FABRIC STASH - WEEK 2, 2018 (1/7-13/18)

Used this Period: 0 yards 

Added this Period: 2.25 yards

Used year to Date:  0 yards
Added Year to Date:  0 yards

Net Stash Decrease for 2018:   0 yards

 

On Monday we traveled to the nearby big city.  DH was donating blood, we got some grocery staples, and I went to JoAnn's to get some more fabric for my January quilt (#10).  I had finished 12 blocks with leftover fabric from past quilts, but did not have enough to finish.  What a zoo it was at JoAnn's--they were having a big sale and there were people everywhere!

 

As I was looking at embroidery floss, a woman came up and started talking to me about all the colors of hair she was seeing on both young girls and older women.  (She wondered if they didn't have mirrors to see how they look!)  That topic evolved into her life story in recent times.  She came to the United States from Lebanon to receive medical care after ISIS bombed the car in which she was riding.  She lost 4 sons and was burned over most of her body--and she now has a colostomy bag as her abdomen was shredded.  She showed me her legs--scarred and mutilated--and her face looked like the skin was "new."  She told me they are Christians and want to remain Christians, but that ISIS won't allow them to practice their faith.  And then they called my number at the cutting table--I had to interrupt our conversation to get my fabric cut and did not see her after I left that area of the store.  We are so fortunate here--I wonder if we are as thankful as we should be for the freedoms we enjoy.  I hope and pray that the United States remains the beacon of freedom we now are.

While I was waiting to get more fabric for #10, I went through some of my embroidery stuff--what a mistake!  I found between 7-10 unfinished projects--why did I start them and not finish them?!  One is an afghan of bears of the month that I have the January bear about half finished.  I loaned the pattern to my niece a few years ago; it took her a year to finish it.  I should have finished all the X-stitch that was on the 18- and 22-count fabric when I was younger!!  My son gave me a magnifying glass for Christmas so I started working on it again.  But in searching for a hoop, I found all the other unfinished pieces, plus a Christmas stocking kit and a kit showing a Singer sewing machine.  Oh, my--not sure what I am going to do with all those unfinished projects!  

I also found a partially finished X-stitch quilt top that I started 10 years ago.  It has a long story.  When I bought the kit, I started working on one half of the quilt top--without sewing the two halves together to cut down on the bulk.  Then I decided that it would be best to sew it together before continuing to work on it--and found that the second half had been printed on the back instead of the front.  So there was no way I could put those 2 halves together.  I contacted the company and they told me to just throw it away and they would send me another complete kit--which they did.  I finished the second kit, working it in pinks.  I couldn't throw the other kit away--after all, I had a lot of work done on it already.  So, I decided I could pull the table apart and make a sort of light box of it--and transfer those X's to the front of the quilt!  I have now sewn the 2 halves together and have traced some of the X's--and started working on it again (the bear afghan will just have to wait!).  I have a lot of tracing to do, but am determined to get this done.  I'm using a blue and yellow color scheme on this kit.  Wish me luck--maybe I'll finish it before the end of the year!

I have finished my physical therapy now, with one appointment scheduled for a month from now.  I continue to do exercises twice a day at home and will continue those for at least a year.  The swelling and stiffness are decreasing, but I still struggle with both.  I'm very careful as we have snow and ice on our mountain now, and I don't want to fall.  It has been 4 months since the surgery--the time has gone quickly in some respects--and has crawled in others.  

I will have to really get busy this next week if I want to get the January NewFO completed.