End of the month applique, and my mini of the month!

I am absolutely loving sewing along with Cathy, focusing on this quilt!  The quilt is called Mrs. Lincoln's Sampler quilt, and can be found HERE.

This is my applique block for the quilt.  I am focusing on making smooth curves and small stitches.  I love the hand applique process!!!

Please see the below quilters...many are making a much more arduous quilt, (Mary Brown) and it is  lots of fun to see their progress!  

 The following quilters are participating.  We will be showing completed blocks on the 30th of each month!  Take the time to visit them to see their completed monthly blocks!

Karen – Log Cabin Quilter

Cathy – Biglakequilter

Jennie  – Overthehillandrunning

Julie K –  Juliekquilts

Robin –   solsticestudio

Nanette – Doitrightquilter

Jan – Nanette will show her progress on her blog.  \\

So here is my mini quilt of the month.  I had these leftover pieces, and just sewed this quilt right up!  Very fun....it is machine quilted.  Hand sewn binding, though.  Please see Wendy's blog, our fearless mini quilt leader!  HERE

 I made this little table runner 18 years ago, or so, and the sunflowers here are waving in the wind, being late summer/fall, so I put this runner out on the dining room table.  The quilt shop I bought the kit from is now closed, which makes me quite sad.  How are the shops in your area faring?  Any closures...or openings???

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^Nurse's Notes%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

Wow!  It has been busier lately.  In a good, non covid way!  Hearts, hearts, hearts!  In our hospital, yesterday, we had 31 covid patients and 4 persons of interest.  (we get stats in email every day)  Much better than previously in the year.  On our floor, we have had lots of heart patients.  My current patient is a very tall man...almost 80 years old...but he drives a PORSCHE!  Haha...he has had it for 35 years.  He had two heart surgeries in 24 hours, and was on the ventilator for 5 days, and is the nicest man, ever. Soft spoken and so nice.  No visitors, all by himself in this world.  Just so kind...I always like to ask what people do for a living, and turns out he has an MBA and another Master's degree in economics.  He is in charge of e-commerce for a large company, and his business is exploding, with the covid pandemic!!

Yesterday, we had a code blue (heart and breathing stopped). We went running to the room, when we heard that insistent, loud cannot mistake it bell! It went like clockwork...CPR started immediately, me on the IV meds, another doing compressions, a time keeper, a team lead, a respiratory therapist who intubated right away.  After 6 minutes, we got him back.  The poor little nurse(a travel nurse, and this was only her second day in our hospital!!) who had him was absolutely overwhelmed...bless her.  So I just quietly took over her other patient and did all the necessary stuff...at the end of the shift, she circled back around to her patient and it was all done, meds given, pt. fluffed and puffed and loved on, and all the charting done!. HURRAH!  We are all "sisters of the cloth", I mean the scrubs...I loved the team work and the busy-ness and the success and being able to help her.  We all have our own "sisters" we look after...even if we don't know them, you know?  She was startled that I jumped in and did her work, but that is how we are, quilters....nurses....people....we help!!!!!!!  She will now pass this on someday, doing the same for another nursing sister.  That is what makes the dream work, TEAM work!!  It was very busy, but very rewarding, too.  

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Discipline, or the hard slog.  You know that point where you say....wow! I am sewing and sewing and sewing and just seems to take forever in the middle of a quilt, and you see a new quilt, and you say "WOW!"  I love it!!!  I want to start that!  Discipline is keeping to the task at hand...keeping the end in mind, during the hard slog.  

This applies to so many things!  I see our nurses at work who start a diet or exercise program, and in a couple days, stop...because of the hard slog!!  Keeping in sight of the goal is so important in the slog, in the middle.  Just musing here....something for me to work on and be cognizant of.  

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And another thing.  The debate last night was awful, to me.  Why can we not be kind to one another, even if disagreement?  They did not shake hands at first (maybe covid) I just don't get politics, much...I thought it was kind of awful!  30 years ago, people did not treat each other this way...where is the decorum and respect?  yuck!  Any thoughts??  Either side of the aisle!

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And one more thing...but I forgot what it was, and this is going on so long now!!  Have a lovely, wonderful day, each of you...you are a blessing to me!

OH yes...here it is. I HAVE AN INSTANT POT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  A GIFT!!!  I AM DELIGHTED...so please, what is your favorite recipe or go to thing you do with it??

Thank you!

Whoopsie!

Wheww!  It has been a barn burner at work...the last two days, I have been a telemetry nurse.  Floated from my normal unit, which is CVICU.  Each day, I have had 5-6 patients.  Just a lot of work, but fun in it's own way.  Lots of steps!!  I met some very nice patients.   The previous day, my patient was terminally weaned from the vent.  So....it is time for some quilting fun!

Above is my Northwest by Southwest quilt.  I am playing with making some sashings, instead of the blocks side by side.  My quilt does not have the movement that Annie's does...the jury is still out.  Just over-thinking things, I think!!

I have been sewing random crumbs together!  Crumbs...the smallest pieces of fabric.  I have a pretzel tin of these crumb of fabric, saved...and thought I would not use them, but then...why  not?  So I started just sewing one piece to another, then those pieces to other pieces....and here we are.  My mom used to make quilts like this one, tied quilts,  out of the "grumpsies" (leftovers).  Have you ever heard that word used before?  It is probably colloquial and probably archaic too!  We needed quilts for warmth in Colorado, (no heat), and quilts were utilitarian and useful things, so were finished as soon as possible and put into use!!

Here is the whoopsie!  I needed a ten inch block, so blithely cut out and sewed together this eight inch one!  Hahaha!  I am glad to have enough of the fabric scraps to make the right sized block!  Is that called fuzzy math???

I have made soup!  Vegetable soup...and froze a lot of it, so I can take it to work with me at the hospital.  Much more healthy than the hospital cafeteria (the covid cafe!)  That is what the nurses call our cafeteria...are we not ornery??

 Another kind of soup...zuppa tuscana, a sausage soup.  Mostly vegetable, just a wee bit of sausage for flavor.  It was good!  (past tense)

Hope this finds everyone well and having a lovely day!  Laundry, dishes, straightening up, changing linens...on we go!

Julie

Scraps!

 A string quilt is in the works!  I have so many things going on...but these blocks are easy and fun to concentrate on.  They are already layered with batting and backing, so I will just sew them together and have a quilt, when I have enough blocks!  I sorted through the scrap bins ( which is mostly what I have, LOL!) and found more blue strings. The yellow is just for fun! Hurrah!!

Linking to Cynthia, HERE:

http://quiltingismorefunthanhousework.blogspot.com/2020/09/oh-scrap-bit-by-bit.html

Julie

Slow stitching...and fast stitching!!

 

Good morning!  I have been working the past three days, so I am glad for a catch up day for laundry, cooking, resting a bit, and cleaning.  AND QUILTING!!!

Above are my latest blocks from Lyn, my dear friend.  These are all going into the California quilt, by Laundry Basket quilts. It was a mystery quilt from this year.  All the quilt pieces were cut out by Lyn, and I am savoring sewing these blocks so much!! 

https://www.laundrybasketquilts.com/blog/mystery-quilt-2020-final/

 

I finished all the blocks for the donation quilt, with Annie!  She has her whole quilt done, done, done!  I am thinking of modifying this just a little bit...my diagonals don't show up too well, close up, due to my fabric choices...I am thinking, thinking!  Watch out world, LOL!  She is thinking again!  When mine is done, I will picture both quilts together...so fun!

These little blocks have been lots of fun for years.  I play with them, make some more stars (4 inches finished, just perfect for using 2.5 inch square centers and using eight 1.5 inch squares.  I have used them in lots of projects!!  Just great fun to make them and play with them, in all kinds of ideas.  

My slow stitching for the day is the binding on this quilt.  I get it out to bind, them something or someone else calls for immediate action.  Today is the day!!  It was made at least 8 years ago.

Strings are so much fun!  I layered a backing fabric, a batting scrap, and then sewed the strings on top.  Using up those little pieces...I love strings just tons, as you probably have guessed over the years!!

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

I had a lovely couple as my patients, this last week! From Amarillo, they are farmers, farming 3000 acres of dry land farming.  They grow sorghum and wheat.  Anyway, she was very tired...more tired...just too tired! (her only symptoms) Turns out she had heart valve problems, and traveled the 6 hours to us, to get her heart surgery.  Tricuspid and mitral valves were both repaired!  HURRAH!  She is such a darling beautiful girl...he is such a big strapping Marlboro man type guy, wearing his Stetson and boots all the time.  I just loved caring for them!!!  I called her the Prairie Princess!!

In other nursing news, I stupidly fell totally backwards yesterday, trying to sit down on a rolling stool in my patient room.   I was in a hurry, and flung myself backward, and the stool flew backward and hit the rolling table, which also fell, and I fell hard backwards, hitting a lot of very tender parts of me!  So  loud and crazy, all the staff and docs on the floor came running in the room....oh Lordie.  

I am fine...tender, but fine.  Bruised! So that was my very graceful nursing story of the day...so glad the patient was sedated on the ventilator!!  Just call me Grace...

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Julie

Mid-month applique update! The Farmhouse Sampler!!

Karen and I are making this sampler, "The Farmhouse Sampler,", by Linen Closet Quilts.  Above is my latest block.  Pinned and prepped, not sewn, but well on the way!  

Please see Karen's blog and her pretty block here:  

https://karen-logcabinquilter.blogspot.com/2020/09/mid-month-update.html

Here is the sampler so far.  I have pretty much used scraps throughout.  I think I will add the yellow circles in the center of the flowers for my latest block, for continuity. 

 And here is the entire quilt!  Keeping the end goal in mind, I decided to go ahead and cut out the diamond pieces for the border.  I am using an old gray uniform...it is the perfect color!!

Hope you are having a lovely, wonderful day!  I have a three hour mandatory class at the hospital this afternoon, so I am glad to get this post done.  

Julie

Progressing, but not much worthy of a picture!!

 I have been sewing and sewing and sewing!!  I have 26 mores seams to sew, and these blocks will be done.  This is Annie's creation, the Northwest x Southwest donation quilt that I have been working on!  I should call it the insomnia quilt, though, because the majority of the quilt has been pieced between the hour of 3 and 5 AM.  Quiet time...meditative time...just good sewing time!!!

Hope you are having a fun time sewing, yourself!  I enjoy hearing about what you are working on, both sewing and non sewing stuff!

Julie

Slow Stitching Sunday

Hello!  A day off, after three days on, at the hospital.  Wild and wonderful hospital days...full of very hard work, some great recoveries and meeting some VERY nice patients and families!  Today is Sunday, a slow stitching day.  I have been appliqueing,  finishing up the last few leaves on this quilt, and it is being sandwiched for hand quilting.   It has been mostly done for ages, now.   I am linking to Kathy, for Slow Sunday Stitching.

https://kathysquilts.blogspot.com/2020/09/slow-sunday-stitching_13.html

I cut a few masks out.

And actually have a finished one, LOL!

 Made a couple of patriotic caps for the veterans at work.  

And did laundry, mowed  the lawn, walked three miles, cleaned just a little bit, listened to on line church, and napped!  Hurrah!!!  Made a cut lunch (sandwiches). Just a good day!  What did you do today??

Julie

Lot of stuff going on!

See the center of this fun block?  It is Annie's!!!  She designed this quilt, and chose to use this darling Llama fabric as her focus fabric...cute, cute, cute!! More about the donation quilt, Northwest by Southwest, later in the blog!!

I often make a "squishy", meaning, I save all my little trimmings from whatever quilt I am cutting out, and pile them on a backing and batting (but this time, I used a double piece of flannel.)  Spray them with starch, and SQUISH!!  them down with the hot iron.  Then I just sew back and forth over them...cut out whatever shape I want to, and bind it off.  TADA!!  A squishy hot pad, and nothing wasted!!

I finished the tiny masks for the five year olds;  hope they will do.  

Hey, my raccoons scattered some seed for me!  I discovered these cantaloupe plants outside our back fence.  I guess the coons drug the composted cantaloupe innards and seeds and took them back here to munch on, and they planted their own little garden!

Lots of cantaloupe plants!

 Here is where I am with the Northwest x Southwest quilt.  Lots of work in this little bin, LOL!!  Annie is working on hers, too, as you can see on the first picture on this post.  

We made the center of the blocks first.  A 6.5 inch square, surrounded by 3.5 inch connecter squares, making the triangles. ...so that yields the red with white print centered blocks above.  It is fun to use a focus fabric in the center of the squares!!!  I made 30 of them, and those are the center of the squares, already done!  Whoop!!!  FUN!!

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

Dare I say it?  Our covid numbers are going down!!  So we at our highest, we had numbers of over 80 patients in our hospital with covid; now the last number reported was 16, plus 4 persons of interest. (that means we are waiting on the confirmation test to come back)   That includes people who have been in the hospital for months, trying desperately to get well.  One gentleman has been in the hospital for over two months, on the ventilator.  I went to see him, because I was floated to that unit;  he is a contractor, and he is totally with it, just on the vent.  He is so sad...a big guy, wasting away on that blasted ventilator.  I tried to encourage him to keep the faith, to keep on striving to get well, but a tear leaked out and he just shook his head.  Poor baby!  He is only 43 years old.  I called his wife and he got to listen to her talk, and that helped him feel better!  He has a long road ahead of him, but I do think he will survive and get better. 

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Hugs to all!

Julie

Announcement!!! The PERFECT charity project!!!

 

I have been trying to make the file something blogger likes for a long time...but please, see these blocks and the entire quilt!  Sorry I cannot make it any better for now...

With 12 inch blocks, an inner border of 1" and an outer border of 4", the quilt measures 70x82.  

I looked up these blocks and they are in the public domain, so would be perfect for any of us to use, making a quilt for someone!  Keep that someone in mind, if you choose to join Annie and me, as we make our fun quilts!!   Annie wants to make her quilt for a young person in need.  I want to make my quilt for a volunteer, who happens to be a veteran.  He heads our parade/float committee, and was a Colonel in the Air Force.  He is getting on in years, and I think he would be surprised and happy to have a quilt, just for him!

Annie designed this quilt, using her EQ program.  I love it!  It goes very fast, and can be cut and executed fast...or slow!!!  So I opted to use what I had in my stash, and I found a (gulp) year 2000 print for the centers of the blocks!  I like it...and added a red and a deep blue print.  And a muslin, too.  

The sky is the limit!  Yellow/blue, red, white and blue, green/purple, scrappy...just lots of fun possibilities!  Make as many or as few blocks as you like.

Thanks, Annie, for this super fun squirrel project!!!

Julie

Bits and bobs! on a Sunday!

Annie and I have been chasing a squirrel!!  You must know I love this inspiration!  Annie is my friend from Vashon Island, but I call it Goat Island, because of her goats.  We are making a quilt, for donation!!  Mine will be a quilt of valor, so I have made all these centers for the blocks.  Hurrah!!!  Annie's quilt will be from a very cute Llama fabric, and scrappy! 

I have been working steadily, too, on our California quilt, sewing pieces each day.  I love it!!  More pictures when I have something to show!

It is the most fun ever to play with fabric scraps!!

Like these fabric scraps, for example.  I saved these 1.5 inch strips forever...well time is a wastin'!  As my daddy used to say.  Time to make these scraps into something!

More caps have arrived!  I got a call from a local lady about 10 pm one night, and she wanted to bring caps by right that minute!  Well I was already in bed, bur we waited up for her, and she brought these pretty caps, above, for the Caps for Caregivers project!!  I love them! Thank you to Diane C!!

Annie and Margaret have been making children's masks.  The need is big, with the kids going back to school, and so these have gone to the basket at work, so the parents who need masks can take some for their children. THANK YOU!!  I have made some, and they have all been taken, so I am making more. These are just the cutest things!  I just might have fabric envy, with such cute fabrics...not really, but they are just darling masks!

 The rest of the pieces for the squirrel quilt, known as "Northwest by Southwest!"  I just love it!  Just need some sewing time.  I am running around catching up on the housework, listening to online church,  and some cooking for the week.  Do you cook ahead, for your week???

Hugs to all!!! Hope you have a super day today!

Julie

A lot of hand work!

At long last, I have finished the binding on this quilt!  I saw a quilt at the Dallas Quilt Show, long ago, maybe 10 years ago, and I came home and drafted my own pattern for it, and made it.  And got it professionally quilted!  And it lingered.....

But now it is finished!!  I am grateful for some hand sewing time...yahoo!!  I sure hope those creases come out; the quilt is relaxing on the guest bed as we speak.  So glad for a finish!

I finished the hand quilting on this summer quilt.  Lots of work in this one...plaid fabric from an old shirt is on the backside.  

I finished sewing this vine down, and prepped more leaves for the vine, too.  Hurrah!

 I hand quilted all the black block borders (say that three times fast!), for this quilt.  So my fingers are sore from all that hand work!!

Hope each of you has a wonderful day today!

Julie