SATURDAY

Not much going on here.  I have a little more than two weeks to go with this sling, but my arm feels much better than it did, and I am able to lift it a little more.  I've been working on some small projects that don't require extensive rotary cutter use.  

I have seen a lot of different Dresden Plate ideas on Pinterest.  I have never tried this traditional block, so I bought a Dresden Ruler and got to cutting.  I started with an open pack of charm squares.  It was a line of Moda called "Etchings"  I love this line. 

I made the one on the right a week ago, and the one on the left today.  I guess you could call it an planned scrappy block.  I chose 5 charms, one for the center and four for the blades.  I cut each of the charms in half and cut six 2.5" blades out of each charm.  Then I put four identical sets of four blades together. And then sewed those sets into a ring. I hand appliqued them        (using silk thread) onto a 7.5" square of Moda Marble.  I need to find more of this, since I only have a small amount of it. Maybe I will just look for similar shades so the whole thing will be "scrappy". 

The only reason I got interested at all is because I saw different setting ideas other than the way they have always been done. 

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So, this is just a start. Since the blocks are small, it will be awhile before I will get enough done for a quilt top, but it is fun trying!! I hope that all of you are surviving the winter.. except Australia, where it is a very hot summer. Either extreme is bad enough. We have had a decent winter so far. It snows and melts.. Last winter was cold and there was snow covering everything all winter. I'm not complaining about this one! Happy Quilting! Teri

SOMETHING TO WARM A COLD WINTER DAY

A PROJECT FINALLY DONE

I didn't realize how close I was to finishing this.  The hardest part for me was the blocking.  Onward to something else!

ANOTHER PROJECT FINISHED

I finally finished my mink and cashmere Cowl. After its blocked, I will graft it together.

THIS IS WHAT I AM DOING TODAY

I'm knitting an i cord cover for my earbuds

LONGEST TWO WEEKS...EVER.

Two weeks down, 4 to go until I don't have to wear the sling anymore.  Even after it is off, I won't really be able to use my arm until I have some Physical Therapy.  The good news is, it doesn't hurt as much as it did, but sometimes I just want to rip off the sling because I just feel trapped in it.  Oh well.. I'll admit I am easily frustrated. 
I did manage to get one thing done this week.  Rotary cutting with one hand is not easy or accurate, so I kept it simple.  I made a PHONE PILLOW  for my husband's Kindle Fire after I mysteriously found my ipad stand under it.  This works just right and he can watch netflix on it as he works.

I used some Mark Twain Fabric, and I filled it with rice.  The person that designed the pattern said that she used aquarium rocks, which might work really well, but I don't have bags of those laying around.  I do, however, have a big bag of rice.  Either way, it works fine, and I have my stand back.

I'm a little late to the game, but I understand that the show DOWNTON ABBEY has been popular.  I never heard of it until the second season started.  I watched the first season on Netflix, and the first episode of the second season on the PBS website.  I am going to get it on iTunes. It's really good, I enjoy it.  Now I'm waiting for the show SHERLOCK season two to get to the U.S.  It has started in the UK, so I hope that the wait isn't long.

In the meantime, I'm going to sit here and twiddle my thumbs.  I won't be able to start new projects for a while because I can't hold down the ruler when I want to rotary cut, but I do have a bunch of things that only have to be sewn together. And having an integrated dual feed Pfaff helps, because I only need one hand to guide the fabric under the needle.

We got snow here last night, but it is supposed to be 58 on Monday.  I haven't missed the snow AT ALL. 

I hope that you all are doing well and getting lots of things done.  Take care!\
teri

I'VE BEEN PINNED

Have any of you seen the site PINTEREST?  

I noticed the badge on a couple of blogs that I read.  I don't really understand it's ultimate purpose, but it is a great place to store images and links from all of the places you visit on the net. If I see a photo of something I think is beautiful or interesting, I "pin" it to my board.  then when I want to re-visit the site, I can easily remember how to find it, and why I want to go back.  Give it a try, you might like it.

THE SILLY SEASON

Well tonight it starts. I'm trying to not get sucked into the darkness that is politics.  I've chosen my candidate, and will vote for him when the time comes. But I know that no matter how you dress them up, and no matter what they say, they are still politicians, and they are self-serving and no matter what they say, they care about themselves and their own power.

In my sewing room I found a forgotten name tag lanyard hanging on a hook. I paper pieced  it several years ago using some batik scraps.  I got an idea, and I got out what velcro I have, and hand stitched it to the back if this:

If I have to look at this strap for two months, it might as well be pretty!

HAPPY 2012

I know its a little late.  last Tuesday I had surgery on my left shoulder.  Went in for a rotator cuff repair and ended up in addition having my biceps tendon repaired, and part of my clavicle removed. Most of the damage due to large bone spurs that shredded the tendon.

So, I'm starting off the year in a sling with a pillow  that holds my arm away from my body.  I only had one day of "woe is me"  feelings.  I've had several surgeries in my life, and this is the worst. I'm not allowed to do anything with my left arm. Cant hold anything with my left hand because it pulls on the tendon repair.  I have knitted a little, but it isnt easy to do with my hand far away from my body.  Geeze, what a whiner Ive become.  Trapped at home with all of this time off, and I cant figure out how to do anything.

Need to come up with a theme for this years quilt guild newsletter.  last year was "stashbusting"  I could continue on with that, or I was thinking about going with a patriotic quilt theme.  its a big election year, and the summer olympics are this year.  The idea could work.  I could spend my vast amount of free time looking for ideas.

It snowed a little today.  We have only had one snow this season.  and I'm not complaining.

Keep warm!!!
Teri