Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Little Leftovers

 Good morning!!  Playing with the leftover half square triangles here; you know, the ones you get when you sew that extra seam on a flippy corner?  I save them, of course.  Do you??  I just have been wondering what to do with them!!  Above is a table runner...
 and the same blocks, arranged in a more quilt like manner.  I did not have enough to make a big quilt, so the table runner it is!!  The runner still needs a border, but that will come.  So here is how to do it...
 Maybe you have a bag (or two) of these half square triangles.  First thing is to trim off those dog ears, and make the squares all a uniform size.  It doesn't really matter how big, but they have to be uniform in size...pretty much!
And here is the block!!  Not perfect piecing here, but I am sure you can make them perfect, LOL!!  In my opinion, this would make a marvelous leader and ender project, with all your pieces trimmed to size and ready to go.  I used the whole bag of triangles I was wanting to use up, so yahoo!  Alas, I have several more bags to use up still...



*********************Just some thoughts************************


I recently was at the cemetery, visiting a loved one's grave, on Memorial Day.   Dear husband went back to the car, but I wandered a little bit...and saw so many flags adorning the graves of our veterans.  The VFW had placed flags on all the Vets headstones.    I looked at the dates as I wandered, and was struck by so many generations of young people, who put their bodies in harms way, to protect me and my family, and all of us...and was overwhelmed with gratitude and sorrow.  Those brave soldiers were born in 1919, perhaps, and served in World War 2.  Born in the 1930's, and served in Vietnam and Korea.  Born in the 1970's and 1980's...and served in Afghanistan and Iraq.

As I quietly walked back to the car, my eyes filled with tears, I am filled with such gratitude that so many brave soldiers protected me, and mine...and yours.  This includes my Daddy, who was in World War 2.  God bless our Veterans and all the soldiers who did not get to come home, from all those far away shores.  Happy Memorial Day, a little late...


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


Julie


Monday, May 20, 2013

Narrow Gauge through the Rockies

Hi to everyone!  I made another 48 blocks, for a total of 96...and that's all, folks!!  Next is the narrow black border, when I get all the blocks sewn together.  Then...maybe that's it!!  I love these blocks, they are just great fun to make!
I received a gift from the heart.  A long time blog friend gifted me with this gorgeous crocheted piece...I left it on the wrapping paper to photograph, so you could see the detail.  It is truly beautiful, and truly appreciated!!  Thank you so much, Nines!!


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

I floated yesterday at the hospital...this is where administration takes a nurse, and send them to another totally unfamiliar unit to work, to help with staffing. Once I went to labor and delivery...once to the ER.  It is like taking a commuter driver and sending them to run the Indy 500...a totally different scene than the one the nurse is familiar with!!  Yet, this happens all the time...scary stuff, really...and the prayer is that you don't mess up!!  Any of you nurses...do you float??  I lucked out and had simple, fun patients...whoohoo!!!




Have a great day, all!!

Julie

Friday, May 17, 2013

Coons again this spring

 Can you see these pretty eyes peering up out from our chimney? This is the view down from the top.  Yes, I got on the roof...but dear husband took the pictures.  And yes, we did have the chimney covered!  The coons deftly torn the cover off, and squeezed down here during the tornado storms the other night...
Babies!!  Three babies and a Momma coonie...I love them.  I know a lot of you don't like them, but they are gorgeous creatures to me.  So, we again wove a rope ladder for them, and I am sure they will be gone before morning.  Our poodle goes crazy when the coonies move in!



Have a great weekend!!

Julie

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Quilt along, part two

Well here is part two!  I used scraps for my pinwheels, and muslin for the background fabric.  I loved making this border!!  It was just so much fun, and fit...FIT!!  Yippee!!

Please see Lori and Randy (just click on their names), to see their blogs and join in on this fun quilt along!!


Julie

Monday, May 13, 2013

Quilt along!!

Happy Monday!  I am quilting along with Lori and Randy on a fun medallion style quilt.  Here is my center block.  It is not too late for you to join in and quilt along too!!  This was fun and easy to do...I forget sometimes how much I love applique!!


Julie

Thursday, May 9, 2013

Days off!!

 Today, interspersed with cleaning and laundry, I have made four Carolina Lily blocks.  I think this must be an old pattern...does anyone know?
And on the other end of the spectrum, I made some blocks from batiks.  I have very few batik fabrics, but love them for their vibrant color and crisp texture.


Other than that, it has been a quiet day.  Hope each of you out there has a wonderful Mother's day!!


Julie

Wednesday, May 8, 2013

A perfect storm

Here is my progress on the crumb plaid string X quilt, "Narrow Gauge through the Rockies". Little pieces of plaids comprise this quilt, and it was just a blast to piece!!  I was inspired by several of you, but the biggest influence was Regan!  Please click on her name to see her blog, and her quilt is from her April 16th post.  It is phenomenal!! Love her cheddar!!  She has had some terrible news this week, so a caring note from everyone would be wonderful.
And so far, this is what I have.  I am rethinking the piano key border  because it does not continue the diagonal feel of the quilt.  Hmmm...I will dream on it!!  Please...what do you think about a border??
And another little one...I have made two of these quilts so far!  Three inch blocks...wheeeee!!!!



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

Down the back hall at work is a wide sunny space.  I love to walk there in the morning, and stand with my eyes closed, just for a minute, in the sun.  It is wonderful!  I catch wiffs of patient flowers here, sometimes...I really like this big wide quiet hall at the hospital.  But then!!


THE PERFECT STORM hits!

The patient comes from a procedure, doing OK  not great...not good blood pressure.  Then I noticed her distended neck veins.   Blood pressure continued to drop minute by minute.  I listened to heart sounds...very muffled.  She was in Cardiac tamponade!! Now here is the amazing thing...I just took a class on this, two weeks ago, in a CCRN review, and was able to recognize what was up immediately.  ( A God thing!)   Now this is where the perfect storm comes in....

Pharmacy...mixed my emergency drugs so fast and shot them up to me in perfect timing...fast, fast!!
Echo...the tech was right on the spot and did the cardiac echo, confirming that the patient had blood around her heart, constricting her heart beating!
Nurse Practitioner...was right there ordering things left and right for me!
The Doctor...was right on the spot too and quickly went to work!
The cath lab team...moved another stable patient and got my patient down to cath lab right that very minute!
The nurses and staff...hung drips and IV's, monitored,  helped get her to the cath lab, pushing at a run down the hall!


By the time we got her to cath lab, she had no discernible blood pressure at all.  The end of the storm?   By needle aspiration, 500 cc of blood was removed from around the heart of this patient, trapped in the pericardial sack.  Results?  Blood pressure, and heart tones all back to normal!  A save!!!!!

So the teamwork was the perfect storm...a good one!!  Instead of a death...we have a life.  The lady will go home this week.

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


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...