilted it with three petaled flowers on my DSM (Brother PQ1500SL) in white thread. 

Binding is pastel pink. I sewed this binding down by machine. 

The backing. It too has heart(s). 

And sew on...

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CELEBRATE! (my word of the year)

July 19 - 44 (or more) in 2024!  I've met my goal!  At the beginning of the year I set a goal to finish 44 or more donation quilts in 2024. You can see my goal over on the side bar.  This low volume wonky log cabin makes donation quilt finish 45.   I've actually finished 46 quilts this year but one of them I'm keeping around in case I need a gift for family or friends. I guess that actually still qualifies for a donation quilt but for purposes of my goal I put it in the gift category.   Most of the quilts were UFOs but for the first time this year I've also finished a quite a few quilts that aren't UFOs. I hope to keep up that trend. Also, so far this year I've already donated 42 quilts kiddo quilts from ones I've had on hand. Thank you to all my friends who have sent me supplies to help me complete this goal. Now that I've met that goal I'm feeling like I can give myself permission to work on a few of my own quilts and then see how many more than 44 quilts I can finish for donation.   I have a tab for quilt finishes this year at the top of this blog.