Good morning!

Good morning to all!

Above is a pure squirrel.  I had no clue I would even start this, but low and behold?  I did!!!  I like it so far.  You can find the link here, with all the patterns freely given.

(4) EQP Mystery 2022 | Facebook

This is my leader and ender.  My great friend sent me some reproduction scraps, and away I go!  It is too small so far, so I am cutting more scraps, so I can continue to leader and ender away.

I made a few key ring straps...these go around your hand as you are walking, so to carry your keys in your hand.  Just fun sewing.

While my machine was out being treated to a spa and diagnosis appointment at the Bernina shop, I cut out all these star blocks.  These are 6 inches finished and are cut from scraps in a bag that was all together and seem to go together.  These are fun!!

I made some homemade lotion.  A lipid, along with sweet smelling almond lotion.  My hands are a wreck from all the hand washing at the hospital, and the lotion seems to help.  It is vitamin e cream, a bit of Vaseline, and almond lotion. I use it at night. 

I found an old piece of upholstery material and made this wristlet purse.  I find I carry less and less when I go to the store or anywhere now, so these small purses work very well for me...a lip chap, credit card, driver's license, keys and twenty bucks!

 Not a Dooney-Burke purse or the like! What kind of purse do you carry, please???

 The Bernina store advised me to use a small vacuum each time I change the bobbin or needle, to vacuum bits of lint out, or at the start a new project. 

There was a ton of lint that I could not reach or see with my cleanings of the sewing machine, they said, and also some bits of dog ears that I had cut off and did not know they got in there, too.  So this tiny vacuum is a wonderful 20-dollar investment.  There was nothing wrong with my machine!  Hurrah!  Although my sewing machine does sound different now?  The shop gentleman said it was perfect, and the sound was just different because it was cleaner.  Anyway!!!  It is louder!

I just loved making the Quiltville mystery quilt this year!!  I have chosen fabric to make another one!  Several times, I have gone through what I have, and chosen different fabrics.  Indecisive much??  LOL!!

I received this amazing towel to celebrate National Squirrel appreciation day!!!!!!  It was January 21st.  I adore it!!!  Thank you, thank you!

Rosie the poodle loves it too!

Speaking of Rosie:  She rescued us 13+ years ago.  The vet seems to think she was 2-3 years old when she came to us and she appears to be a purebred poodle.  Because of her little stretched out boobies and body, and non-docked tail, maybe she was a breeder dog?  Not sure, but we have adored her and spoiled her each day from then to now. She is at the end of her life.  So many things are wrong, and much care each day goes to her.  In return, we are blessed with the most loyal, wonderful little baby dog in the universe.  She has glaucoma, collapsing trachea, chronic cough, Cushing's disease, diabetes, blindness.  On and on.  and yet?  She takes very good care of us.  Guarding for us, outside the bathroom and we never step a foot anywhere that she is not right with us.  She will not eat now.  It takes an act of congress to get her to consume any calories. So?  We have put her on hospice care.  Pain meds, nausea meds, bp meds, insulin (cut drastically due to not eating) ...all of it, but the emphasis is on loving care and comfort, dignity and peace.  Just like my human hospice patients. You have seen Rosie on many of my quilts, and I pray for all the good in the world for her...peace and comfort.  I will ensure this.

*****************The 1940's***********************

My study of this era has started!!  The overshadowing event of the era was World War 2, of course...both the events leading up to it, and the aftermath of it.  I was surprised to find few books on it at the library...the young librarian asked why I wanted to know about that anyway, and that I could find it all online.  Ok, well I am doing that, but really wanted an old history book, just the facts, man!  I have found two.   

I loved that the ladies stepped out of the home, and onto the assembly lines.  People gave up, conserved and saved everything, for the troops and the war effort.  Victory gardens! Paper drives!  Anything to help. I love that spirit!!!

Much information is available about the holocaust, enough to make it a separate field of study.  So horrific, and there is a newer movie and book out...Sarsh's key. Actually from 2010, so not so new, LOL! New to me, I guess. 

I love history, and love reading, so on I go.  

Thanks for hanging out with me...if you would like a key fob or handmade lotion, please leave a comment, and I will have a drawing for these.

Have a lovely day, all of you!

Julie

Mystery quilt is complete, and sewing machine drama

The mystery quilt is complete!  Yahoo!!!  I ended up putting a border on it, at my husband's request.  I am delighted with it!!!  

 There is a free quilt along going on via Facebook, and I made this block yesterday, quilting along.  It makes a great center block for a quilt.

My sewing machine is malfunctioning, so it goes to the Bernina store today for a diagnosis and spa treatment.  Hope this patient (machine) will live, and it is nothing serious!!

Julie

Huge thanks to Katie, who helped me get pictures on the blog again...however dark they may be!

I am this point in the mystery.  I have one more border to go!!  

 I may put an outer border as well.  

Hope you are doing fantastic!

Help?!

I am unable to put pictures on my blog now. The pictures just come out as computer language. Can anyone help me? I finished the Mystery quilt, and so want to share it with you all!

Some finished tops, and mystery quilt step seven progress

I am starting to put rows together on the mystery quilt.  That funny triangle in the middle of the squares is just pinned to each one, so I do not lose it!!  On we go...seems like I only make progress on this in the middle of the night.  I wake up early, and in the quiet...I sew!  Takes a bit of concentration!

Ok, I just added another red border, and I am calling it good.  I have a backing all ready.

The binding is cut, so I can just add it when done.  This bit of prep really helps later on in the process.

I added this border to the Christmas quilt.  I am changing Rudolph's nose to RED!  of course...

Have a lovely day, each of you!

Julie

 

Mystery quilt, part seven!!!

Good afternoon!  I am off work...hurrah!  This means laundry, and grocery shopping, and general cleaning, but also...a bit of sewing!  

I found this set of blocks as I was cleaning and organizing, so I set them together with red, and will choose a border for them.  The first UFO of the year is finally getting completed.  I made these blocks in 2015.

 I am concentrating on sewing the mystery quilt.  I have this many blocks completed and have five more to go.   I have already cut out the pieces and parts of the last clue, so I just need sewing time.  

How are you doing???  I foresee a library run today!

Julie

Happy New Year, and mystery quilt, part six!

 

First of all, Happy New Year to each of you!  I hope this one is the best year yet!

  I have completed my rainbow bowtie blocks.  Hurrah!!  Now to sew them altogether.  Lots of bright colors are delightful for my soul!

I found an old pair of plaid pajamas for the border for this quilt.  Instead of matching the plaids, due to my limited fabric, I put little random spacers in-between the little pieces of plaid pajama pants.  This will all be trimmed prior to the last border, which I am still thinking about.  I think it adds a little more "folk" to the project. That is my story, and I am sticking to it!

I 

My amaryllis bloomed yesterday, on New Year's day!  It is a harbinger of a lovely year to come.

This is my first Mystery quilt block, for step six.  

And I have four of the centers of the blocks completed.  More coming today!

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

In addition to my beloved open-heart patients, I have now been trained in the ICU, oncology and hospice.  Training was kind of hilarious, because from day one I took all the patients and my "preceptor" just signed papers that I was competent.  After decades of doing this, I just need to know where things are, mostly.  The charting is ridiculous...I feel like I take great care of the computer, and no time for patients!!  But I speed through the charting junk so I can be with the patients.    Becoming a more versatile nurse is challenging, but fun!  I worked as a "task nurse", the other day.  I gave meds, hung IV's and IV antibiotics, started IV's, hung blood, bathed patients, took patients to the car after treatments, turned patients and did oral care, and ran one code!! Anything to help out the nurses. I did not sit once all shift.  Honestly, it was great fun!!  Super busy, but I just did tasks...no thinking involved.  I loved it!

ICU is for the sickest of the sick...nurses teasingly call it the "Icky Care Unit", because of all the infectious diseases there. We try and keep the Cardiac Intensive Care unit infection free.   Last time I worked there, I had a covid patient on max vent support and a cancer patient with cancer everywhere, that moved on to hospice.  It was challenging and amazing to see the baby nurses there...most 21-25 years old.  I was the float there and they frequently asked me for advice.... but I don't work there!  I can help with the nursing stuff...but I didn't know where anything is. I did have a brain surgery patient, and wow!  That is intense.  I loved that too.  He had a ventriculostomy.  

Hospice is reverent, and sad, and a release of so much emotion.  It is exhausting for me.  Lots of sitting and waiting.  I find stuff to do...I dust and clean and disinfect and such in-between patient care. There are few meds except comfort meds.  Little charting, unlike the at least every hour vitals/drip management/vent management, balloon pump and dialysis management for ICU/CCU.  Lots of patients are just alone, with the phone calls checking on them. I focus on these people, and read to them, and sing to them, until they tell me to stop please!  LOL!  Not really!   One lady was a huge bible reader, and I read a bunch of the Psalms to her, as she slumbered.  I found that very meditative, and very calming for me, and I pray she benefitted too.  Some have family in the room non-stop, and I support them with love, hot coffee and blankets, information and care of the patient.  

So my nursing life is different now.  I am glad I made the change!

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

Continuing my history exploration of the twentieth century, I am going to read about the 1940's this year.  This is a fascinating, horrific decade for America and much of the world, and I look forward to knowing more history about this, which my parents lived through, and maybe some of you, too.  Library, here I come, and internet searches too, and the best thing...interviews with folks from WW2.  They are few and far between, but I am privileged to meet some in the hospital

Julie