Still here..coming along!

I seem to have reached a plateau with the new knee function. Bend is not where I would like it to be but does not bother me doing what I need to do. Still do my daily PT.  Stiffness and a bit of swelling still  a problem. Pain is easing off but at end of day I welcome a bit of relief.
Now in saying all that I am pretty much doing whatever I want! Sewing at machine, standing cutting, and of course those dreaded household chores!

We have had oodles of rain since I bemoaned our long dry spell! Be careful what ya ask for kind of deal!
During the week and every weekend has been horrid down pours! So we decided if we wait for rain to stop will never get out!
DH was kind enough to take me to Norfolk to a large fabric store there.
It is called Fabric Hut. Had ordered online from them and through Amazon but never been, so off we went!

 The storm that morning had shut down their payment system! So only cash or 'good check'. That term tickles me! Our clerk was a sweet gal! Was so funny when I ask to take her pic for my blog! She calls across store..We have a blogger! ;-)



 DH and I walked all over. Had a huge section of quilting fabrics with some on sale. Large selection of GO! products. The apparel and home decor areas are quite large as well.

 Yes in all that quilting fabrics selection above, this is all I bought, but all are 1 yard cuts!

 We also went into a store next door called Dollar Deals. Lots of stuff!

Found the above voile textured sheers for $5.00 a panel! Need to hem them for the living room windows.


Have also been cutting and sewing! Made a comfort quilt for a little gal being treated for West Nile at CHKD. My first 'larger' project since surgery! Girly girl for sure. So cute.

 Quilting was tiring but slowly my stamina is building back up.

Covers up the whole sewing table! Add 2 more rows would have been a twin!

Have some other projects will share in another post! This one is already quite long!

Pulled out some Fall decor items! Want to get house all done up with Fall colors. Maybe can make us  feel cooler with our high temps and humidity! The weather folks do say we have some cooler days coming this weekend! Hope so! Less rain too!!

Better than a Get Well card....

 ..in my book!
When I was recovering after surgery Jean of Life in my Happy Place, sent this pattern booklet to me! She had planned a trip to the publishers outlet store and I had asked her to look for some books. Well they did not have that book but sweet Jean picked this up for me by the same artist, Kim Diehl, and mailed to me!
I have Kim's Simple Comforts and Simple Graces. Did the 40% off sale with a % off total order at Joann's for those. Still have not found the other books I wanted....yet!

 It is called Country Whig Rose. So pretty and in my country color favs.
 

 If I make it as published will be 42" X 42" wall hanging or table topper.
Finished blocks are 12" X 12" . I could do a runner for my sofa chest or wash stands.
Will see what I decide!

So what did I do? Pulled some fabrics and have them in my quilt basket to cut and prepare my blocks!
Thank you Jeanie Gal! You are a sweetie!!
Here is Jean's other fun blog where she shares her creative talents!

Waste ?

 I was chatting with a gal at a shop about using my Accuquilt Go! Cutter to make some appliques for a project I am working on. She has decided she does not want one because there is so much waste with it.
Well I think 'waste' is what ya make it!
You can learn to use the cutter in less wasteful ways.
I do not use it for all my fabric cutting as I still use the rotary cutter and my rules too!
 
For this project I needed stars. So I pressed my Heat n Bond light on to strips of fabrics I planed to use.
Cut out the big stars I needed.

 Here are some leftovers.

  So with the left overs from those I cut the smaller ones too!

 So with more leftovers I pulled out the small flower dies to cut flower shapes and some centers that will be bittersweet berries on a border. The half flower parts work well behind  other parts so do not toss those either!

 As you can see I am well on my way to many other projects just from each star square scrap!

I did save some for using in other ways such as in windows in my houses or larger circles for flower centers.

As I said at the get go the amount of waste is of your own choosing. You can toss those bits or make them work for you. If you take the time to figure out the best placement of the fabric you will have much less waste. I enjoy using the Go! to my advantage for some things I have a tough time cutting out with my sick jointed fingers! So wherever I can get that extra helping hand I do it!

I will say that the only draw back on the Go!cuts is that I can not use the Pat Sloan Do-nut method with the Heat N Bond. Which keeps the applique soft in middle.

As with any tool we use as we go along we find better ways to use it.
So I hope this has helped some see you can make that fine inch sq. go a bit further that the one star!

Lovely Mini Quilt

 I was honored to win this rule, Fit to be Quarter by Open Gate Quilts last year on Monique 's Blog!

 Also in the package was this sweet mini quilt kit to make using the rule.

 The instructions were very easy to understand and the rule is awesome at squaring up the 2 inch parts!
You can use this rule for rectangles and square up larger size blocks as well. It is a nice tool to have when no matter how careful you are your pieces are not perfect. Just trim them up a bit and you are good to go!
You can check out how to use it here. Also available are other rulers.
 

 All those little jewels! So pretty!

 All done and this is the pretty backing. I quilted it simply around the seams and the middle .

Have hung it from the shelf in our living room. I worked on this project after I finished up my Cotton Boll squares. Now  I need to get that runner sandwiched and quilted now that I have the thread to use!

I have been cleaning out a few scraps and cutting into useable pieces. Doing this using my Go! I have made up two quilt kits! Will share those later!

We are still warm here and humid. 
Really the temps are around 89/90 but the humidity makes it feel warmer.
We need rain badly.  Seems folks all around us get plenty, us not so much. Our well has not recovered as it should from the two leaks we had in pipe. So just being careful of how we use water.
We are going to get a few estimates on a deep well. Plus plumber says a few of the copper pipes need replacing! Always some thing!

Need to pick the figs, grapes and more blueberries. Will just juice the grapes to make jelly later and freeze the blueberries. We eat the figs. Used to make preserves but if we do will be only a couple jars. We just do not use as much of  the jams and jellies as we used too.

Still doing my home PT and functions for the new knee. Do have pain still and some swelling.
After a day of standing cutting and sitting sewing it will be a bit sore and cranky!;-)
Go back to surgeon next week.

So best get to it round here! I have some stars I need to cut out!!!;-)

Back in the...."seam" again!

Yes I could have said groove but would not have been 'sew' cute!
I am enjoying sitting at my machine again. Do have to move around a bit.
Can not sit too long or stand too long, cutting or  pressing.
So I am like a yo yo... up and down!
I finished up the knee/leg PT in town. I am on my own now to do the PT at home.
Hope to begin walking again as soon as this heat ever lets up!
It is August though so do not see that happening anytime soon.
I am so ready for FALL!

Was going through some of my project bags and came across these applique cotton boll blocks I had cut and prepped  a few years back.

 This is a very old pattern from at least 1980's. May have come out of an old Quilt Magazine. Just not sure. I did tweak it a bit to work for my plan. I made my Mama a ruffled pillow with it way back when and had planned a a lap throw at some point! Did not happen.
I decided to use 3 of these blocks. Needed two pieced ones to make up a runner.
Choose Bonnie Hunter's 2010 mystery quilt block, Roll Cotton Boll Roll. I think this quilt pattern now available in her new book.

 Had enough of the original fabrics to use too! Old Cranston  and Marcus Brothers prints. Bought either at Cloth World or Piece goods! Both of which no longer exist.

 Pieces up on my new design wall. Yes that is some Bunny Hill Tisket Tasket blocks there too. Just a wee bit more hand work and I will have them ready to sew into a top too!

 Had the blocks finished. Was waiting on some thread I had ordered from Superior Threads to arrive.
A silk one for the creamy cotton parts to applique with and also quilt. Have one called Pine Cone to use on the cotton husk part. They arrived yesterday!

Yes that is an extra one..called Flower Pot. Just so Fallish and they were on sale!;-)
So will be busy soon on this Cotton Boll Runner.
I did begin another smallish project waiting on the thread. More later.
Feels good to be doing what I love again!

Progress

Yes there is some progress being made out here in the cotton field!!
I am no longer walking with a cane! Have only 4 more PT appointments then will be done.
Course I still have the exercise routine I must continue at home.
Still have some swelling which makes bending more difficult but this will pass, so all the med folks say.
Deal with some pain but is manageable with meds.
Least I can do more.YES!!
Speaking of which...have emptied all those 14 sewing studio totes!!
 
 So the room is beginning to look more like it should once more!
Not the horrid mess it was! 
Still tweaking  as I go along to make the room work better.
 
 My next big plan is to move this PC out of here and put my old treadle in it's place.
It is a big plan because some one has to go under house to move the cable and it will not be me!
PC will go to guest room.

We bought a nice heavy duty steel shelving unit  for closet. 
It holds all my machines and heavy mags, ironing boards, some bolts of fabric plus a lot more.
No need to have to go in closet that often.

Most all of my fabric is now out in the room easy for me to see and get too.
My first sewing project is a new valance for the windows.
Have a pretty floral with my fav reds!
So need DH to hang the pretty rod for that also a matching rod for my design wall which will go to the right of the closet doors in pic below.
Still want to finish going through drawers doing a clean out.
Better way to sort my 'stuff' so easier to find what I want when I want it, if that is possible!
Don't snicker now....miracles do happen ya know! ;-)

 This is the main sewing table where my Bernina will live.
Works out great in this spot.

That one tote ya see there is what  I have decided will donate to local thrift!
Have my patterns yet to go through.
Plan to list some on Ebay, Etsy or maybe do a yard sale blog.
Hummm... may need to have a giveaway too!!
A big thanks for hanging with me though all the damage mess and my knee replacment!!
I appreciate you all so much!
 Still have other things to put away or hang up on wall but all in all it is pretty much done.
This room was a total mess!
So now all new sub floor , new flooring, new dry wall in closet and repainted.
I sure hope this is the last major redo in the room for a goodly bit!!!

Hot!

Sure hope everyone is trying to stay cool!! We are headed into some hot nasty temps around here.
Not much to report here. Still improving, so PT says, just slowly. I go to PT 3 days a week. Not much else happening, sort of boring really! I do the drive into town to PT then Kim will drive me home! Hard to stay positive but I am trying!
Here is our 10 day forecast! YIKES! Hope power stays on!! May have to pawn my fabric stash to pay AC bill!;-)

10 Day Forecast -  °F | °C

View the Detailed Extended Forecast »

fri	sat	sun	mon	tue	wed	thu	fri	sat	sun
jun 29 P Cloudy 105° 75°	jun 30 M Sunny 103° 76°	jul 01 P Cloudy 100° 74°	jul 02 P Cloudy 97° 71°	jul 03 P Cloudy 94° 70°	jul 04 P Cloudy 93° 72°	jul 05 Iso T-Storms 90° 71°	jul 06 Iso T-Storms 87° 70°	jul 07 P Cloudy 90° 71°	jul 08 P Cloudy 89° 69°

Details for Friday, June 29
Some clouds this morning will give way to generally sunny skies for the afternoon. Record high temperatures expected. Heat index near 115F. High near 105F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph.
Evening: A few clouds. Humid. Low around 75F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph.

UV Index: 10 (Very High)

Relative Humidity: 47%

Precipitation: 20%

Snow: 0%

Cloud Coverage: 17%

Sunrise: 5:52 AM Sunset: 8:32 PM

Moonrise: 4:17 PM Moonset: 1:57 AM

Moonphase: Waxing Gibbous

Direction: WSW (248°) Speed: 7Mph(11Km, 6Kts)

Daily Forecast Chart

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Still here...

Yes I am still hanging around!
My knee replacement surgery  on May 22 went well.
Surgeon was well pleased with my healing at the 2 week check up.
He removed 40 staples that day.
Last Friday was my last day of in home PT.

Monday, yesterday, I begin PT with a practice in town. Oh Boy!
Been a struggle dealing with some pain, fatigue and such but moving forward at a good clip!
Still have a ways to go but just doing it day by day.
No longer on a walker but use cane as needed!
I am doing everything I am told to do so I can get back all my mobility as soon as possible!
They say 6mths so I am beginning to think they may be right... hahaha!

DH has been a wonderful care giver. Between DH and my sweet niece I have had great care.
Son and friends have helped out when they could as well.
So no complaints in that area!


Water damage repairs also finished up last Friday!! Yes!
Had some issues with some stuff but got it worked out.
House is still in disarray though!
DH and son placed the sewing studio furniture back in where I wanted it.
As for all the rest packed up in totes/boxes...they are stacked up and will remain so till I can set the room up again!
Sewing studio is all freshly painted and new flooring. Had to replace sub-flooring as well.

Living room and dining room we hope to have back to normal in a week or so.
They also had to do some painting in entry and living room.
Had new drywall , sub-floor and then new flooring in entry and coat closet.
Last was the carpet which padding was replaced then carpet was re stretched and cleaned.
Glad to have all that behind us!
 Ready for life to sort of get back to our kind of normal around here!!

Thanks so much for thinking of me with your thoughts and prayers!
Hugs,
Lola