Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Urges

I want to quilt so desperately! It is a physical need. However strong the urge may be, I just can't do it yet.

I spent almost a week unable to walk at all. I watched the Easter proceedings from my bed. Having energy but not being able to move is terrible! My recovery time is slow, but mostly steady. I live at my chiropractor's office.

And sitting is absolutely, unequivocally from the devil. It hurts to sit sooo much. Therefore, I cannot quilt: And I am sad about that. Plus, the non-walking thing leaves out shopping trips to the fabric store.

What's a quilter to do? Can you feel my pain? Plus, the USB cord for my camera moved out and neglected to provide a forwarding address.

I feel like jumping head-first into my design book and calling my new block design "hurting unit." LOL.

On the very worst day of all, my Pixie pulled down the basket that held precut and counted stacks of delicious green for my Green Quilt. Stacks went in every direction. I actually cried. My Pixie spent some time in her room.

And then a few days ago, when the urge to quilt was almost overwhelming, I put the basket and pattern into bed with me and recounted hundreds of squares and made new stacks. Playing with fabric was like therapy. It raised my spirit for the rest of the day.

I got someone else to put the basket up higher than the Pixie can reach.

Sunday, April 1, 2012

Sitting Duck

I am not normally the kind of person to complain about pain. Pain is my constant companion due to the hip issue. I can't complain about the pain even if I want to, because I refuse to take painkillers. I believe that pain protects me by showing me which movements are safe and which will injure me further.

So, I won't tell you about how my body feels and you don't complain about posts being few and far between, m'kay?

I have been very. slowly. working on the Punk's Easter dress. I even had an issue with the thread being seated improperly between the upper tension disks - I just left the stitches in anyways. It was part of the shirring, so who's gonna notice? ( I am not picking out three rows of shirring!)

This is what we have so far:

The plan is to make a colourblock maxi dress. I still have to add a 7" purple ruffle around the bottom, and create some yellow ruching for strategic placement. I am planning to do something exciting when I can get back to my machine: I'm going to open the brand-new-bought-it-a-year-ago ruffle attachment. It's cowardly that I haven't tested it yet, considering how much time it is supposed to save (especially with two ruffle-happy girly girls to sew for). That adventure happens as soon as it is less painful to sit and sew.

In the meantime, I may take up a hand sewing project....I'm thinking paper piecing; maybe hexies, or some kind of brilliant two-patch pattern that I have yet to draft. The Husband encouraged my dalliance in hand sewing by purchasing a suitable container to corral my supplies in one place.

Husband even spent some time scraping the stickers off so I could refinish any way I desire.
Sundays are my mother-in-law's favorite posting day: Grandparent Eye Candy Day. When you live so far from the grandkids you live for pictures, y'know? I try to keep the high kid content out of regular sewing and quilting posts, so you can put up with kid overload on Sunday.

Have I told you how compassionate my Pixie is?


She knows when I'm hurting and volunteers to do things to make my life easier, like filling my water bottle. She also tucked in some furry companions next to me - I'm sure it was to keep me distracted.....

.....Because once I was settled on the couch and relatively comfortable, she went around the corner and started riding the full water jugs.

I know that 31 pounds of three year old can't really harm the huge, heavy bottles, but I had to stop the game anyways. The 42 pound Punk did not need to be given any bad ideas.

She told me this was her car and she was driving. At one point, Elmo took one of the back seat places.
In other news, I've had to start a new design book. My old, spiral bound notebook was falling apart. Soon to join the first few pages is an idea for throw pillows to match the Green Quilt. Soon to make a reappearance on my cutting table is the actual Green Quilt. I gotta finish a few things, right? They can't all be WIPs, can they?

WIP List: (for my benefit)

-Green Quilt
-Rambo Bright
-House of Love
-Punk-ish Easter dress
-Husband's Irish Chain

Plus, the Pixie needs an Easter dress. There are throw pillows to be made (four, to start). Both girls want new aprons. I want a dress for me.

I'm going to live at the chiropractor's this week!