Monday, June 30, 2014

Primitive Gatherings block four, and a couple other little quilties!

 Here is my block four, the summer Block of the week from Primitive Gatherings.  Nothing stitched down on this one, but it ready to stitch!!  Wool on cotton...the wool tickles my nose!!  I feel for the poor staff that have to cut all those wool pieces...sneezes!
 This is the beginnings of a little heart quilt for a friend at work.  She gave me a much need hug when I really needed it last week...so I will finish it up and get it to her.  It is small...maybe she can put it in her office or something.  Rick rack, anyone??
And I put another border on this little quilt...just need stitching time on this one too.



I just want to say how grateful I am for each of you...friends far and near.  I have loved getting to know you through your blogs and comments and e-mails...you are a rich treasure to me.



Julie

Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Plaid scraps rule!!

 Country Threads had a sampler, a free offering in 2013.  Here is my version!  It is made all of plaid scraps, with muslin as the background fabric.  I made a few changes as my fancy and the materials at hand dictated; and here is what I came up with.
 A favorite block...that little pinwheel block!!  Love that one, for some reason!!  Country Threads is also having another sampler quilt along for this year...check them out!  I am saving the patterns, but I have not started it...yet!
 Many of you know I am working on the current wool sampler from Primitive Gatherings.  I am experimenting with making cotton blocks too...see above...and below!
 I like the basket!
 And the bird...
The sampler calls for lots of little four patches, so I got caught up on making all those while I had some time.



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

KIND OF A DOWNER!!  Warning, warning!!  don't read if you are just here for quiltish content...

I had some pretty rough days the last stretch I had at the hospital...I sure hope these next days are better, and not so emotional is so many ways.  I had to terminally wean a patient from the ventilator...and he lasted about 5 minutes without the vent support.  Just broke my heart, friends...seems like after 25 years of nursing it would be easier...but it still hurts so badly...I think it is the family pain that infiltrates my heart and makes me sad.  I know the patient is in heaven and all is well for him.  Taking a deep breath here and preparing for my next patients!!

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


Have a great day, everyone!!

Julie

Saturday, June 21, 2014

Woolie progress!

 Primitive Gatherings block number 3!!  It is on top of another quilt, so sorry about that...but I love the sunflowers!

 This is a muse...I saw a pinwheel inside of a circle...just had to make a prototype...



I have little else to offer on the quilting front this week...I have been a bit under the weather, and working, working, working!!


Have a great day, everyone!

Julie

Friday, June 13, 2014

Primitive Gatherings block 2

 Nothing is appliqued down here, but the second block is together, somewhat.  I have not made any of the alternate blocks yet, but have the four patches for them cut out.
 The freebie that was provided is also fused down and ready to stitch.
And both blocks together.  It is great fun to work on these!!

I am off now to clean, clean, clean...the laundry room beckons!!!

Julie

Thursday, June 12, 2014

Progress on plaids

 This is a picture of a scrappy quilt in the book, "Super Scrap Quilts", a Martingale publication.  The book was at a local quilt shop, and I did not resist all those fun scrappy patterns!!  Above is a fun quilt that I fell in love with...because...
 I had just the right fabrics for it!! All the blocks are cut out from 2.5 inch strips...and the little bow adorned bundle is 1.5 inch strips, left over.
 And one inch strips too!!  So I can see a tiny log cabin quilt shaping up from these little pieces.  Fun, fun ocean colors!
While waiting for my next Primitive Gatherings applique block, I decided to sew these blocks together.  This is last year's Country Threads free block of the month.  I have had the blocks cut out for a long time, but was afraid I would mess up and knock the stacks over...and little pieces would be everywhere and impossible to figure out what went with what!  Anyway, it was hard to dust around the little piles each week, so today was the day.  Hopefully I can make more progress tomorrow.  I am not sure about that large brown/cranberry block, but in the original quilt it looks wonderful...so I will trust and go for it!!  These are all plaids...love plaids...


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


A seventeen year old...with Lymphoma.  Years and years and years ago...they did radiation for this, in a last ditch effort to have this young person's life, after all else had failed.  And miracle of miracles, it worked!!

Fast forward 40 years...he has had so many problems from all that radiation.  Not the least being a heart valve that was almost stenosed shut.  So a new valve for him!!  And all is well...walking in the hall one day after heart surgery...yahoo!!  I love those days as a nurse!!


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


This morning's walk...I walked 3 miles.  The thunder growled low and dark...the sky was so low and thick, I could feel the moisture...and then the rains came, almost to the second of when I got back to the house.  I love days off!!!


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


Julie










Monday, June 9, 2014

A little bigger and lighter...

 I just love, love, love Lisa Bongean's block of the week, from her store Primitive Gatherings.  She has one each summer, and I have really enjoyed participating or just watching these beautiful designs coming together.   I love it so much that I feel inspired to make another version, one to give away to family.  How about a scrappy version??  What is a day without scraps?!!!  I made the block a little bigger, and a little scrappier.  So now I have another block to stitch...what could be better than that??  This is made of all cottons, as I do not have enough wools to make it as pretty as Lisa's version.
And the little freebie block is prepped and ready to stitch too.  Yahoo!!


Happy Monday to ya!!

Julie

Sunday, June 8, 2014

Primitive Gatherings summer block of the week: block one

The first block! I still need to stitch the tiny flowers down, and a little bit of embroidery, but then I am all done with this one.  The wheels in my head are spinning about this pattern...I love it!!

I am on the bottom of the list as far as sending out the blocks...alphabetical order, you know...but that is just fine.  I got the block yesterday in the noon mail, prepped it yesterday too, and today I am stitching it down in between all the other stuff I need to do.


Are you doing this too??



I hope each of you has had a wonderful weekend!!

Julie

Thursday, June 5, 2014

Heart felt addition

 There are three different kinds of applique in this quilt.  The starch method version is what I used for the basket handles...they still need to be appliqued down.  For the circles in the border, it is blanket stitching.  For the triangles in the border, I tried something different.  I backed each piece with muslin, sewed around the edges right sides together, and turned them.  A Eleanor Burns method, I think, from long ago.  Just trying it out...they are loosey goosey still, and it will be fun to sew them down too!
 A favorite heart...
And another!!  I trim all threads at one time, at the end...so forgive the thready parts!!Seems like the best use of time...my mother would have had a hissy fit...she was a REAL seamstress, LOL!!



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

PTSD...post traumatic stress disorder.  I had a 80 year old fellow yesterday as my patient.  He said he was in the Vietnam war.  Just a very nice gentleman, but he really needed to have oxygen.  He fell asleep, and his oxygen mask slipped to the side, so I crept in to fix it for him, trying not to disturb him.  BIG mistake!!  He woke up seriously swinging!!!  Poor guy...after so many years, his war experiences still haunt him.   I was so sorry to have alarmed him...and learned...   He was so sorry...I was so very sorry...what a darling man.  What a honor it is to serve our veterans; to a person, they are just amazing to care for!!


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


Have a great day, everyone!

Julie


Tuesday, June 3, 2014

Scraps, of course!

 Just a little progress on the Quilt Hollow scraps.  I have all the baskets made, and a setting in the works.  Just adding little bits and pieces...and playing with the scraps!  Looks kind of Christmas-ish at this point.
The little mug rug is hand quilted and done...it is small, just zoomed in on the photo.



Have a great day!!

Julie

Monday, June 2, 2014

Delighted!

 Yahoo!!  The Easter Egg quilt is quilted!!  I just love the texture and fun that quilting adds...love, love!!  Rosie loves it too, and just would not dream of getting off the quilt.  She really, really likes this one, she told me...
 I put the binding on today, and will savor the hand sewing of the binding down.
The glamour shot...what is a poodle to do but stake her territory??


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

I am precepting a new graduate nurse.  I get a new one every six months, just when the nursing schools around here graduate their new nurses.  This sweet lady is amazing!!  She is much younger than my son, and just sweet and darling as pie.  And super, super smart...love that part!!  She will be an amazing nurse when she gets experience.  And...she has compassion and a heart for the patients.  I can teach all the skills in the world, all the ACLS  skills and medication administration...but I cannot teach love for the patients.  That...the new nurse brings with her.  I am so blessed to teach her, and learn so much from my students as well!!

I think I have taught right around 100 nurses, either experienced or new ones...of course the new nurses go through an internship...the experienced nurses just need a few weeks/days to know where everything is, and to learn the charting.  So I have reproduced myself a lot of times over!!  Just musing about this...I look around and many of the younger nurses around?  I taught them!!  Weird...I am getting old, ladies and gents!!

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


Have a great day, everyone!!

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...