June 2017 – Chopin – A Passionate Quilter From Texas

June 23, 2017June 23, 2017

A Hand Update – No Quilting Here – But an Exceptional Hubby!

I would like to first thank my wonderful husband, Clay, who has taken exceptional care of me and has been “right hand man” (a little pun here) through this hand surgery. He is a love! What a gift I received 21 years ago when he contacted me on 3 June 1996 when I lived in Virginia and he was in Texas. We had grown up together in San Antonio but never dated. I had a short visit with his Mother in Texas before moving to Virginia in 1993 and then in 1996 he decided to “look me up” and found my number through a friend of mine. We take care of each other, but this time he has really had a lot on him! I am so blessed!!!!! We were still young (51 years old) when we were married on 2 August 1996! Thank you Clay for taking care or me and being such a loving and sweet husband. (A Choctaw-Irish and a French – Cajun – what a pair!)

Clay and Nanette July 1996 – Sterling Virginia Still Young!

So here is where I am on my surgery experience. I am out of the cast, stitches are out, and now to some crazy therapy – tap on the incisions 5 times a day – for 5 to 10 minutes and then next week add rubbing them the same with some Vitamin E oil or Aloe Vera to keep scar tissue down. No lifting over 5 pounds – for me I will just not lift anything heavier than my fork, water, and coffee cup! LOL Better safe than sorry! I have great movement in the right hand as I did exactly as I was told – move those fingers and thumb as soon as I woke up from surgery – yes it hurt for 3 days, but then each day it got better. I have a little numbness in the ring finger, but they say it gets better (hoping).

I am having issues with the left hand and realized now that the shoulder pain has been from the CTS! WOW. So as soon as the right hand heals (hopefully by early August) I will schedule the surgery on the left hand. We have a trip to Oklahoma in August that we will not cancel, so it will probably be done the last week in August.

Today I am back to the computer typing with two hands – YEA. I am now using my hand and was told I can go back to quilting. I will do some cutting this afternoon. I really have missed my quilting.

Here in South Texas we are in a horrible dry condition and no rain in sight – We are having 108 heat index and yesterday it hit 102 temperature!! Good time to quilt – now to get the muscles back in order on the right hand.

Yesterday after getting the cast removed we went to the Mesquite Bean quilt store in San Antonio and I picked up some more shirting fabric! – (Like I really needed the fabric). Penny Rose has a new line out – very nice!

Have a great week-end, hopefully by next week I will have something to show.

June 19, 2017

Long Hot Summer in Texas and a Pity Party!

OK. This will be the shortest post for me!!!

Lovely summer – only 108 Heat Index!!!! Hoping the storm in the Gulf reaches South Texas…..

Update on my Carpal Tunnel (CTS) surgery. I guess after 20 years we tend to forget just how much fun having CTS is! I think I forgot that I am 72 and maybe it might hurt more! I am in a nice cast for 3 more days. They lied to me when they said I could type starting today! No way with this cast on!

So it is left hand only. This is so frustrating! Sitting here looking at all I want to do but cannot. To top it off, my left hand, arm, and shoulder are now giving out!!!

I will be able to get the left CTS done in a month. Yikes am I ever a glutton for pain. BUT, if I do it in July I will be well in September and get back to quilting!!!!

I did walk today and think, THINK it made me feel better. LOL

I am going to catch up on some Crafty classes I bought a few years back maybe my mind will come back.

Have a good week!

June 11, 2017

Churn Dash, Stars, and an UFR Break

Well, this time tomorrow I will be on the road to recovering from Carpal Tunnel and Trigger Thumb surgery. This is definitely a UFR (unforeseen requirement)! If the CTS is successful on the right hand, then it will be the left hand’s time ASAP! Think my summer is not going to be real productive for quilt projects. But I have “been there done that” about 20 years ago with this surgery, I have forgotten how the recovery time is going to go! This morning I realized that I can start typing in a week or so, but rotary cutting will probably be off the table, so I will probably work on Genealogy! So I am hoping that I can be productive doing something.

I have had one of the best weeks this week in 6 months with my quilting. I am working on 3″ Churn Dash and 3″ Star blocks. I love the CD’s. I am not sure where I am going with them, but plan on incorporating the 3″ Star blocks left over from Robin’s Nest into a quilt. I am going to start with 10 blocks from different color coordination from reproduction (red, black, brown, green, etc) fat quarters and then making 10 blocks with the same fabrics for the Stars. I am now having fun quilting since January. My inspiration for the Churn Dashes was from Me and My Stitches A Gathering of Scraps pattern.

Not sure what this quilt will look like, but am excited about creating a design after surgery!

I want to make more of Alexander’s Bean Pot blocks – They are so much fun at 5″. I found this pattern in Carol Hopkins Civil War Legacies I book. I believe that I have made about 15 of them last year. I made this quilt in 2015 for Darryl and have wanted to make me one. Love the Civil War Legacy books – there are I, II, and III available.

I also plan on sending out quite a few quilts to be quilted with pantograms. This will be great to have them finished (except for binding). I will not have so many yelling at me to get with the program when I walk into the Studio. I am waiting on Sandy to let me know she is ready to quilt on her new machine!

So I end this post for now, and hopefully in a few weeks I will be able to cut and sew on my blocks! Until next time – stay cool during the summer heat and happy stitching!

June 5, 2017

OMIGOSH, Gathering Scraps, and Jane Russell

Well, we finally received some – SOME – measurable rain but very little. Things are very peaceful and quiet this month! YEA. Just having my right thumb operated on along with a carpal tunnel release on the 12th of June. If the CTS release works on the right hand he will do the left hand – maybe I will begin to be able to do some hand quilting by August. That would be nice since my new Grace frame is just sitting patiently waiting and waiting. (might be a long wait) Just think, no cooking, washing dishes, etc for at least 10 days. Think I could figure out a better way to get out of doing the household chores!

On the quilting front. I wanted to catch up on a few things before the surgery and I have finished preparing 4 of the BAS Ms Potts blocks this last week. They are ready for appliqué when I can start working my right hand. Most of Ms Potts leans toward a different style appliqué block than this one. So I changed it and made it a little easier to appliqué by enlarging the flowers. I may add some else to the block, but not at this time.

I am sure I will not be doing hand work for a while, so I decided to select a pattern that I could cut out now for machine piecing. I am sure that I will be able to do that because they told me that I could start typing after the first week. So, I decided on OMIGOSH by Sue Garman. I studied the pattern and tried making the double nine patch in reproductions and one in batiks. My goal was to make one of the Shoo-Fly and the Double Nine patch blocks that make up the quilt to see if I enjoyed the process. This quilt is labor intensive and deals with 2″ (unfinished) 9 patches and 2″ (unfinished) 4 patches in a square in a square setting. The finished blocks are 5″ unfinished! Well, I think I have changed my mind on this one too, at least this year. I made a few of the 2″ 9 patches and decided to see about enlarging them all the way up to a 2 3/4″ unfinished 9 patch.

Left to Right – 2″, 2 1/4″, and 2 3/4″ 9 patches (unfinished)

Then I made a Double 9 Patch block using the 2 3/4″ 9 patches – I did not like this one at all and I am sure that it would not have the same outcome to the quilt as Sue envisioned when she designed the quilt pattern.

Double 9 Patch Block – 7″ unfinished, 6 1/2″ finished. 1 1/2″ larger than the original block in the OMIGOSH pattern.

Well, I could not give up, so I tried to make the 2″ unfinished 4 patch in a Square in a Square setting. But this time I enlarged the pattern by 1/4″. I did try to go back and make a 2″ 9 patch using batiks – but what a mess – never finished making the Shoo Fly block! I was done!

The 4 Patch for the Shoo Fly Block – did not work out!

So my thoughts turned to two quilt patterns that I knew would turn out accurately and that I would enjoy making with no-stress. I had started on Gathering Scraps and Alexander’s Bean Pot last year. Julie Letvin from Me and My Stitches is a neat lady and Carol Hopkins has 3 books out on Civil War Legacies that I love dearly. Both of these designers are great in writing their patterns. I also have some 3 1/2″ stars left over from Robin’s Nest and decided to make some 3 1/2″ churn dash blocks and come up with a quilt pattern that works! Julie and I had met over the Internet and I visited her booth in Dallas in March. I really do like her quilt patterns. Here is a picture of the quilt and she has a lot more on her web site. I may do a combination of my stars, churn dashes and the alternating block from Gathering Scraps to make a neat reproduction quilt! I am going to use a mixture of Richmond Reds, Union Blues and one other line from Barbara Brackman. But for the time being, I love sewing these little blocks and will have plenty cut out to make while I am in a “limited” quilting status.

Now for something different. I love the old western movies to escape from all the ills of this world. This week-end we watched The Tall Man with Clark Gable and Jane Russell. I bet I have watched this movie 4 times in the past and remember the beautiful quilt. I found this picture on the internet and wanted to share it with all. The quilt has 4 large blocks and appears to be a Coxcomb block with leaves and stems. Someday I am going to make this quilt!

Jane Russell from The Tall Man with “The Quilt”

If anyone happens to know if there is a pattern out there in the quilt world for this quilt that would be great! But it would be easy to replicate to some extent. I know that the quilt had some meaning, because Jane Russell kept that quilt with her throughout the entire movie!

I hope that everyone has a great Monday. It is summer time and may as well get used to it here in South Texas. I am just hoping that Fall does come and comes early and winter is winter this year! Until next time. Happy Stitching!