29 January 2021

Friday Funny

28 January 2021

Flimsy Whimsy

I cannot believe I finished a quilt top!!! It feels as if it's been decades!!!

I bought the Painterly Petals charm packs on sale after I gave away two of my finished quilts early in 2019. Two women in my tiny village had lost their husbands, and someone who keeps better track of what's going on in the community than me asked if I had any extra quilts she could give to these two women. I had two unclaimed quilts (one of which I had kept for myself, but I couldn't justify my selfishness after being asked to share a warm hug with a stranger newly facing life alone), and I proudly donated both.

Blue Scrappy Block a Day

I was told I'd probably never hear anything from either of the women, neither of whom I'd ever met, but I was assured the quilts would be appreciated and treasured. That was good enough for me.

One of the two women did look me up and sent the nicest thank you card a few weeks later. We have since become friends. I am so happy I shared a quilt I wanted to keep for myself with her!

That got me thinking I probably need to keep a couple of finished quilts on hand at all times I can donate to women in my village who have lost their husbands. Made me feel good to even consider that, and the Painterly Petals sale seemed to perfectly fit the bill.

I'll be candid. I hated this line when I received the charm packs in the mail. The rainbow the samples created in the online photo was so attractive, and when I opened up the charms to visually feast, some of the fabrics actually turned my stomach. The charm squares sat in time out for a while. I'd previously ordered some royal blue solid fabric I wanted to incorporate as an accent into a dress I was designing, but the shade wasn't quite right. It was sitting in time out, too. When I placed the charm packs on top of the not-so-royal royal blue, something stirred inside me, and I wondered if I might be able to get rid of both fabrics in one quilt.

Eventually, I thought a half square triangle quilt might be a nice use of these two ugly stepchildren, and I began cutting the blue fabric in April. I ran out before I ran out of charm squares. I tried to order another couple yards of the blue late last spring, and there was none to be found anywhere. Many fabrics were getting difficult to find, thanks to the pandemic.

I played around with designs while I waited for more royal blue to become available.

I finally found a charm pack (!!!) and two yards of newly restocked not-so-royal royal blue right before Lizard's surgery in August and quickly ordered it, just in case it sold out again. (It did!) I was so excited not to have to cut my own blue charm squares for the rest of the project! I also picked up a yard of one of the individual Painterly Petals fabrics because I thought it eventually might make a helpful backing or binding for this project. The next few months, however, were tied up with post-surgery, and then fourth quarter work demands left next to no spare time whatsoever.

At the beginning of December, I set a goal to have these blocks all pieced, flimsied and ready to be layered and quilted by the end of 2020. I finally finished the flimsy on January 24.

While I was squaring up the half square triangles, I realized some of the fabrics in the Painterly Petals line are really pretty. I wasn't so ashamed of buying them anymore. This makes potentially giving away the finished quilt less embarassing for me, even though I know the quilt probably will be appreciated by the recipient no matter what fabric I use.

Then while trying to come up with a final attractive layout, I realized this line isn't really about individual fabrics. It's how they all look together. They really do make a nice rainbow. I think the bland royal blue really adds to the beauty, too. I'm glad I had some on hand, and I'm really glad I found more when I ran out!

Once I settled on a design, I was one hst shy of the full layout. I also needed eight solid blocks in red, orange or pink that would harmonize with and not detract from the Painterly Petals. I pulled out all my pink, red and orange batik scraps and auditioned them in the layout holes until I found just the right shades, and in the process, I found another scrap that fit in so perfectly, you can't even find the oddball hst. It looks like it came with the Painterly Petals!

This project really made me take a good long look at two of my other WIPs, HST leftovers, which are 2.5-inch squares, and postage stamps, which are 2-inch squares.

I've always laid out my blocks on the floor when I begin assembling a quilt top. I can't do that now because I don't want Lizard to slip on them, and I don't want to have to keep picking them back up and putting them back down during the short bursts I am able to work on them. I laid out the Painterly Petals on the spare bed, and it took me six weeks to finish the flimsy. One of the problems I frequently encountered while joining the blocks was accidentally putting them back on the bed in the wrong order or upside down or even in the wrong place while traveling back and forth between the dining room and the spare bedroom.

There is no room for a sewing machine in the spare bedroom. There is no room for blocks to be laid out in the dining room or adjacent living room. I had to undo and redo nine different blocks while I was putting this baby together.

I learned I like doing quadrants much better than rows when I'm working piecemeal, and now I have learned to keep a layout photo handy so I can put the pieces back in the proper order! I've also decided my scrappy HST project will be a sampler instead of one big design, just to make putting blocks and quadrants together easier. I'll finish quadrants so I can neatly stack them somewhere out of the way while I can't work on them. I'm not sure that idea will work with the postage stamps, but I can assure you I will not be doing rows!!!

Linking up with Alycia Quilts and Confessions of a Fabric Addict.

26 January 2021

Cold Splits

Last year I named a snowflake after the dry, sore skin on my thumb after freezing weather, gardening and hand sanitizer took a toll on my crocheting.

I've carried bag balm with me on my bicycle rides for 18 years now. It helps with saddle sores. I've learned via experience to always have a good supply on hand. I didn't have to go shopping to get some when I needed it for my hands, and I don't have to worry about shortages, at least for a while.

I used bag balm on my cold splits two or three times a day last year, and eventually, I was able to crochet again.

Back then, I just happened to come across a recipe for removing dead skin. The Sisters of the Snowflake and I had gotten into a discussion about how to best treat cold splits, and I asked if anyone had ever heard of success using vinegar and Listerine. A couple had heard of the mixture, but no one knew if it works. A couple of people worried it might sting quite a bit if wounds were open.

I'd pretty much healed by that time so didn't need to try the homemade remedy. The concoction was tucked neatly away in my memory banks, and the rest of 2020 unfolded.

Lizard has always had dry skin on his heels. Always. He used to run around barefoot in the desert as a child, and he never really outgrew that. After we married, he often wore, in good weather and in safe conditions, what he call Jerusalem cruisers on our mountain excursions. He would carry them along during our Ride the Rockies tours and wear them every evening. He's just not a shoes and socks type of guy!

Among the hideous symptoms of Parkinson's for some victims is dry skin. Lizard's dry skin was getting worse, but he wasn't able to vocalize what was happening prior to his back surgery last August. I'd been horrified just prior to and after his knee surgery in December of 2019 to find he had been unable to cut his toenails in quite some time. He had no idea how long his nails had become. He hadn't been able to sleep in years, so I had no idea either. Now he's more aware of his feet, but he isn't quite able to reach his toes yet and often still needs help putting on socks. So I've been taking care of his toenails for a little more than a year.

Now that he's becoming more aware of his feet (and everything around him), he's beginning to realize his heels had cracked and often bleed. I'd noticed in the hospital in August that one heel in particular was pretty bad, and so did his physical therapist. But we've been trying to work on everything else the physical therapist, speech therapist and occupational therapist recommended since we got home from acute rehab in September, and I'd kind of forgotten about Lizard's heels.

I aghast to see how quickly his feet had become even worse. Out came the bag balm, and I massaged his heels two and three times a day every single day. It took more than a month for the coarseness to show any improvement. Once the wounds healed, I began using a pumice stone on the roughest edges, fully expecting his Parkinson's alarmist sensitivity to make the task impossible. To my delight and surprise, the biggest complaint he gives is that my handling of his feet tickles. His ticklishness has gone up quite a few notches with the Parkinson's, too.

I actually had to look up the amounts of the Listerine and vinegar, and for that, I'm grateful because I learned so much more about the process. I learned the soaks need to be about 45 minutes; I'd thought five minutes would work. Lizard has a really tough time sitting still that long during his carbidopa levodopa downtimes (four times a day), so I have to schedule very precisely in order to get 45 minutes twice a day.

I also learned the combination takes care of any bacteria or fungus on the feet, and I learned some new (to me) techniques for dead skin removal. Sometimes wiping with a dry washcloth or even the balls of my hands is just as effective as a pumice stone.

I also learned about different kinds of moisturizing exfoliants and decided this case warranted checking out one or more. Ultimately, I selected one with 42% urea as well as salicylic and hyaluronic acid because it had many positive reviews and all the reviews said it smelled the least like the main ingredient. And no, I do not receive any commission for any of the products I ever talk about on my blog. I share information because I hope it will help others.

I never used anything that might sting or cause discomfort while Lizard still had open wounds. Only once so far during this entire process did he ever say his heel was a little tender, and that was while I was using the pumice stone. (I stopped immediately!)

I also santize the pumice stone after every single use.

It has taken more than six weeks so far of daily soaks and overnight exfoliant applications, but we are finally beginning to see progress. This was a pretty thick build-up, so it's going to take some time. But we're getting there, and Lizard's feet are not bleeding anymore.

Best part of this whole process has been the night we shed much more dead skin than the others, and the mess on the floor required more of a clean-up than we'd seen in a while. Lizard hugged me when I was finished and thanked me for taking care of him. He wasn't able to verbalize for so long last year, this was one of the most beautiful moments in the last two and a half years!

25 January 2021

Snowflake Monday

Generally speaking, I have been sleeping better. But the last few weeks, shut-eye has been a bit hard to come by again. I recently decided tossing and turning was not a very good use of my time, so I got out of bed and fashioned the fifth snowflake from the pillow I received for Christmas.

You may do whatever you'd like with snowflakes you make from this pattern, but you may not sell or republish the pattern. Thanks, and enjoy!

Finished Size: 4.25 inches from point to point
Materials: Size 10 crochet thread, size 7 crochet hook, empty pizza box, wax paper or plastic wrap, cellophane tape, water soluble school glue or desired stiffener, water, glitter, small container for glue/water mixture, paintbrush, stick pins that won't be used later for sewing, clear thread or fishing line

Let It Snowflake V Instructions

Make magic ring.

Round 1: 18 sc in ring; don't pull magic ring too tight.

Round 2: Ch 7 (counts as 1 dc and [ch 5), sk 2 sc, 1 dc in next sc] 6 times, omitting last dc of final repeat; sl st in 2nd ch of starting ch 7.

Round 3: 1 sc in each sc and dc around; sl st in starting sc.
If you're not reading this pattern on Snowcatcher, you're not reading the designer's blog. Please go here to see the original.

Round 4: Ch 9 (counts as [1 dc and ch 7), sk next 5 sc, 1 dc in next sc] 6 times, omitting last dc of final repeat; sl st in 2nd ch of starting ch 9.

Round 5: Ch 7 (counts as a sc and [ch 6), sl st in 2nd ch from hook and each of next 2 ch (long branch made), ch 4, sl st in 2nd ch from hook and in next ch (short branch made), [[ch 3, sl st in 2nd ch from hook and in next ch]] 2 times, working back down spoke, sl st in ch between short branch and long branch, ch 4, sl st in 2nd ch from hook and in each of next 2 ch, sl st in next 2 ch of spoke, 1 sc in each of next 7 ch of Round 4, 1 sc in next dc] 6 times, omitting last sc of final repeat; sl st in 1st ch of starting ch 7; bind off. Weave in ends.

Finish: Tape wax paper or plastic wrap to top of empty pizza box. Pin snowflake to box on top of wax paper or plastic wrap.

If using glue, mix a few drops of water with a teaspoon of glue in small washable container. Paint snowflake with glue mixture or desired stiffener. Sprinkle lightly with glitter. Wash paintbrush and container thoroughly. Allow snowflake to dry at least 24 hours. Remove pins. Gently peel snowflake from wax paper or plastic wrap. Attach 10-inch clear thread to one spoke, weaving in end. Wrap fishing line around tree branch (or tape to ceiling or any overhead surface) and watch snowflake twirl freely whenever you walk by! Snowflake also may be taped to window or tied to doorknob or cabinet handle.

21 January 2021

Christmas Jammies

Not without a touch of pain and a bit of heartache, but we finally got our first homemade Christmas fleece jammy photo!

I finally finished making the jammies over the three-day weekend. I finally had time!

While making the jammy bottoms (right after Christmas), I realized I didn't have enough elastic for both pairs. I pieced together a handful of three- and four-inch pieces for Lizard's pants, then altered the pattern so mine would not need elastic, at least for photos. I had planned to finish the entire project during the Christmas three-day weekend. I'd ordered more elastic sometime before Christmas, but I was so busy with work the last two months of 2020, I couldn't tell you when without looking up the email receipt when I placed the order. The elastic finally arrived on the Monday after Christmas, after I'd finished my bottoms.

It will not be too much trouble to insert the elastic when I have time, but they fit just fine for now, so I'm not going to worry about it until I sit down to do some mending. (And yes, mending is on my list. I have my own pile, AND one of my retired friends who just had shoulder surgery and can't do her own mending right now asked if she could drop off on my porch a big sack full of already pinned mending. I'm honestly not looking forward to spending an entire Saturday -- or perhaps longer -- on mending, but it will be good to do something kind for someone else during this time of limited contact.)

I didn't finish the jammies that weekend because I didn't have enough fleece for both tops. I had to stew for a while to figure out what to do next. I didn't want to order more fabric. At least right now. I have to pay medical expenses out of pocket again as of January 1 until we reach our deductible, so no unnecessary spending for us for a while. (It was SO nice to not have to pay any medical expenses the last three months of 2020 because full insurance coverage had finally kicked in!)

By New Year's weekend, I'd decided I'd use the remaining snowflake fleece for the sleeves and the reindeer fleece I bought what feels like a hundred years ago for the bodice pieces of the jammy tops. I don't remember if I had a plan for the reindeer fleece or if it was just on sale or caught my eyes because of the tiny little simple flakes. But I was pleasantly surprised by how well it coordinated with my snowflake fleece. I began working on the jammies again!

I really love this pattern. It comes with all the sizes! I sometimes dream about making jammies for each of the 26 grandkids in one year. And maybe even for their parents, too. But all the child sizes are on one pattern, and all the teen/adult sizes are on another. You can either start with the largest size you need and whittle the pattern away as you move to smaller sizes, or make copies of the pattern in different sizes so you can use the patterns again and again. I used to save the end rolls while I was working at the newspaper in the '80s so I could make all the pattern adjustments I needed without ruining a pattern. I don't have access to newspaper end rolls anymore, and I'm sure newspapers don't give them away for free these days.

Thank heavens I took advanced tailoring back in high school, so I know how to alter a pattern so I can use it again later. I measured Lizard and altered the pattern to fit him instead of cutting away the largest two sizes. (And that turned out to be one of the best decisions I made on this project, as you will soon see.) Then, as I began cutting into the reindeer fleece, I realized there would not be enough snowflake fabric for both sets of sleeves, and I'd have to be really careful cutting the bodice sections from the reindeer fleece to make sure I wouldn't run short on one of four total bodice pieces.

I cut out all the pieces for Lizard's top first to make sure the size would fit properly befort cutting the second top for me. I also had to figure out what to do for the second set of sleeves. I briefly considered piecing all the remnants together to make patchwork sleeves but decided the raglan sleeves are so huge, there weren't enough remnants to make both of the second set of sleeves.

Then I began sewing. One piece was missing. There was no facing for the back of the shirt. I looked through all the pattern pieces, then even looked at the pattern layout on the instructions. I didn't miss cutting a piece. The pattern doesn't include the back facing. Luckily, that's a really easy piece to DIY. Took me all of about five minutes. You can cut a small piece, such as a facing, cuff or collar, from the extra pattern paper most people probably throw away as soon as they trim it. I hadn't cut into the child patterns or the slippers or remote holder, so there was plenty of paper for multiple facing pieces in a variety of sizes.

The first top didn't take very long. I had Lizard try it on right away so I could dig into the fabric again and see if I could finish my top as quickly so we could do photos in the snow. We got four inches!

Parkinson's magnifies everything, and Lizard struggles with comfort in tight clothing, everything from socks to jeans to T-shirts. He felt his new jammy shirt was just a little tight under the arms. (It's not, but I want him to be comfortable.) So the first shirt is mine now. It's very loose on me, but I don't mind.

I could take out the pattern adjustments and make the second shirt a bit bigger. (See what a good thing it was I didn't cut the pattern to fit the first time around!) I hoped I'd have enough of the reindeer fleece. I still didn't know what to do about the sleeves, so I put the project away again until the following weekend. I stewed all week and then remembered some leftover snowflake fleece in storage from back when the Activity Day girls were making scores of blankets for the local hospital every January. I crossed my fingers and hoped there would be enough of one color to make two sleeves.

I didn't get to sew the following weekend. I made up for that last weekend, another three-day weekend. Cutting very carefully, I was able to cut all the pieces I needed from the original snowflake fleece, the reindeer fleece and a dark leftover snowflake fleece. The top was done in about two hours, and Lizard was very happy with the loose fit of the second top!

If I do make jammies for the grandkids, I'd need to finish at least two sets each month (and three sets each two months), and I'm not doing this with pattern adjustments again. I'd rather have separate patterns for each size I need. So I'll be looking for suitable pattern paper and saving up for a collection of fleece. A very large collection of fleece. So not very likely this year!

And that gives me plenty of time to breathe and take on this project at a more reasonable pace!

Linking up with Alycia Quilts and Confessions of a Fabric Addict.

19 January 2021

Baby Steps

Lizard balanced on one foot for about two seconds last night. That may seem like no big deal, but he has not been able to balance on one foot in more than two years.

His sense of humor and his trademark playfulness are returning, too. I have to clean the kitchen floor a lot more often now because he just doesn't have the finger dexterity anymore to hold onto his food while trying to transport it to his mouth. I was making jokes about all the popcorn pieces on the floor as I cleaned over the weekend, and he began tossing popcorn at me! Cutest thing he has done in more than two years!

I am SO thankful to have my husband back!

18 January 2021

Snowflake Monday

Today's pattern is the fourth inspired by the pillow I received for Christmas. This one was kind of fun to work up because I had several ideas for interpreting the design into thread. I think a large bead may be substituted in the final round instead of the popcorn stitch. I'd love to see photos if you give that a try.

The prototype of today's snowflake wasn't perfect. I'm a little embarrassed to show what it looked like when I got ready to pin it. I quickly worked up one more spoke and tied it on with a knot, then wove the ends in on the back. Can't believe how well it turned out after that snowflake surgery!!!

You may do whatever you'd like with snowflakes you make from this pattern, but you may not sell or republish the pattern. Thanks, and enjoy!

Finished Size: 5.5 inches from point to point
Materials: Size 10 crochet thread, size 7 crochet hook, empty pizza box, wax paper or plastic wrap, cellophane tape, water soluble school glue or desired stiffener, water, glitter, small container for glue/water mixture, paintbrush, stick pins that won't be used later for sewing, clear thread or fishing line

SPECIAL STITCHES:

Popcorn Stitch (pc)

Work 5 dc in designated st, take loop off hook, insert hook through top loop of 1st dc and replace loop on hook, pull loop through top of 1st dc.

Let It Snowflake IV Instructions

Make magic ring.

Round 1: Ch 2 (counts as 1 dc), 1 dc in ring, [ch 1, 2 dc in ring] 5 times; ch 1, sl st in 2nd ch of starting ch 2. Pull magic circle tight.

Round 2: Ch 2 (counts as 1 dc), [2 dc in next dc, 3 dc in next ch 1 sp, 1 dc in next dc] 6 times, omitting last dc of final repeat; sl st in 2nd ch of starting ch 2.

Round 3: Ch 13 (counts as 1 tr and [ch 10), 1 dtr in 7th ch from hook, ch 2, sk next 5 dc, 1 tr in next dc] 5 times, omitting last tr of final repeat; sl st in 3rd ch of starting ch 13.
If you're not reading this pattern on Snowcatcher, you're not reading the designer's blog. Please go here to see the original.

Round 4: Ch 15 (counts as 1 dc and [ch 13), 1 dc in next tr] 6 times, omitting last dc of final repeat; sl st in 2nd ch of starting ch 15.

Round 5: Ch 1, [1 sc in each of next 6 ch, in next ch work (1 sc, ch 3, 1 sc), 1 sc in each of next 6 ch, ch 12, sl st in 2nd ch from hook and in each of next 4 ch (long branch made), ch 5, sl st in 2nd ch from hook and in each of next 2 ch (short branch made), ch 4, 6 sc in 2nd ch from hook, sl st in 1st sc of 6/sc circle (round point of spoke made), (NOTE: next ch will be pulled extremely tight by the 6/sc circle; skip it), sl st in next ch (right above short branch), working back down spoke, ch 4, sl st in 2nd ch from hook and in each of next 2 ch, sl st in ch between short branch and long branch, ch 6, sl st in 2nd ch from hook and in each of next 4 ch, sl st in next 2 ch (below long branch), sk next 2 ch, pc in next ch, (NOTE: next ch will be pulled extremely tight by the pc; skip it); sl st in next ch] 6 times; sl st in starting ch; bind off. Weave in ends.

Finish: Tape wax paper or plastic wrap to top of empty pizza box. Pin snowflake to box on top of wax paper or plastic wrap.

If using glue, mix a few drops of water with a teaspoon of glue in small washable container. Paint snowflake with glue mixture or desired stiffener. Sprinkle lightly with glitter. Wash paintbrush and container thoroughly. Allow snowflake to dry at least 24 hours. Remove pins. Gently peel snowflake from wax paper or plastic wrap. Attach 10-inch clear thread to one spoke, weaving in end. Wrap fishing line around tree branch (or tape to ceiling or any overhead surface) and watch snowflake twirl freely whenever you walk by! Snowflake also may be taped to window or tied to doorknob or cabinet handle.

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