Thirteen Days Post-Op

Today has started off alot better than any of the last thirteen days.  It is amazing how much different you feel when you actually get some sleep!
I go back to Dr. Greene tomorrow morning to see if he will let me return to work next week.  He was hesitant on Monday to say yes so we will see.
Mom and I have been working on pillowcases some during my time off this week, last week was a total blurr.  We have 70 pillowcases completed so far.  I think that is wonderful.  We went to Handcock Fabrics yesterday and they had a 60% off sale on a lot of novelty fabrics.  We were able to get some additional cute fabrics for the cases.  Batman, GI Joe, Horses, Wizards, Travel etc.  We should have enough fabric left to give to the sewing committee to make some draw sheets also.  What fun it would be to come out of surgery and have Batman draw sheet under your butt!!
Below is a picture of a quilt I made, scrappy bargello, using Bonnie Hunter's pattern over at http://www.quiltville.com/.  It was easy and fun to use up some of those 2 1/2 inch strips in my stash.  I am taking this to my precious uncle Don who has cancer and is fighting diligently to overcome. 

I was so glad that my friend Debbie over at http://www.stitchintherapy.blogspot.com/ reminded us to make a pillowcase to put our quilts in that we give as gifts.  Since my uncle Don is a veteran I decided to make his pillowcase patriotic. 

As you can see in the pictures the pillowcase stripped part has the words to the Battle Hymn of the Republic. 

I loved that I had the fabric in my stash.  I think he will be tickled.  Mom and I are taking the quilt to him this afternoon.  Boy will he be surprised.  And of course my friend Susan would say it is not complete without it's label.

I was president of my quilt guild Nimble Thimbles in 1995.  Boy that was a long time ago.  But yesterday I decided it was time to get my president top quilted.  My vice president at the time was my dear friend Kay Kirk.  She pieced the top that was presented to me at our Christmas social that year.  Needless to say it has been awaiting it's time in the longarm.  But wait no longer, it's day has come!

The pattern was a lattice and it is beautiful.  Hopefully I can get it completed before returning to work next week.

Better run now.  Hope that you have a wonderful day.  Don't forget if you are in South Carolina to come to the Aunt Het Quilt Show, sponsored by my quilt guild this weekend.  Oct. 2nd & 3rd.  Saturday 9a-6p and Sunday 12p-4p.  Come on Saturday and vote for your favorite quilts.  Vendors will have beautiful quilt related items. 
Happy Quilting,
Shelia

1 Week Post-Op

I survived my first week post-op.  Thanks to some abundant pain medication.  I didn't think I would have to use a lot of the pain med.  BOY WAS I WRONG!!  Dr. Greene warned me that it would be intense and he was sooooo right.  I have had great nursing care from my wonderful husband and mother. 
Last night my bee girls and mom came over to visit.  They brought ice cream, yum yum.  That's one thing that is easy to eat at this time.  It was great to see everyone again and spend a couple of hours with them.   Although I was a little "goofy" with pain meds.  Everyone is trying to quickly finish up their quilt show projects.   There were pin cushions being made for the boutique, embellishments being put on, labels and binding being sewn and pillowcases being made.  Lots of busy little bees.   Our quilt show is next weekend and set up is this Thursday.
I finished up the binding and label on my QSC Challenge last night.  Everyone loves the cartoon and I think it says it all!

 The label above.  I used chicken wire fabric as the backing and binding.  Just seemed to fit.  Below is the completed top with binding.  The entire quilt measures 9-inch x 12-inch.  I used a lot of my fabric markers to color in the cartoon.  Someone had a great insight into menopause when they created this wonderful cartoon.  Everyone of the dwarfs is part of this crazy menopause journey.  I thought it would be great to color each dwarf separately and wear one on your shirt each day to work.  Then everyone would not have to guess which dwarf they were working with that day.....hehehe.

Mom has been working on piecing the pillowcases for Shriner's while I was off.  Her serger locked up on her so yesterday on my first day out I bought another serger, she stitched tons of pillowcases last night.  Suzanne has also been working diligently on the pillowcases.  They are all turning out so wonderful.  The kids and sewing committee will be thrilled.  I need to get some more cut out today so that mom has some additional ones to work on when she comes back up.

The serger worked great last night.  Glad mom can get all those threads into the right spots. 

Enough for today.  Happy Quilting Everyone,

Shelia

QSC Challenge

I've been working on my QSC Challenge.  Menopause.  I found a wonderful cartoon which I transfered to fabric.  It tells the entire story.  Hope to get it finished tonight.

I used 2 layers of batting.  The bottom one is cotton and the top is poly.  I'm outlining the characters then tightly quilting around them.  It makes them stand up off the quilt.  I'm using Glide thread and Magnabobbins also from Glide.  It is wonderful thread and is like butter in the quilt.  I think it says it all!

I've Received An Award 



I've gotten the Sunshine Award from my friend Debbie.  Thanks Debbie for passing this along to me.  Quilting is a very positive influence in my life and I treasure the friends I have made through this passion.  Each person you meet has something unique that you can learn from them.  Concentrate on the positive atributes and you will be far ahead of the game.

I may not be posting for a couple of weeks, tomorrow at 12 I have my surgery.  I'll update when out of the mediation fog!!
Happy Quilting to all,
Shelia

Getting A Little Anxious

I am beginning to get a little anxious about my upcoming surgery on Friday.  I have this long list of things that I need to get taken care of prior to Friday morning. 
One more 12-hour shift tomorrow and then a class on Thursday.  Boy do I need some rest.  But I don't think that will come very quickly.  The doctor says that the 5-6 days after the surgery will be kind of a blurr........o.k.  does that mean sleep????or oh my god give me some pain med?  I do have a pretty high tolerance for pain since I have had so many kidney stones, but this is going to be totally different.
Keep me in your prayers. 
Hopefully I will be back to blogging in a week or so. 
Happy Quilting,
Shelia

Quilters of South Carolina Challenge

Our state Quilt Guild, Quilters of South Carolina, has a challenge each year.  This year the President's Quilt Challenge Theme is Menopause.  Boy do I know that one!!!!
I spent yesterday working on my entry.  It has to be 9" x 12".  Each year these entries tour the state as exhibits.  Last year's Give Me Your Heart challenge quilts are still touring and are booked all the way into February.  Below is my entry and mom's entry from last year.  The theme was women's heart health.
My entry represented that 1 in 3 women will experience some type of heart disease in her lifetime.  The big heart in the center represents a heart who has had to have surgical repair.  I used sead beeds and bugle beeds to represent staples.

Mom's entry below represents that a loving heart is an essential of life.

Hope you have a great day quilting.  I'm off to work.
Shelia

It's Finished

My miniature is finally finished.  I completed sewing down the binding and sewing on the label at my quilt bee Friday night. 

I think it turned out cute.  The 3-D pinwheel blocks finish at 3-inches each.  The total quilt is 12 1/2 x 12 1/2 inches.  That's normally the size of one completed block in a quilt......not an entire quilt!
Below is a close up of some of the quilting.  I thought I would go blind quilting with black thread on this black background.

See the tiny pinwheel's that I quilted in between the pieced blocks?  In the photo you can still see the chalk lines I used as a guide.  In the top photo the chalk is gone.  You can only see the tiny pinwheel's upclose.  I think it turned out nice.

And of course as my friend Susan would say, a quilt is not complete until it has a label.  I scanned a picture of the quilt and printed it onto the label.  It is my entry into our quilt show coming up October 2-3 in Fountain Inn, South Carolina.  If you are in town please join us for what is always a wonderful quilt show.
Until later,
Happy Quilting,
Shelia

Quilting My Pinwheel Miniature

It's been a very busy day today, but I have finally found some time to work on my miniature for the quilt show.  I started quilting it tonight.

I think it will turn out to be cute afterall.  Now I have to decide on it's name.  I hope to get the label made and sew the label and binding on at bee tomorrow night.
Happy Quilting,
Shelia