Wednesday, August 28, 2013

A little more progress

 A few more baskets, and of course, these blocks still need the handles appliqued down.
And a few more blocks put together too.  I think this one could be described as scrappy...what do you think?

Have a great day, everyone!!!


Julie

Monday, August 26, 2013

Stringing along here

 So,  a few more of these blocks happened.  I am having such a great time working with strings!!  This is of course not the final arrangement, and I am making more blocks...and loving it!
 I put another round of lights on my log cabin blocks...81 in all.  Why 81?  Because I miscounted, LOL!!  I am thinking of a setting where I can do some applique in the light areas...hmmmm...stay tuned for that!
And I finished all the flying geese sashings, for some quilt in the future, I guess!  I loved this piecing, it was just great fun too.


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


Well, I floated again. Twice last week.  That means going to another nurse's station, where you don't normally work.  The last time, it was tough.  The nurses there were not supportive of the floaters, which was me and also two other girls, they did not even talk to us.  I did not even get report on two of my patients.  So it was lonely and tough to boot.  Sick people, and lots of them.  I did the best I could, not knowing where anything was and not knowing any of the patients.  I think I may refuse to go there again.  Wonder if I could get away with that??  Probably not...but I may give it a go anyway if the muse descends...

On a lighter note, I met a patient's husband in the grocery store that I had had in the hospital about five years ago.   She was so very, very sick, and really was lucky to make it out of the hospital.   He is quite elderly, and still takes loving care of his wife each day.  He was buying her a treat, ice cream, on this hot day.  I love the kind of love that lasts 60+ years!!!



Have a great day, all!!

Julie


Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Well, Officer, this is how it happened...

Hi Everyone!!  I had an imaginary conversation with the quilt police!!  "Well, Officer, this is how it happened.  I was really, truly focused on my log cabin blocks like I said I was goin' to...but those darn scraps were hollerin' at me!!  And the baskets...they were hollerin' too!  I had NO CHOICE...I am innocent!"

 I know I was supposed to stay focused as I have been prattling on about the last few posts,  and just do one thing at a time, and I had the best intentions...and you know which road best intentions paved!!!

The log cabin blocks are still there...I am still working on them too...but these scrappy crazy blocks are just making me jump for joy right now...and hey, that is worth something!!  I know they are way out of a lot of people's comfort zone...but I love them!!

So there, quilt police!!


Julie

Monday, August 19, 2013

A fun, fun day!!

 I had the most fun ever playing in the scraps this morning!!  I made a basket...kinda wonky at best...then added strings around it.  TADA!!  A block that is totally scrappy, not a bit well pieced...and I love it!!
 Another one, just playing here...I don't like this one as much, but hey...fun anyway!!
 Bonnie Hunter!!  of Quiltville fame...she started this, LOL!  These are blocks that are to be made as leader/enders...you don't really think I can do that, do you?  I made one, just to see how it would go.  Addicting, that is how it went!!
 So I cut out a whole quilt!!  That is the fun part of cutting up your scraps into usable pieces...all this came from the 2.5 inch strips and squares bin.  ANYTHING goes!!
My friend Lyn...oh Lyn!  She sent me a birthday  package in July, with instructions to open an item whenever I needed or wanted to!!  Wow!!  Spoiled, that is what I am....and love this amazing gift!!  Thank you, Lyn!!  Everything has a Parisian theme.  So much fun!  Lots of work and imagination went into this...


***************************Nurse's Notes************************


Well, the lady from last post is off to rehab.  So hurrah for her!!  It is hard sometimes, because we as nurses sometimes never know what happens to patients.  We love for them to come back and visit when they are all well!!

I recently admitted a patient with chest pain.  He was totally wheelchair bound, late 60's, but he still cared for his 91 year old mother at home.  He said the only thing he could not do was to bath her, and he had home health come in and help with that.  He received a call from his mom while I was doing the admission paperwork, and it was so obvious that he loved her so very  much...and it just warmed my heart.  There is so much good, and so many good people in our world.  I love running into them!!!

****************************************************************


Have a great day, everyone!!


Julie




Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Endless Possibilities!

 Well, I am focusing on finishing this Log Cabin quilt, and here is the setting.  I still have lots of piecing to do!  But mostly, it is done.  Just need to put the whole thing together.
Then, I got to thinking...what if I used string blocks instead?  A whole new look!!  Thus the title of this post, "Endless Possibilities!"   There may be a quilt of both ideas coming!




*****************Nurse's Notes***********************


Update on the lady!!  (from last post)..

I decided that if I could not help this lady, who would not do anything to help herself, I would at least find out why she refused to do anything, anything at all to help herself!!  Three weeks now, she has been at the hospital. Bound for the nursing home...but maybe not!!

I went in, shut the door, and made her, MADE her tell me what was wrong!!  I would not leave until I found out what in the world was her deal!!  After a long, long time...she told me that her husband had kicked her out of the house, and she was living with friends and family.  She just felt like she did not have a reason to keep on fighting, keep on living.  At last, at least...we knew.  She talked, and talked, and talked, and cried and cried.  And guess what?  Last Saturday when I worked, she sat up on the side of her bed!!  Sunday she stood at the side of the bed.  Monday she walked with a walker to the door!!  And when I left last shift...she was walking, ever so slowly, in the hall, with physical therapy.  Hurrah!!!  Maybe we all just need to get it out sometimes...to let it out, those pains and hurts that immobilize us!!!


I am so grateful and thankful that she is healing, inside and out...

Now she is going to rehab, not the nursing home!!


*********************************

Julie

Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Next!

Good Tuesday, everyone!!  I am off work today...they called...but I didn't answer.  After all, a gal must have some time to catch up on the the house and laundry, LOL!!

I am still practicing my word..FOCUS!!  I have had this quilt cut out for nearly a year, and this quilt's time is now!  I pieced all the blocks...but just wait!  This is not the final layout!  I have something different in mind for this simple log cabin quilt.  Involving lots of extra piecing...fun, isn't it?  I am trying to use all my strings and scraps.


*************************Nurse's Notes*****************************


The lady is still there at the hospital.  The one from last post, the one who just does not do anything.  I feel so bad for her!  Still at the hospital, after over two weeks!!  I pray for her, but I think she is headed for the nursing home.  So sad!!

We had three big heart surgeries yesterday, with different surgeons...it is amazing how differently the recoveries are.  It was fun to be busy, busy, busy!!  Busy enough for them to call me in for overtime...yahoo!!


*****************************************************************


Have a great day, all!!


Julie

Thursday, August 1, 2013

Loving that focusing is working for me!!

 Alrighty, then!!  I finished the t-shirt quilt top!!  I am so glad it is in one piece, and that I can maybe give it to the intended recipient for Christmas.  Yahoo!!
I plan to embroider the school dates and their names on the quilt too...that will be fun and relaxing in the evenings.

Everyone, I sincerely hope you have a super great evening!!


Julie

My next Focus Factor!

 Well, A couple years ago I was asked to put together a t-shirt quilt.  In my spirit of focusing on just one project at a time, this project came up...and just had to be next!!  I had no idea how to do this...none.  I started by fusing light weight Pellon to the back of each shirt, then cutting them out. I trimmed them to 12x12, and the little pieces 4x4 inches.  Then I tried to arrange all the blocks in some way all together!  This is what I came up with.  It still needs borders, but I am hoping that this quilt will please the recipient!  My question is, do I use more t-shirts for a border, or border with a plain fabric of some kind??  Do you know??
A dear, dear friend gave me these gifties!!  This is to make a periwinkle quilt, from Missouri Quilt company.  Missouri Quilt company has tons to tutorials on the web about how to make lots of quilts. So this is one I am dreaming on now!!!  Thank you, Mary...please click on her name to see her blog!!

*************************Nurse's Notes************************

Motivation...it is critically important in the healing process, and to not have that "victim" mentality.  I recently had a patient who came in, in her 50's,  walking and talking.  She was pretty sick, but nothing that was not fixable, in fact we fixed her pretty easily!!  But....she would not move.  She would not get out of bed, would not try at all,  called me to scratch her nose, called me to fluff her pillow, called me to move her hands!!   Now keep in mind, she was perfectly capable of all these things, after all she lived at home and worked a job.  But after ten days of not doing anything...she really can't do anything!!  I feel so bad for her...we have tried and tried and tried to do therapy and motivation and just loving her into doing SOMETHING!!  I don't know what is wrong...I have tried to talk to her to see if she is depressed, if she has had something go wrong we don't know about...and there is nothing evident that the docs can find.  She just wants someone else to do everything for her, even though she came in living by herself and walking and talking...it is just crazy!!  She is wound for the nursing home at this point...it just breaks my heart!  Tough love does not work either...love and talking does not work...education does not work...sigh... her son is just heart broken too!

Each day, a person can strive for be healthier, growing younger with activity and work and motivation...or they can wither away and go the other way.  I know what I chose!!!  I am out the door for my walk!!!



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If you are here for strictly quilting content, just skip the nurse's notes...these notes are just my ponderings on the patients and people I know and care for at the hospital...I love each one!!


Have a great day,

Julie


Hexies, rainbow quilts and plaids!

Good morning to all!!!  Above is a hexagon, for English paper piecing.  My kitten Lucky has discovered them, and decided that they are great...