On the mend

It's been a couple of tough weeks for me.  I left work on a Wednesday to go to the doctor and he sent me right to the emergency room for pain medication and an X-ray. I had another kidney stone.  This time, monster big at 11 x 17 millimeters.  Oof, no fun.  I was off and on pain medication until I could get a time with the lithotripsy machine the following Tuesday.

I knew from past experience that the recovery this time around wasn't going to be pleasant.  But I forgot exactly how painful a stent can be.  I had to take the rest of that week off.  I have a fairly high threshold for pain and yet this knocked me down.  I was sleeping in two hour increments and counting the hours until I could take pain reliever.  It was crazy.  I was in a fog and hated it. That Friday, I couldn't imagine waiting a whole other week with that tube in my body.  I was exhausted and hurting.

But I did turn the corner, returning to work last Monday.  I spent every lunch time out in my car with the seat down and getting as comfortable as I could.  I went days without the strong pain stuff.  My mood and comfort level improved.  I haven't been totally discomfort free in a few weeks, but at least I can function in the majority aspects of my life.  I'm on the other side now, just waiting for Wednesday when I can get the stent removed.

The days off felt like wasted days.  I couldn't focus enough to do much.  My sewing projects languished downstairs, unattended.  What a bummer.  Four days at home and no crafty progress.  This weekend I got out and about with Selim and that felt great.  We got him a haircut and enjoyed a few hours together, out of the house.  Today, before the grocery store, I managed to sew for a few hours.  Yay!

First up, Block #15 of the Splendid Sampler.  This one was foundation paper pieced.  I had never done that technique before.  I'm glad I didn't dive in the day it came out.  Instead, I learned from other people's tips and watched a fabulous tutorial.  I learned that cutting the different fabrics larger than what is required is worth it from a piece of mind standpoint.  So I added a 1/2 inch on both the width and length of each piece and never worried that I would end up with a section too small.  The extra scraps were worth that mental space.  I had bought a quarter inch ruler and that was so fun.  It has a ridge on it that you can snug up against the paper edge and cut an exact quarter inch.  It was really satisfying to see the block come together.  And I never had to use my seam ripper.  Amazing!

Light blue or teal?  I went the the teal.

The pattern called for eight 3 1/2 by 3 1/2 blocks.  I had decided on the fabric selection last night.  I woke up around 2:00 am thinking that I had made a wrong choice and that the blue next to the yellow middle X needed to be darker.  The light blue and yellow have the same value and would blend together too easily.  I think changing to teal was the right call.

Paper piecing detail with the teal.

The yellow center X fabric was a scrap piece from the first quilt I made for Selim, when we lived in Kittery.  I was optimistic at that time, thinking that we might have another child, and I made two twin size quilts, using the same pattern and mostly the same fabric.  The yellow dragon flies reminded me of all the nature walks and canoe paddles that we experienced together.  So it was sweet incorporating that fabric into this quilt.

Four sub-blocks before getting trimmed.

Good thing I looked at the pattern before I sewed the four blocks together.  Otherwise I would have sewed them in the wrong direction, dark blue towards the outside, rather than the center.

Sub blocks going the wrong direction.

I think the block is beautiful.  I loved learning this new way of piecing.

Sub blocks going in the right direction.

Finished block!

After returning from getting food, I made up block #18. Did I mention that our local market now carries the vegan Ben and Jerry's?  Woo-hoo!

No eggs!  Woot!

Anyway, the block didn't take very long.  However, I did space out and have to rip out one small seam.  I laughed at myself that I could do a way complicated block and not have to tear out any seams and yet the simple one got me off my game.

Block #18 finished.

After not having any progress for days, today was a good effort.

The Embroidery Challenge

Working on The Splendid Sampler mystery quilt challenge is an interesting undertaking.  I'm trying to stay true to the quilters who have designed and donated patterns for this year-long project.  So that means tackling techniques that are unfamiliar and/or daunting to me.  It is also bringing out the part of me that likes to do things in a linear fashion.  Blocks are released twice a week and it I am finding it difficult to do them out of sequence.

However, I did give myself a bit of breathing room with block #11, Crocheted Thoughts by Alyssa Thomas of penguin & fish.  I have not done much embroidery.  I've enjoyed needlepoint, weaving, cross-stitch, knitting, and quilting.  I've made needlepoint pillows where the design was painted on the canvass already (New Mexico inspired, Ca[e Cod/Martha's Vineyard map, iris).  And I've followed a pattern in a book and counted my way through the pattern (Noah's Ark).

(mostly) my pillows. Heather made the left NM one.

Love my counted Noah's Ark!

But I've not tackled embroidery in any serious manner.  I think, in part, because in my mind, I would never be as good as my Mom and others who worked on the dais cloth before the tour of 1980 or 1984.  The embroidered edge of that cloth will always be the standard by which I judge all else.  And there is no way that I am going to measure up.  I'm not putting myself down, just being realistic.  That art form doesn't attract me enough to make me want to practice and practice and practice some more.  So I've avoided it, mostly.  Until this quilting block challenge.

Dais cloth in the Hall.

I think this was Mom's section.

The lady slipper has always been my favorite.

Heather made these apple blossoms.

Block #4 had a few moments of embroidery -- stems for flowers that were pretty easy.

Block "Happy, Happy"

Then Block #7 got a bit more serious.  I procrastinated on that for a while until I found part of my stash of floss and pearl cottons.  The whole block consisted of back stitch and some knots.  That seemed do-able.  Hmm. I must have taken this picture before realizing that I forgot to add the boy's feet at the end of the blanket and I have since added them on.

Block "Snug as a Bug"

And then came Block #11.  Oh my. A complex pattern that wasn't easily traceable on the glass slider and it required the chain stitch.  I dithered a bit before I started.  I even took a block out of order and made #12, Checkerboard.  I actually made three of them because they were fun and, why not?

Checkerboard three ways

I love the scrappy version!

I didn't want to be a quitter 1/10 of the way into the challenge.  So I set my inferiority complex aside and got to it.  I ordered a soluble sticky transfer paper.  I printed out the pattern and stuck it to my block.  I bought new variegated thread in pretty blues.  I bought reader glasses because I couldn't thread the needle and I couldn't see the pattern very well.  My arms aren't long enough or something because I couldn't find a focus point.  And after all that,  I got to it.

With the printed pattern still stuck on.

My stitches aren't perfect.  Using a soft cotton might not have been the best choice...but I'm happy that I made the block and that I can now move onto blocks 13-16 and keep my sense of order.

Washed and ironed block

With the thread and my new magnifying glasses.