It's A Top! Orphan Barney

Orphan Barney

42 x 48

Made from Orphan Blocks.

This method of putting together orphan blocks involves using blocks that are all the same size. I guess it could also be considered a column quilt. I added the Flying Geese column to add width and to use those Flying Geese. All of the blocks came from other folks.

And sew on...

 

It's A Top! Orphan Alice

Orphan Alice

40 x 49 

September the theme in my sewing space is ORPHANS. I might have to continue that theme into October since I'm getting a late start on that theme this month and I do have lots of orphan blocks.  At the end of August I moved all my boxes of orphan blocks upstairs to the dining room table in order to be closer to ill hubby in his recliner.  I sort of sorted through everything and divided them into piles for different quilts.    One of the ladies in our Stashbusters Group who makes orphan block quilts names hers similar to how we name hurricanes so I thought it would be fun to do the same. 

One of the easiest ways I find to use orphan blocks is in row quilts. 

I don't see a single block in this quilt that was mine. They came from several different people if I remember correctly. 

And sew on...

 

It's A Finish!

I finished this one at the end of August when we had a cooler day. I finally got around to taking some beauty shots so I could blog about it. 

Cool Bits and Pieces

40 x 57

I participate in the Rainbow Scrap Challenge (RSC) and each month after I make my blocks out of scraps I cut the remaining pieces of scraps into squares or if less than a square I sew pieces into strips. After a few years of this I had a box full of strips. 

This one has cool colors. The next one to be quilted (it is already pin basted) will be hot colors. 

I added some simple line quilting along both sides of the seams and added a scrappy binding from some cool colors I found in my leftover bindings box. 

I had some purple thread for the bobbin and I used lime green for the top. There was not enough purple thread for both top and bottom.   And there's some colorful frogs hopping around on back. 

And sew on...

 

Now, Where Was I? Arkansas Crossroads

Arkansas Crossroads

44 x 44

It's a top!

I'm trying to get back into the swing of things. Haven't sewn for awhile but I had a few things ready to blog about at the end of August before hubby took center stage with his illness. (see previous two blog posts).  This is one of those things.

In the past year a couple of different ladies gave me gallon bags of 2 inch squares. And I had a few of my own.   I've used most of the squares now in several different quilts but still have a couple WIPs I want to finish up. 

Back in July I started making 12 inch Arkansas Crossroads blocks but after I made a few blocks I thought this old lady was getting an "old lady vibe" so was going to put the blocks into the orphanage and move on to make something else with the 2 inch squares. 

I didn't want that "old lady vibe" for the smaller quilts I've started making mostly for kids. I want a bright, fun, cheery vibe.  Soon I hope to be sending some of those smaller quilts to Wrap-A-Smile now that they have some medical missions scheduled and are accepting quilts again. And I also want to send some smaller quilts off to the Bright Start program at the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.  I ordered a roll of batting at the end of August so one of these days I hope to have a quilting marathon. 

So, anyway, I tried to change "old lady vibe" to "bright and cheery" vibe. I made a few more Arkansas Crossroads blocks in warm colors and found enough of a striped fabric in my stash to use for sashing.

Arkansas Crossroads quilts don't normally have sashing and usually look a little more like one I finished in 2015. So maybe this quilt needs a different name? At the Crossroads of Old Lady and Little Kiddo? 

And sew on...

Thank you for all the comments full of positive vibes, good cheer, words of advice and prayers. Know that I appreciate them. I hope to reply to comments soon as our lives now change to a new normal - kind of a mix between "old lady and old man" vibe and "bright and cheery" vibe.  It's all good.  

Oh Scrap! at Quilting Is More Fun Than Housework

 

 

Four Books and Five Dish/Wash Cloths Later...

Thank you all for the comforting words, cyber hugs, prayers and positive thoughts after my last post. I've been with hubby at the hospital most of the week. I read four books and crocheted five wash/dish cloths while I was there. I also watched the nurses and aides, questioned a few things and made sure hubby received good care. ( I really feel sorry for folks who don't have a patient advocate). Hubby is home now and although he is still very ill we do have some good news.

Took him to ER on Thurs, Aug 31. and he was admitted. 

He was discharged on the evening of Sep. 6 for the scheduled PET scan on Sep 7.
They put in feeding tube because he had been unable to eat and drink (dehydrated and weak and weight loss, dysphagia, orthostasis) and put him on oxygen and breathing treatments 3 times per day because he could not breathe and oxygen levels were below 90 and an antibiotic for bronchitis. 

Before I took him to ER:
 An Aug 30. Swallow Test revealed he has been aspirating more than he is able to swallow. PEG tube recommended.
Aug 24 CT scan revealed bronchiectasis and mass on lung to be followed up by PET scan scheduled for Sep 7 and kidney lesion to be followed up with renal ultrasound.

Swallow problems are a side effect of oropharyngeal cancer and radiation 18 years ago. Breathing problems new and probably from lung mass hopefully not lung cancer but if it is now he has feeding tube and some nutrition. He has been losing weight and unable to eat much of anything for two months.

After he had the swallow test and I saw test and talked to speech pathologist she said she was recommending to doc that he get PEG tube right away. Then I got run around from doc and surgeon office because 3 day weekend coming up so with no chance of getting the poor guy some nutrition I chose to take him to ER. That was the right choice. He didn't even have a long wait time (10 minutes). They took him in right away, thank goodness.

He was discharged on the evening of August 6 so he could get to a PET scan (outpatient) previously scheduled for the morning of September 7. The PET scan was to follow up on the lung mass found on the CT scan.  Dr. called late yesterday to tell us the good news that it is not lung cancer but probably damage from chronic aspiration. 

He will probably live the rest of his life with the feeding tube for nutrition but he's all right with that. Dr will discuss more about the bronchiectasis and jaw bone necrosis and further esophageal dilations (already had four in last year) and chronic kidney disease stage 3 and BPH next week. 

I am thankful he can breathe, get nutrition and does not have to worry about battling lung cancer. I guess he might be stuck with me for awhile! 

Again, thank you all for the comforting words, cyber hugs, prayers and positive thoughts after my last post.  I sure "know" a lot of truly awesome caring people! And you've helped me move forward. Thank you. I'll pay it forward. 

Wishing you all a fabulous day!

 

Monkey Wrench Quilt Top #3

Monkey Wrench Top #3

Blues and Grays

42 x 42

FYI - 

Monkey Wrench Top #1

Monkey Wrench Top #2

7.5 inch Monkey Wrench blocks

For the last couple of years one of my Rainbow Scrap Challenge (RSC) projects has been Monkey Wrench block in three different sizes - 5 inch, 7.5 inch and 10 inch.  It's always fun to make blocks from scraps until I have a big pile of them. Then it's always fun to see how many donation/comfort quilts I can make from those piles. 

For this top I pulled out all of the blue and gray blocks and then added a border.

And sew on...and on...

I am glad I know how to sew and that quilting is one of my hobbies. Without my hobbies (gardening, sewing, reading, genealogy) I think I would have a nervous breakdown. I turn to hobbies when I need to escape, relax, and clear the mind.   For the last couple of months I've been watching my husband of 50 years (in June) waste away and they still do not know all that is wrong with him. Hopefully soon we shall have some answers and a course of treatment since I've been taking him to doctor appointments and tests for a couple of months. Wednesday we are going in for more tests that were ordered in June. The wait times are just that long.  That's not the only crap happening around here...the drain pipe in the basement that goes out to the septic tank sprung a leak (a big corroded hole) and I could not find anyone to come fix it for a couple of weeks. So, I got to clean up that crap (literally) in the very old basement since my oldest son who lives with us is still recovering from having part of his foot amputated because he has a wound that does not want to heal.  It's been hotter than Hades up until yesterday and this old farmhouse does not have a/c so that's one good thing about doctor appointments and tests - cool air. My husband used to help me in the veg gardens but has been unable to even walk to the bathroom so I've been doing his garden chores (harvesting) and mine (weeding and processing) in the veg garden and he can't even eat most of what I harvest or process now although he might get down a little end of garden vegetable soup I have planned for tomorrow. I use the immersion blender on most of the little bit he eats now. I don't have time for the flower gardens because I want to spend time looking after and being with hubby instead. I barely sleep and check several times a night to make sure he is breathing and thank God each time that he is. 

And sew on...and on...

I'm glad I have hobbies.

 

Little Old Italians

 Old Italian Quilt Blocks

3 inch finished

Yellow is the Rainbow Scrap Challenge (RSC) color of the month. I dug into my bin with 5 inch squares and pulled out all the yellows (and a few orange) ones.  Then I put them into piles of 3.  Then I matched up each pile of 3 yellows with 3 of some other color 5 inch square.   Then in each stack I alternated a yellow square with another color square.   Then I followed the tutorial at My Joyful Journey that uses charm squares to make Old Italian or (X Marks the Spot ) blocks. 

RSC ScrapHappy Saturday