December 26 - 2 months since my last post!

Before I write more here I would like to say thank you to all for your kind comments on my last post following my fall, also I offer my apologies for not responding to any of them. I was told there was a problem with blogger and comment reply.  To my regular commenters I do have your addresses, and could have found others on their profile details, I didn't follow through for reasons mentioned here in this post.

This is where I have spent quite a lot of time over the past two months

on my bench underneath the Japanese Maple or wandering around the garden seeing all the colours of Summer in the blooms and visiting my old garden seat which I used for 25 years, lichen covered now, and wood falling apart with a rose climbing through.

The damage to my shoulder in the fall is severe, torn tendons, fluid filled shoulder, bursitis and synovitis, I have constant pain and severely limited movement in my left arm now. Presently the only option is constant pain meds and I can take on two simple PT exercises to try and help any movement. All this plus existing issues which I deal with resulted my reaching a very low point mentally. As you can see I can now slowly, and in packages of a couple of minutes at one time, use the computer with my right hand and occasionally my left hand providing that my arm is resting on a solid base here and there,  this is definitely  helping me feel that there is "light at the end of the tunnel". even though it has taken the best part of  two hours to write this post.

The colour in the garden has been helping

Visiting my little sewing haven caused me no end of misery at times.  However, I feel the spark coming back and I'm going to beat this little by little, I shall try a few minutes with my fabrics in the next few days. An appointment with my surgeon for an update soon but told to be prepared for what may be needed and what the outcome may be re use.

So, this is my situation - can you believe I have NOT read any of your blogs, I found my mind just couldn't cope but starting tomorrow I will slowly begin again, I have so desperately missed seeing all the exciting projects from you all.

If anyone could tell me what the situation is now re leaving replies to comments and bring me up to speed I would be so very grateful.

Excuse, if you will, any garbled or mixed up wording! I have made a note in my diary that I SHALL post something on the first day of the New Year hopefully with a  photo of a little stitching.

My very best wishes to you all and I hope you enjoyed a happy and safe Christmas.

Maureen

Flying Geese and a fall

More or less one month since my last post, I have been reading your posts now and again and sometimes was able to comment. I just haven't been in a position to write one myself! However I'm posting a photo of the first few large size Flying Geese in the quilt I began working on.

I had to take this photo on an angle due to being slightly incapacitated - actually more than slightly!

Those who have followed me for some time may remember I had a bad fall and shattered my left wrist a couple of years ago, in the process of that healing a tendon in my rotator cuff in the right arm tore. I'd been having balance problems and more for quite some time, (still ongoing) and I had been diagnosed with a neurological problem before the fall.

Problems have become worse, and on the 24th October, 2 days before my birthday, I had another bad fall in the garden, this as you can imagine really shakes a 78 year old quite badly. A & E, xrays - no actual breaks in my left shoulder , thank goodness. However now possibly tear in two tendons in the left rotator cuff, ultrasound Tuesday and I think then a neurology review appointment would possibly be the next step.

I am typing this slowly, my left arm is pretty useless at the moment and extremely painful meaning 4 or 5 hours sleep each night only even with pain meds.

Forgive my not leaving comments on your posts and also for many times not having the energy to sit and read them. You can imagine my sadness at my inability to continue on at the moment with my quilting. Hopefully I can gradually do a little at one time even if it's just one flying geese block!  I will be in touch, hopefully, within the next two weeks - earlier if possible.

I have a photo of the first lily in flower out of a bouquet given by one of my sons on my birthday.

Take care and enjoy every moment of your quilting, I'll be back soon.

Maureen

Lots of colour

A large package was delivered during the week - two quilts, long arm quilted by Leeanne at quiltmekiwi.blogspot.com they need binding now, hopefully next week so just little taste of colour from front and backing.

First up is Mollies' quilt - quilting design Blooming Feathers - she was an Irish Setter and they are beautifully feathered, below is the back and not a brightly coloured choice from me, the colour on the quilt top was my focus.

Second quilt was Tussie Mussie with a quilting design New Growth C, because of the rich colour the quilting design is not quite so easy to see

and backing - quilting design clearer

both were edge to edge quilted.

Progress with Seven Seas, the strips are all completed, well apart from the last narrow plus adjoining wider strip yet to be sewn together, I decided to just quickly try and place them on the wall and happy with how they're looking. Doubt began to creep in regarding the Flying Geese blocks, you'll see from the photo below the spaces left for the Geese, I was unsure about the larger size block required (8") and my initial thought was also to add different colours for the Geese - trial proved not a good idea - decision made to keep with the fabrics used already but adding a few more for interest. Excuse the crummy photo, I desperately need more room in my sewing area.

Fabrics covered my cutting table and I needed to corral the pieces I was definitely going to use, hit on the idea of a trug used for cut flowers from the garden - this has worked perfectly

Two designs I would love to use, the first will work ok - this is Sunrise, I fell for Sunset but not a good choice I think.

and here's Sunset

both are AnnaMaria fabrics.

To close, two beauties presently flowering in the garden

Rugosa Single with a heavenly scent

and a peachy day lily

and that's it for me at the moment. 

I hope folks suffering the horrific damage from Helene are receiving any help available, from the news coverage here in NZ it looks like it's going to be truly long and hard road for them all.

Maureen

Now Boarding

I made a start on Sailing The Seven Seas, three strips sewn with a little empty strip, which will be wider for the Flying Geese. Five more long strips needed and I'm really enjoying putting these together.

If you double click the photo you see more detail in the fabrics.  The turtles below are a good example of not being seen clearly in the photo above.

I love seahorses so this is a favourite

A few of the new Kaffe fabrics arrived a few days ago,  the middle one is a Philip Jacobs design - Ammonites,  just how much more vibrant can fabrics be - even for me!

Most of the prints this release are large scale, in fact one of them is the largest I've ever seen - Jungle - it comes in four colourways. Just a fraction of the design is shown below

I don't know how many of you reading this post are followers or readers on any platform of Victoria Findlay Wolfe, or have seen some of the amazing quilts that she makes in books or magazines. The first I knew about Victoria was around 10 or 11 years ago when I found her blog, she had a group of quilters, a large group, called Bumble Beans, a lot of us were online and I was able to take part in one or two swap projects, from that moment I was hooked. She wrote her first book 15 Minutes of Play -  Improvisational Quilts back in 2012 and her fifth book has just been released, mine arrived a week ago. - almost 300 pages!

It is glorious and exciting.  Thus far I've only read the foreword by Meg Cox and can't wait to set aside time each day to sit and read without any interruptions, a good plan at my place would be very, very early in the morning around 5.30am - dawn breaking, birds singing, a cup of tea and perfect quiet within the house - heaven! 

My words below could possibly be considered by many to not be relevant to posting on a quilting blog but I'm sure there would be many who share the sentiments,  forgive me if you find it unacceptable.

Given the state of the world right now, both natural and man made, politics, the horrors of war and suffering being endured by millions around the world I am so, so grateful that I am fortunate enough to have a wonderful family, enjoy my passion for colour, fabrics, quilting and reading, to have the pleasure of connecting with all of you quilters, to have time in my life for a little quiet and peace and find solace in my stitching.

Maureen

One top finished with another ready to cut

 Just stitching needed around the outside edges of Roundabout and then off into the 'to be quilted' drawer!

Next up is a quilt to be based on the Sea Glass pattern by Emma Di Stefano at Treehouse Textiles. 

Sailing The Seven Seas will be my take, especially with colours used. Inspiration comes from the oceans and seas which I had the good fortune to sail on in 1962/3. I had a great love of colour as a youngster but the colours seen on those two sea voyages around the world just drew me deeper into this love. It was quite unbelievable.

More on the story later when I actually have the quilt finished.

My fabric pulls are below

A few wild cards below which may pop up

not forgetting the odd possibility of stormy weather or brilliant sunrise and sunset

Hours have been spent in my little studio since my last post dealing with long needed fabric folding and placing in correct colour baskets, sorting through scraps and strips and making decisions on a proposed de-stash. I suspect as fast as I place a piece of fabric for de-stash I will have second thoughts - oh yes, now that could just work with?????

All from me for the moment, I'm desperately trying to come back into my blog posting as often as before, I seen to come across road blocks now and again, as we all do from time to time but fingers crossed I shall get there soon.

Maureen

A little progress

Only one more panel completed for Roundabout! Life has been pretty busy here with all manner of  happenings so time at the machine has been limited. Here's a photo of the present layout below, sadly not level because I couldn't quite reach the top RH side to pin, I'll deal with that this afternoon.

The strips here are 2 and 1/2" wide and 40 and 1/2" long, 10 in each panel. The original design concentrated on basically using just two colours, plain and small patterned fabric in shades of red and green, I decided on something different. 

My original idea was to mix all colours of strips but after finishing up the top panel I decided to try and go with the same layout for each of the four. I've changed up a few of the fabrics when I found I sometimes only had one strip, you can see the ones I substituted where necessary but still keeping to the colour layout.

 The design is from the book by Stuart Hillard  chock full of excellent designs to use up scraps.

My only other quilt related item is a  piece of Art Gallery Fabric - design from the Charlotte range,  luckily I spotted this online 1.6 metres so a good amount to work with.

Here in New Zealand we are officially enjoying the last month of Winter, Spring is around the corner come September. Down in the garden  the freesia are beginning to put on a performance and it's a delight to walk past them with their beautiful scent.

I can see that dreaded oxalis weed trying to take over, somehow I need to get out and weed pretty soon. I  shall be going solo for some of the time dealing with this chore and only around 15 minutes at one time, husband is in a bad way with one of his hips and up for replacement surgery so guess who will be in charge here!!

Lunch is calling - potato and leek soup with kumara sourdough bread, a nice thick toasted slice. Back in a few days, all being well.

Maureen