If I still have any followers I'll be surprised.  But just in case, I think I should tell you what's been happening with me.  Late last summer I received the word that I have a serious illness.  It took about 3 months for a complete diagnosis, and by that time I had to use a walker around the house, and a wheelchair to go out.  ( only to the doctor and hospital)  It attacks my bones and by mid-December I was having surgery for a broken hip.  I spent sometime in a rehab hospital and just before being discharged, my shoulder broke.  No falls or accidents, just pathological breaks. 
After a short healing period, I started chemotherapy and completed 6 cycles.  So now I'm at the Cleveland Clinic preparing for a stem cell transplant.  I've gone through the pre-transplant processes, and tomorrow they will begin 'harvesting' my stem cells. 
This has been a long process, but so far I'm doing just fine.  Unfortunately, the effect on my bones has meant that doing the 'heavy' work of quilting ( sandwiching, basting, quilting, binding) isn't possible.  I have 4 quilts ready for those stages, and will hopefully be ready to do them shortly after I get home in September. 
Believe me, I'm not trying to sound gloomy and sad; that's not me.  I'm a very positive person.  I miss being able to do anything I want, but I'm slowly working my way back there.  I enjoy reading the blogs that I follow and have a hard time not jumping into all the giveaways, and ordering new fabric and kits to do what everyone else is doing.  But I'm making lists of things I want to do when I'm able.
If you're still reading this far, I would most assuredly appreciate your prayers.  I'm doing my best to get through this.

Happy Thanksgiving

I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving!  My children will all be here and I'm looking forward to a wonderful visit.
Hopefully will be back next week with some real posts.  I've missed you.

I have been trying to get myself back into blogging, and didn't want to go beyond a year between posts, so maybe I've made it.  I've been reading right along, but for some reason couldn't seem to make myself write a post.  Hopefully, my blogging funk is over and I can share some of the things I've been doing. 
This past year has been a very busy quilting year for me, and since I last posted, I've completed 2 quilts, and made a lot of progress on others.  It's too late in the day to get any pictures, but I promise to get some on tomorrow, if I can figure out how in the world to use this new blogger!!

Progress

I finally have my "Sherman's Tulips" quilt top to the quilting stage.  As I'm a hand quilter, that's always the longest part of the job.  I love the way it looks, though, and I hope to be able to make myself stick to it and get it finished in a reasonable amount of time.  By Thanksgiving, maybe?  Anyway, this is where it is right now.  It's basted, and the stitch in the ditch diagonal straight quilting is done, as well as several of the blocks.  Since it's on point, I was concerned that it wouldn't be flat, but there doesn't seem to be any extra waviness.   So far, I love it. 

I'm still trying to catch up with the Civil War blocks, and I'm trying to get at least one done each day.  I've completed 21, and 30 have been posted on Barbara Brackman's blog.  I just love them, and though my intention was to use up some of my leftover Civil War repro fabric, I have bought several new pieces, and can't seem to keep from looking for more.  There is a quilt shop in my area that has a big selection of  CW fabric, and I love to add to my stash.  Here are some of my latest attempts. 

I even had the same fabrics for this one as those in the block she had posted.

And this one is so pretty.  Since I'm making mine as 12 ince blocks, I've had to redraft a few.  With this one I just figured out the math and cut it out.  As I was completing it, I realized that I hadn't made any mistakes, the corners matched and I hadn't cut off any of the points.  I was really pleased with myself.  So I finished it up, ironed it, and put it on the pile.

Can you believe it?  A full inch smaller than the rest!!  As the saying goes, pride goeth before a fall.

Look at the goodies that came my way this week.  I'd sort of forgotten that I had participated in this, but it was to swap 125 red 5 inch squares with Sewmanyways.  I'm not sure what I'll be doing with them, but aren't they pretty? 

I've just passed my 2 year 'blogaversary', so I guess it's time for a giveaway.  Next post!!

Back yet again

Wow, I can't believe it's been more than three months since I last posted! This is only like my third post for the year.   I don't know why I can't seem to post on a regular basis.  I read blogs everyday, but I sure haven't felt like writing. I haven't even made many comments on blogs.  As my mother would say, "my get up and go got up and went."

 I've been quite busy with sewing, and enjoying every minute of it.  I went to a quilt retreat in March and had a ball.  The class I took was for a Sherman's March quilt, but I made it in pink, green and cream which makes it look like tulips.  I have the top all put together and and just need to add one more border.  I'll show it as soon as I get that done. 


In addition to this class, I also took a class on making a West Virginia star block.  I just love it, and I'm trying to decide if I want to make a whole quilt.  This block was a lot of work, and I don't know if I want to commit to so much work.  I had bought the (WV state color) fabrics several years ago for just such a project but it will really take a lot of time to put together.  We'll see...

I've finally started working on the sesquicentennial memorial Civil War quilt by Barbara Brackman.  If you're doing this quilt-along, you know that she is posting instructions for 8" blocks.  I'm making 12" blocks so that I can make it a large quilt, so I'm having to redraft a few of the blocks.  Fortunately, though, most will just mean different measurents.   I have so much Civil War reproduction fabric from the DJ quilt, and this seemed like just the right project to use it up, or at least make a dent in it.  These are the blocks I've completed, and since we're more than half way through the year, I'm quite a bit behind.  I'm not sure about some of my color choices, but I'll decide later if I want to remake any of them. 

Last month as I was working on the quilting for my latest 'Quilt for Kids', my sewing machine absolutely locked up.  I couldn't even turn the wheel at all.  Fortunately, I was able to get it repaired within a few days, and tried again to finish that little quilt.  Unbelievably, it happened again!  It made me so mad I just turned it off and left the room.  When I went back the next day, I worked on it a little bit and got it sewing again, but now I'm afraid to try to finish the quilt!! I'm afraid it will jam up again.  I think I'll get my old machine out and see if it will do the job.  I don't care if it breaks or not, so of course, it will be just fine. 

Throughout the winter and spring, I was also really working on several cross stitch UFOs.  I love to do it, but my poor old eyes won't always see it well enough to work on it.  Anyway, these are my latest finishes.  Sorry for the glare, but I didn't think to take a picture before framing them.

And last but not least, here's a brand new MBA!  I'm a very proud mama.

Getting back into it

I can't believe it's been so long since I last posted!  I've been a little 'out' of sewing, and have been quite busy with other things, namely knitting, embroidery and cross stitch.  I have one project almost finished to show, but right now it doesn't look like anything. 
I've been trying to get myself back to working on my Dear Jane.  I can't believe the top is so close to being finished and I don't seem to be able to make myself do it.  I have half of a corner kite done, but it's just sitting on my sewing machine - waiting.  I've promised myself that I'll complete it by Thursday, because on Friday, I'm going to a quilt retreat!!  I'm so looking forward to it.  My strips are all cut (and I don't have enough of one color) and my lists are all ready.  Thursday I'll pack it all up and go into the mountains to Jackson's Mill to enjoy a wonderful weekend of sewing.  The quilt I'll be working on is Sherman's March.  If you've seen the pattern, you know that it calls for blacks, red and tan as the color scheme (symbolic for the name of the quilt), but when I look at it I see tulips, so my colors are pink, green and cream. (I wrote this 2 days ago, and didn't get my corner finished :( )
One thing I have been working on is my quilt from a Red and Aqua swap I participated in last year at Jane's blog..  The quilt is really big, but I can't decide whether to put another border on it or not.  I'm thinking I'll put an aqua border and then bind it in red.  What do you think?  (I didn't realize my picture doesn't even show the edge, but the outside is just like the sashing.)

Getting the Valentines Ready

No matter what my intentions, it seems that I just can't make myself post regularly.  Well, I 'intend' to post again tomorrow, but we'll just see what happens.
I've been busy with lots of sewing and cross stitch.  I'm working on a small Easter sampler and have it more than half done.  I'll show you when it's done.

 

I've been working on a table runner and candle mat for Valentines day.  I've used Sandi Andersen's candle mat pattern that she posted last fall.  I had intended to applique a heart in each corner, but when I got it all put together, I liked the look of the plain corners.  The fabrics are so busy that the plain white seemed right.  By the way, I won the fabrics in a giveaway at seventhsister in a giveaway in August.  When I saw Sandi's pattern, I thought it would be perfect for these fabrics.

I've also finished up a heart table runner that I started last year.  It's not very well made, but that's ok, it's for me.  Whatever, it's another UFO off the list!

I love basket blocks, and recently made one for a swap partner.  It makes me want to make more of them.