Mystery quilt progress

It is pink month at Angela's blog!!!  soscrappy  This is her link.  

I am playing with my pink scraps.  Pink is my favorite color, so I am loving this.  I am not sure about the middle top block, but I know that every block cannot be my favorite, and the goal of this exercise is to use my scrappy pieces up, to benefit someone, somewhere.  My quilt guild makes quilts for JPS, our local county hospital.  

I am making great progress on the Quiltville Mystery quilt!!  Savoring these sewing moments, for sure.

Quiltville's Quips & Snips!!: Old Town Mystery    Better print these clues fast...they will be gone soon, if the past is any guide.

These are a few more scrappy blocks to enjoy.  Made from 3.5 inch strips, x 4.5 inches.  1.5 inch strips form the cross pieces of the blocks.  There are only 8 seams per block, just like a nine patch.  As you all know, I greatly enjoy scrappy blocks!!  My challenge is always the border...my friend Lori at Humble quilts says not all quilts need a border, and of course, she is right.  

There is more pink month sewing going on here.

 I made a tiny basket, too.  SCRAPS RULE!!

Haha!

Hope you all are having a blessed day!!

*******************************Nurse's notes*************************

I am enjoying ICU.  This is not like heart ICU...CVICU. In ICU we get everything.  Brain bleeds, infections of all kinds, sepsis being the very worst, drug overdoses, alcoholics detoxing, even behavioral stuff that needs constant monitoring.  Diabetes gone awry...and some people are just unresponsive for no discernable reason. Brain surgeries.  Spinal surgeries.   It is challenging.  Unlike hearts, which we can mostly fix, these folks are dang sick.  Older population.  Decreased family interaction.  A lot from nursing homes with no prior DNR status.  

The kiddos I work with are young, young, young nurses.  22-26 years old...they play video games in their time off and are into nails and purses and fashion.  Interesting, and fun to watch their interactions and how they bind so tightly to each other and are such fast friends.  I love that!  

The doctors are mostly nice, but they rotate in and out of the intensivist role, and work as employees of the system.    We have lots of nurse practitioners to fill in the gaps 24/7.  These are nervous, high-strung gals for the most part.  30-40 years old.  They function independently, doing many physician functions.  Including placing dialysis and central line catheter, tapping lungs and the like.  Interesting to help them.

It is physically demanding.  On my feet mostly all shift, with short bursts of power charting at the nurse's station.  No coffee or drinks or food allowed at the computers, so we sneak sips when we can not get caught!!!  

ON it goes.  Hearts are my favorites.  Hospice was good, but closed a lot of the time, so here I am in ICU!!!

Julie

Happy New Year, full of plans and promise!!

Good morning!!  Happy Sunday, or Monday to those in Australia and other places in the world!

Above is my Amaryllis.  This is the second stem coming from a big bulb  planted in December.

The first stem bent over, despite tying it up.  boo!!  But I am hopeful is will grow again next year.  Any buln experts care to comment?  Will it grown again?

January reminds me of snowmen.  This is a cute block to work on, part of a Cheri Payne group online from years ago.  I am blanket stitching the pieces down.  So much fun!

This is a random sunset picture from my workplace.  I love to look out the big windows in the empty patient rooms and see this! 

This is the back side of the Amaryllis bloom before it broke.  So pretty!

This sweet potato was from my ornament sweet potato vine.  It is humongous!!  Wonder if it is edible?

This is one of the outside kittens.  This one is bitty.  Maybe a pound now, and I do not know where mom was, or maybe it was dumped here.  He is a purring machine, and thinks I am a good lady for feeding him, telling him how sweet and pretty he is, and cuddling and petting him.

The other feral cat from a previous post has been claimed by a lady down the way now, so I am pleased that he is being taken care of well.

Yes, I bought heated cat houses for the outside baby cats. It is dang cold here today...23 degrees, and they need a snuggly house to get into.

 Last but not least, the mystery quilt!!!  I am making great progress, having all the component clues made.  Hurrah!!!  No new fabric was harmed, or purchased, to make this quilt.  Ha!

Hope each of you is doing great!!  I have so many squirrelish plans for the coming year, and look forward to seeing what you are up to as well.

Julie

Merry Christmas!!!

I hope each of you had a wonderful Christmas!!!  It was a quiet day here, one with Mexican food as the theme, instead of ham or turkey.  Of course, I just had to makes pies!!  YUM! So enchiladas and PIE!

Above is my final border on this quilt.  I did not have enough for one color, so chose two pieces big enough to fit.  I love this quilt so much...the diagonals just draw me in.  I guess I love all quilts, don't I!!

I have been hand quilting this quilt.  Just two more rows to complete, and I have will have it all done. Hurrah!

I made a small pencil case for a friend at work.

Of course there is mystery quilt progress!  Above are all of my pieces and parts.  Bonnie Hunter has a mystery quilt each year, and it is such fun!

You can find all the clues to date here:  Quiltville's Quips & Snips!!: Old Town Mystery

Lucky the kitty got a new ornament for the Christmas Tree.  Rather, his Christmas tree.

He really loves it!!  Bells...jingle....what is not to love for a sweet kitty?

Just look at those pupils, dilated and laser beam focused!

 One more picture of our sweet boy.  His fur is the softest velvet you can imagine.

Onward to a NEW YEAR!!  Wow!!

Julie

Greetings!

Hi everyone!!

I have been busy working....and piecing...and raking leaves. Above are my plaids star blocks...a UFO.  Yes, a genuine UFO!!

I made progress, which feels lovely!!

Are you participating in the Quiltville mystery quilt?  I am!  Above are my step two blocks...sweet little four patches.  I love them!

I am quilting Baptist fans into this quilt.  Plaids again...and making great progress.

Step one of the mystery quilt.

And more of those!!

My kitty Lucky is always attentive to help and run off with blocks if he can.  I just adore him and his big ears.  Darling baby!  Look at those pretty eyes!

There are outside cats here, and one especially touches me.  His owner died, a lady on our block, and the family just turned him out on the streets instead of finding him a home. Before I knew about him, he was emaciated to the point of death.  I have been feeding him morning and night, the best high fat and protein diet I could find for cats.  He is now doing so much better!!  Long story, but he is just uncared for...but no more.  I love him, and frankly, he is a darling baby.

I make this quilt into a baby quilt.  Off to the quilters, and then to be gifted to the next baby that comes along at the hospital.

ON we go!!

Julie
 

Lots of things going on!

Good morning, or evening to you!!!  I have been sewing pouches of different sizes, and I enjoy filling them with different things and gifting them to folks at work.  Nurses love fun pens, lip balm, hand cream and such!

I have peppers, but the raccoons love them, and they get "harvested" by the coons a lot.  It has been very warm here for October, and the garden is flourishing.

Carrots are springing up!

And tiny Marigolds!!  I love these little buddies!

This is Swiss Chard in my planter box.  My mother always used to feed it to us, as children, when we were ill.  We always felt better!  Lots of vitamin B, and lots of loving care, I am sure, made all the difference.

Bonnie Hunter has a pattern out recently, and it is "Diamond Tiles."  I love it!!!  The blocks are small, and just right to use my scraps that you know I love so much.  I am loving this!

Diamond Tile PDF Pattern (quiltville.com)

Above is the link to the pattern.

A scary rooster was near the hospital.  Halloween is near!

My granddaughter has a new Halloween costume!!!!

And my grandson too.  What a fun time of year for children!!

Lucky continues to be a helper and design expert regarding quilts.  His left front foot is permanently disabled, but that does not stop him at all.  He is so funny, just delightful.  I contrast his portly, sleek and well nutritional body to one outside cat that wanders the neighborhood...this precious kitty cannot weight 5 pounds.  I feed her as often as she comes by, and she is precious. Hubby says NO!  when I say can we have her inside...he thinks she is ill.  I think she is starving, bless her!  I keep food out for her, and fresh water.  

The Dallas Arboretum has their annual pumpkin fall display going on, and we went.  I had to kneel down and have a picture.

  So pretty there!!!

More scrappy blocks going on at our home.  SCRAPS RULE!!

Hope everyone is doing very well.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++Nurse's Notes++++++++++++++++++++

Hospice is closed more than it is open, so I end up floating to all kinds of places to nurse in the hospital. Some of the floors do not have chairs for the nurses, and I end up standing for my 12-hour shifts, charting, etc... mostly running room to room, though.  I have learned a lot!  Surgical floor...medical floor...oncology floor...ER...ICU...telemetry floor.  I long for a home unit that I can just sink into and be.  I have been at my hospital almost 30 years, and it has changed from a modern state of the art hospital to an urban hospital with decaying surroundings.  I love the nursing part, but wow...it is different now.

Maybe I am the one who is different.  I had a very significant decade birthday recently, and somehow, it makes me long for freedom.  To get out of the stressful day to day at the hospital, you know?  I would like to affect healthy change in other ways.  To teach wellness, not try and cure disease.  Folks in the USA are not as healthy as we could be!!  Too much sugar, sedentary lifestyles, and too little exercise and nutrition.  I would really love to change that for those who I could reach.  Honestly, the medical system takes care of illness but does not teach much health.  I long to do that!!!

Any thoughts?

Onwards, day by day!

Julie
 

Hand quilting on the plane!

Greetings!!  I have been on a journey!  I got to go visit my grand babies, and had a lovely time.

I wanted to have something to sew on the plane, so I bordered this block and hand stitched it on the plane.

Yahoo!  I have all of these blocks sewn together.  I love this!

Another finished place mat on the plane.  These will go to meals on wheels.

 This piece was one I just loved...an older lady ( I mean in her high 90's)  was selling these, hand made on her Bernina...and I bit.  Pretty, don't you think?

Hope each of you has a great day!!

Julie

Progress on the flags

I have been doing secret flag sewing at night.  Well, not exactly secret...you all know about it!!  But the recipient of the quilt does not.  I am loving working with this fabric palette!

A resident artist lives in our neighborhood.  Every once in a while, she will put a sidewalk chalk drawing out for us children; me included!  I love her work.

On the free table at guild was this lovely cotton blossom applique.  It came home with me.

As did this pretty applique piece!!

These are leader ender blocks, for a baby quilt.  Hurrah for quick finishes!!

Another baby quilt...brights for a baby girl, unborn as of yet...and unknown of, too!!  It is fun to have quilts on hand to gift!

Hope you are having a wonderful day!!

Julie