Wednesday, January 30, 2019

Dearest Boy!!

Here is the next block, for the quilt "Dearest Boy."  I love hearts, so I love this block, and tried to follow the original color scheme, using what I have.  There is something very hypnotic and soothing about stitching these applique blocks, in the quiet of the morning.


Hurrah!  On to the next...and the cow is coming up at some point!!


Please see below, to see all the lovely blocks and bloggers making this quilt!





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


Speaking of hypnotic...I have had the privilege of caring for a family from India, at the hospital.  So, I have been treated to Indian music and food!!  The music has many repeated chants, and I must say...they are stuck in my head, and I found myself swaying to the music and loving it!  What a dedicated family...The kids flew in from all over the country, and are so dedicated to their very ill dad...he is on life support, continuous dialysis, and so on.  His precious wife of 54 years held his face in her hands and told him how much she loved him yesterday...and I stepped out of the hospital room and just wept.  He will not make it through this...and yet?  I have been surprised in the past at some miraculous recoveries, which just goes to show you that a higher power is in charge of us!!!!!!

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Julie





Saturday, January 26, 2019

Strings and hand work

 This little wall hanging is made out of pieces and parts in the applique bucket.  I may add a butterfly.
 I am still working on this limey green string quilt!  The sun is so beautiful today, shining in, although it is quite cool outside.
And lastly, a tiny embroidery birdie coaster...




Have a great day, everyone!!




Julie

Friday, January 25, 2019

Lunacy...log cabin blocks!!

 This really was a lot of sewing...but super fun!  These strips are 1 1/4 inch wide, and 3/4 inch wide, finished.  I have made all the blocks I could, from the strips I had cut out...and I am out of brown strings, so that's it, folks!!!
Rosie, my poodle girl,  cannot wait to get on these blocks and help arrange them, so I had to snap a picture, quickly!!!!




I will not sew these together yet, but rather, let them age appropriately.   Ha!!!



Have a super day, everyone!


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


So, on the work e-mail today, there is a notice that they are laying off 3% of all nurses at my hospital.  As a 'senior" (read old) nurse, I am on the chopping block. Corporate always goes after the oldest, most tenured staff...I sure hope my name does not come up...I need my job!!!

Shivers!!!

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Julie

Thursday, January 24, 2019

First day off, and an inservice


I started yet another quilt.  My philosophy is this!  Nothing started, nothing finished!!!  HA!  So...this is a rainbow quilt.  The colors will march diagonally across the quilt.  Orange is next.
 

I made a few birds...these were supposed to be red, but there were so many mistakes with them, I count it lucky that they made it out from the sewing machine alive!  Hahaha!!!

Speaking of that...I encourage  each of you not to let a lack of perfection in quilting, or anything else for that matter,  make you sad or feel like you are not adequate.  I love these birds above, with all their mistakes....this is all for the joy of it, after all!!

I am making a project with rick-rack.  I blithely thought that my local Walmart would have tons of it, and I didn't have to worry about a thing....

THIS WAS ALL THEY HAD, HIDDEN ON THE DISCOUNT BIN!!!

I feel lucky to have found it...does Joann's have rick-rack??


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

I was a bit aggravated today, being forced to take two hours and go to a mandatory in-service on pulling sheaths...something I have done for thirty years and never had a problem.

It really interrupts my day to get ready and dressed and drive to the hospital and sit there and watch...but woe is me if I missed this MANDATORY in-service.

So what did I do? I took my sewing and did applique!  I swear, I am going to get fired for insolence, LOL!!

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




Have a super day, each of you!!!


Julie

Friday, January 18, 2019

Didn't I show you this??

Tada!  Completed with the string border.  I was going to make it a wider string border...but I had all this narrow string all done...so that is what happened!  Sometimes...ya just gotta be done!



Whoop!!!



Thursday, January 17, 2019

Might as well start something new!

This is something new!  It is called "Miss Jump's Tea time, and it is a quilt along, on Facebook, with Lorraine Hoffman.  I am a little in love with the rickrack and the bright colors!!!




 At first, I thought the rickrack was to go right on top of the heart...but I think it looks better with a little space in between the heart and the rickrack.   This was my initial attempt.

Hearts...plaids...bright colors...flowers!!  Love, love, love!!!
 Pat Sloan is have a "Space" quilt along...so I made the first block.  I had some leftover pieces and parts, so I made pinwheels and chevrons with the leftovers.
 Meeting House quilts is have a quilt along, too!!  So...I made these blocks to start in on that one!!! Nothing like tons of starts for the new year!  These are eight inch blocks.
And Angela, at Super Scrappy, is making a fun rainbow quilt this year...all tiny blocks!  So, here are my five inch blocks.


Fun, fun, fun!!!




Julie

Tuesday, January 15, 2019

Strings!

I guess this is self explanatory!!  8 inch blocks...30 blocks planned, if I have enough strings!!

Onward!!

Julie

Dearest Boy update

 Good morning, everyone!  I tried and tried to make the original block for this block...it was yucky.  What I mean is...it was a pain!  I think Karen accomplished it, but I substituted this block instead.
I am thinking of putting a flower or bird inside the double handled basket.  So on we go!!!  The next block is applique...and it is prepped and ready to stitch!!




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

I am supposed to be at work today, but they put me on call.  So...for $2.00 per hour (I know, don't be jealous), I am supposed to stay by the phone and be available for the next 12 hours, just in case they need me.  So, I will do laundry and such, keep busy for my day...and will try to sneak in a little sewing!!

The census of hospital patients,  all across the nation, according to my hospital authorities, is down.  Which is a good thing, but it means that I don't get to work each shift I am scheduled.  It makes me want to find a supplemental job!!!

Can I just be a quilter for my second job?  LOL!



I had a very sad case the other day...a lady got very depressed, and for two years, she locked herself inside her apartment.  Deliveries of food were ordered, and some trash was passed out to the drivers, and a neighbor brought her mail to her,  but for the entire time, she never bathed or washed her hair...and there were just little trails among the "stuff" in her house, for her to pass through to the bathroom and back to her recliner.  Her legs were stuck in the shape of her recliner!!!

She stayed in her apartment, suffering a heart attack, for two days...finally, finally calling for help.  Her heart is so badly damaged, she is really on the verge of not making it.  Her long hair is in one large matted ball at the top of the pillow.  I may go in today and try to detangle it for her...poor thing!

  If you have chest pain...you call 911 and get to the hospital as soon as you can!!

I see some very sad and odd things as a nurse, and I know my nursing friends can relate!








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Have a great day!

Julie

Sunday, January 13, 2019

Slow Stitching

I finished hand quilting this quilt.  It was a quilt along with Cheri Payne...she would give us random basket piece patterns, and we just came up with whatever basket we imagined.  I made four of the blocks, and here is my nearly finished quilt.  I loved this project...and each stitch is in remembrance of a super fun designer; Cheri Payne.  

My fingers are fairly sore, as I did this one all on a road trip.  I still need to make binding, a hanging sleeve, and a label.


Onward!!!  I hope each of you has had some time to slow stitch...check out Kathy; I am linking up to her, for Sunday Slow Stitching.



Hugs from Julie!

Monday, January 7, 2019

Strings, strings, strings!!!

 Sometimes?  You just have to begin.  Something...anything!!!  I love strings, and have so many fun ideas  that I was a bit paralyzed!!  So...after work tonight, and after supper was cleared and the dishes were done, I made these limey green string blocks!!  I had these all sorted out.  They are 8 inch finished blocks...and represented about ten minutes of work.  I love them!  NO matching anything...just mindless and fun sewing time.
I am back to 5 bowties a night.  These are three inch finished.




A few minutes a night adds up to a lot of progress!!!



Have a super day!

Julie

Sunday, January 6, 2019

Red, red, red!

 I just really love this quilt!  I am not sure who came up with this pattern, but I really love the contrast and pretty, pretty colors.  I had not ONE red block in the bunch...but luckily, this is red month at So Scrappy.
 I made these red blocks for the quilt!  Yahoo!
 I was also toying with adding red hearts...but I think this is going to be a non starter.  Adding the block to the orphan blocks, for an orphan quilt, some day!!
 And these I already showed you...
and these!

Red is super fun!!!


Linking to Angela, for a start on rainbow quilts of the year.




I pray each of you is OK, and having the best New Year possible.


Julie

Wednesday, January 2, 2019

Fun is afoot!


 Rainbow quilts!  The color of this month is:  RED!  I have started a new quilt with wonky stars.  I thought I might not like making these stars...BUT I LOVE THEM!!  So much love, that I made two.
 Angela at So Scrappy is hostessing a new quilt along...please see her blog HERE.  Tiny blocks, with lots of visual impact.  She is posting one each week, and it is a free quilt along.
 I had a jelly roll...note the past tense.  I whacked it all up and am making this, for a nursing friend who likes purple.
 Happiness?  Is a new rotary cutter blade!  Hahaha!  This was my Christmas present, the one I asked for...new rotary blades.  Cuts like a hot knife through butter!
 I have been collecting keys for some time...some very old, some just pretty.  I found this wooden heart at JoAnn fabrics yesterday, and had a 60% off coupon, so it came home, and we put cup hooks on it...and there you go!  I have room for some more old keys.
 Yarn sale too, at Joann's.  I made a little dishcloth.  I can still crochet, after a fashion, that is.
 I guess I need a bright bag, or someone does...anyway, this got made too.
 This is my table runner for January...and it is BRRRRRrrrrr here!  Raining all day.
 These are just a few of the gifts I received from my friend Lyn...thank you, Lyn!!  I love each one!
And such a fun fabric postcard...thank you, Nines!!



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...