Things have been a little busy around here

Things have been a little busy around here and aren't still quite alright.

We are back home since last Thursday,

after a week in the hospital with J.

We are finally home.

Unfortunately, since in a while he has to be hospitalized.

He seems to be doing a little bit better now

but it is always very rough on him to stay at the hospital.

Of course I'm always with him, I stay day and night

(thank goodness for those chairs that lay down and make a bed!)

but I also feel the effects of being away from home.

This is Lemur.I got it for J while in the hospital. It cheered us both up!

It has always been only the two of us alone but I'm okay with that.

Anyways...

I usually meet neat people (patient families) while I'm in there.

We try to support each other

and this time I met a very curious character

which caught my attention since I first saw him.

Remember Georges Moustaki?,

now think about the song Le Métèque

(juif errant, prêtre grecque, avec mes cheveux aux quatre vents...),

and that's him!

About late 50's early 60's, very tall and thin,

long long gray beard and gray hair tied in a long pony tail.

I am describing him just so you understand why I tought of Moustaki
and the surprise I felt

when he told me about his wife

(in a serious condition, she had undergone brain surgery).
He said he had told her if you see the light just go toward it, you go!

So I asked him
why did you tell her such a thing?
(I would have told her to fight and not to go) and he said:

Because we don't belong in here, we belong in heaven and this in here is hell!

Definitely not what my beloved Moustaki would have said!

But again... what do I know... I don't know why I always have grand expectations from people I really don't know.

But don't get me wrong... he was a very nice person

and I wish his wife a total recovery.

Also met a mother and a sister
whose son and brother

had brain injury (like my husband) since earlier this year.

We all knew the same institutions, the same medical staff and had the same grand questions...

It was really nice to talk to them

and I could tell they felt the same.

Mostly, we all feel outraged with the lack of structures and specific support for brain injuries (severe brain injury in both our loved ones).

In their case he has been in a institution since the accident happened
and been having some serious health problems
(lack of hygiene, pressure ulcers and so on...).

When we meet someone that has been going trough the same you have...
it really feels good just to share.

I wish them all the best!

And that would be it for hospital talk.

The cats were very happy to have us back!...

The poor things!... no dry food for all this time, but I'm pretty sure they ate...

yeah, the poor birds come for dinner in the garden... and the cats join them for sure!... :0(

Of course the one I missed the most was Baby.

He's bigger now and likes to fight me!... :0)

Before all this events I had been working on a new quilt for the wheel chair.

I got the idea for this quilt from Geta´s Quilting Studio @
http://cadouri-din-inima.blogspot.com/2009/04/quick-and-easy-quilt-tutorial.html

(thanks for the easy tutorial!)

and then I altered it a little bit.

Like I said it's a small quilt for the wheel chair and

I've applique a flower in each square.

I've also finishd two raggedy bags,

but this time I made the handles differently.

I used some eyelets and cotton cord.

I like the way they look.

They are smaller than my usual ones

(I've used 4 x 4 squares) and probably they will make some Xmas gifts!

Adding to the Xmas gifts and while at the hospital

I made a few more little pouchs,

the tunisian crochet ones.

One of the staff members told me: They look so good just like store bought!

And that was quite a compliment! :0)

Gardening and sewing and cats

I just realized it has been more then a week since my last post.

It has been busy around here that's for sure.

Have been working

on the yard and on the gardens

and the cats keep me company.

As you probably already guessed

there's a bunch of cats around here.

It's almost becoming a problem but

I really don't have the heart to stop feeding them.

Not when they came to me and rub against my legs

and look at me with them big eyes...

Anyway, as I was saying,
the mower has been broken
and my yard almost looked like a jungle!...

Of course I'm exaggerating,

but it sure has been messing with my nerves...

Well, not anymore!
Mower if fixed, yard is mow,

and my pocket book is so much skinnier...

Oh well, things do go bad and I do what I can,

but fixing that mower was definitely beyond my capability.

Meanwhile I also had the tiller fixed and

have already tilled a stripe for my fall bulbs!

Yay!!!....

Anyways ...

I did some sewing and this time it was another wall hanging

(I got the idea from a blog but can't find the URL,

and for that I really do apologize).

I had printed the project (as I always do when I like something,

and then I filed it on a folder that I named craft's ideas),

and made mine just by looking at it, I had no pattern.

Of course, Cats being the theme was the main reason it caught my eye and made me print it.

This one is just about felt applique
on a background that I pieced together

(sky, meadow and wall).

Mostly I got attracted by the unusual cat's shape and outline.

To hang it I used my usual hearts

(it is my favourite way to hang these wall hangings as you can see and tell).

And that's it!

Tough it doesn't look like much

I assure you these have been long days

and still

I'm so glad they are

because it means all is well and running!

Little Chinese Girl and Cats

As I was walking around my gardens yesterday I took some pictures I would like to share with you.

Pretty awesome isn't it?

I reckon that's why it's called a butterfly bush... they just love it!

I don't have the time to work around my flower beds

as I did once, but still...

whenever I can I am there.

It's something I really enjoy to do

and my husband was very proud of my flower gardens...

My canas are still blooming and I just love that rich orange color!

The sunflowers are doing OK,

not as good as I would like but to be honest I just kinda threw the seeds on the ground next to the creek. So... I'm happy!

This is a partial view of my back garden, the big one, with the paths.
It does need some working and mulching...

About 6 years ago

we planted a snow ball little tree...

Just look at the beautiful berries it puts on now!

Anyway...

These last few days didn't sew that much...

other matters to take care of...

but

I did finished another tote, similar on its concept to the one with the dolls (boy and girl).

For this one I made 2 panels (front & back) with 4x4's and pink strips.

The front has an applique doll (felt).

I used the same pattern as for the other bag.

For the kimono I used an Asian print.

For the back, an iron on cats embellishment.

I called it
Little Chinese Girl and Cats.
I really, really like it! A lot!

I quilted each panel separately and afterwards I've sewn the bag together.

Lined it with a pretty kitten flannel print...

And that's it!

Quilting quilts

Lately I've been talking about

quilted wall hangings

and quilted totes

and today I'm coming back to quilting,

to share some other projects with you.

At the very beginning of my quilting learning

I made some pillows.

Today I would have been much bolder

about the color selection

but I deliberately wanted to stay within the blues.

Those were my first pin wheels.

I also tried to play with simple 4x4's and log cabin blocks variations.

The next pillow generation already shows more color

and these are 3 examples

of the same technique called "quilt-as-you-go"

(in machine quilt terminology that is;

like I told you before I'm a machine quilter).

With this technique

you have to layer the batting over the backing

and the quilt pieces are sewn

through all the layers.

This seat cover for my lazy boy chair

uses the same technique.

And the same also applies to this table runner

I made for my table on the dining room.

I personally like this technique because you're able to see the final product as you keep sewing.

Lately I've been trying bigger projects like bed quilts.

So far I've only made bed quilts for a full size and let me tell you...

I have just a regular sewing machine... and it's sooooo.... difficult

to get the whole thing trough the machine

when you're quilting the all piece...

I decided to make my first bed quilt

(which I'm very proud of)

when I bought the Easy Circle Cut Tool to cut circles.

The instructions came with a free quilt pattern called Circle Dance Quilt.

That's the quilt I made. Like I said

I was really proud of my first one.

So proud... I decided to make a second one.

Bad choice for colors,

bad decision to have all the big circles the same color...

Enfin... what can I say?

I kept this one for my bed,

and the first one is my husband's.

Late last year I felt courageous enough to try another one,

this time I went for the Rail Fence quilt blocks

and I loved it.

The deep purple and the dots

and the tiny flowers worked out good I think.

And so I decided to go again, same blocks pattern, same print compositions, same color but lighter.

The quilt top is done since last December, but I still have to quilt it...

If I'll finish it it's going to be a Christmas gift for sure... :0)

And for last but not least

(because I'm really in love with this technique)

the raggedy quilts...

so far I've done three full size and a smaller one,

like a lap quilt for the wheelchair.

I used mainly 6x6 cotton squares,

with a few flannel ones here and there, for the one I kept for my bed.

The one for my husband's,

only has 6x6 flannel squares,

and the one I made for my grandson

also only has 6x6 flannel squares

(his birthday was just last month!).

The raggedy quilt technique it's really easy, you just sew an X in two squares placed together and sandwiched with a bating square the same size; then you sew the squares together to form the rows an then the rows to form the quilt. After everything is sewn together you cut the seams (which stay on the right side) to fray the edges. And after all the cutting (that's what takes longer, for sure) you trow it into the washer and then the dryer... et voila! That's it!

And I reckon this will be it about quilting, for a while at least.