'Bed-in' With Baby-Kalico

Make no mistake, I love looking after Baby-Kalico!!,

but it's really hard work when you can't put any weight on one foot,

you walk with crutches

and you are lumbering a huge plaster cast around with you

everywhere you go...

I knew it was going to be hard work so

I carefully worked out the household budget

and decided that if we were very careful

and had no extras (i.e. NO luxuries of any sort!!!!)

we could just about afford some help for a few weeks

to get me over the worst of it.

Unfortunately help needs days off

and today help was unwell :(

I have been getting up in the morning to look after baby,

I put her to bed at night and I play with her

as much as possible during the day,

but if I am alone in the house with her,

we have to do a 'bed-in'.

This means that I can feed her,

put her down for naps etc

without having to carry her around,

an impossible feat with crutches!

If I'm not sleeping at the same time as her,

I try to do a little hand-sewing...

I have found making the two different halves
for my rose-star quilt quite addictive...

Obviously they come together much quicker

and I have been trying some wild colour combinations...

Who knows, a few more weeks of bed-rest

and I may even be 'half' way :)

Nice Light

There's nothing like a bit of sunlight

to give you just the right natural light

to take photos that are sharp

and true in colour

This is the first proper sunny day we've had in a while!

It looked like it was nice outside...

Doing Things By Halves

I have been making halves...

To square up my rose star hexagon blocks...

I thought that I would 'fill in' 2 sides with halves

and work out from there...

But I needed DH and his manly logic

to show me that the sides need different halves...

Can you spot the difference?

Some halved this way:

And some halved this way:

I also had to figure out how to make a quarter:

Now, I just need help to get to my studio

to scratch in my scraps

to make more halves and 3 more quarters :)

Matchy Matchy

I was sewing some of my rose-star hexagons

when I noticed that my pyjama top

was the same colour and pattern

as my fabric...

You can find the pattern for these hexagons here:

http://summerfete.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/rose-star-tutorial.html

I am in the process of squaring 2 sides up

and will work outwards from there...

stopping when I've had or made enough...

Plaster Class

Well I am back from the hospital.

Home after my fourth and hopefully final

correction of my bothersome leg.

If 17 years ago, my femur had been pinned correctly,

I wouldn't be lying here, in a cast from my ankle to upper thigh,

writing this sorry tale...

But it didn't get pinned correctly, all those years ago,

when I broke my femur, while living in Germany,

And I have had no end of trouble with my leg since then.

However this time, the consultant seemed happy with the operation

and now only time will tell how it all heals

and whether my leg is 'fixed' once and for all.

***

It was so lovely having the boys to visit in hospital.

Sadly there was an outbreak of Novovirus in the hospital

and so we were advised not to bring Baby-Kalico in to visit me.

(My operation nearly didn't go ahead

as there were no 'clean' beds on the ward I needed to be on!

This was remedied at the last minute and I was lucky enough

to have my own room and my operation!!)

(The black brace was replaced with a cast
which was then replaced by another cast
after I twisted my knee in the first cast!)
***

Oh boy! Did I ever miss this little face!!

Not sure she missed me as much

as I was told that she was very happy

the whole time I was away!

*****

At the last minute, while we were driving to the hospital,

I grabbed the handwork from my car

and shoved it into my hospital bag

so I worked on my rose-star hexagons

a little bit while recuperating from the operation.

It did cause quite a funny incident...

A 'nurse' who came around in the evening serving tea

saw what I was sewing and said

"Oh my little girl is sewing these"

Now I am sure her 'little girl' was probably sewing hexagons,

but I doubt they were as complex as these,

however far be it for me to say otherwise....,

but the cherry on the cake was when she picked one up,

looked at it disdainfully,
and when she tossed it back down rudely on my bed she said again:

"Yes, my little girl is sewing these".

It probably wouldn't have annoyed me if the tea she'd just served me had been in a clean mug!! :)

Studio Move

Well, I'm off to hospital to get my leg done

so in order to leave things so that

all can survive without me ;)

I made a very quick move into my studio.

I've not moved in completely,

some of my stuff is still in the laundry room,

but at least now the laundry is not competing with my fabric and

I have made a start on being in my 'special place'.

We still need to move in work tables

and set up an ironing station,

but that will happen when I'm walking again...

My friend Vicky came to help

(and bossed me around LOL)

and between us we managed to get rid of a really huge bag of

fabric that I will not live long enough to use.

Obviously, none of my precious patchwork fabric

went, but some very dodgy bits of polyester,

crimpoline and some serious uglies etc. are looking for new homes :)

I have binding on a quilt ready to sew down, so

as soon as I'm home from the hospital, that will get done.

I am not actually taking any handwork

this time. I plan to just rest,

something I don't seem to have done for a while.

The Moors Near Us

Wordless Wednesday - That Darn Cat!

Another day, another bed... :)

Getting My House in Order

This morning I dropped my rose hexagon quilt off 

with Chris at Father's-Heart Longarm quilting.

While I was discussing pantos with Chris,

Baby-Kalico sat aound with a few of Chris's gorgeous quilts

around her to catch her if she toppled over.

She did :)

Chris showed me a quilt she did with a gently scalloped-edge

which was very inspirational as an alternative to my usual straight edges

and would look great with my rose hexagons -

quilt food for thought!

*****

There is nothing sacred in this house!

Nothing that can not be slept in...

I guess our little kitty who was once called baby

(by her previous owners)

thinks the baby stuff is hers :)

Forgetting Myself for a Minute

I decided to walk down to the village

with Baby-Kalico in the buggy.

Unfortunately I forgot myself for a minute...

I forgot that it takes quite a long time...

And I forgot how bad my leg is... So it was quite hard work...

But I did get to see my tree!

I love this tree and I always enjoy looking at it,

as it shows the seasons change,

when I drive to and fro from the village.

Baby-Kalico had a great nap while I hobbled along

I did make it all the way to the A-road,

but then I had to hitch a lift home :)

(with DH who was coming to fetch one of the boys from school.)

I do love the scenery around here

And all the sheep...

And of course, the company on my 'walk'

was wonderful too!

Today's walk made me realise

that this next leg operation

will be just what I need

to be more active

for and with my children,

so although I am nervous,

I am also certain that needs must

and perhaps once I've recovered,

I'll manage a walk to the village

AND back! :)

Cathedral Stars - A Finish for 2012!

At last the Cathedral Stars

quilt that I started last year

in February in Germany is finished!

 Even the sheep were impressed

(or hungry!)

I pieced the back and used left over 2" squares

to 'stretch' the fabric to the size needed...

This quilt was started during the Bonnie Hunter Workshop in Schonaich,

so I shall always remember watching Bonnie unpick my blocks ;)

and I shall also remember how I sewed the one block wrong,

but left it as I had done too many that same wrong way already,

and I shall also remember how all my German quilting friends

have nagged and nagged me to finish this quilt

(And I shall look forward to nagging them about something in future! ;D )

 

It was Longarmed quilted by Chris at Father's Heart

and I love the swirly quiling design she suggested.

Now to finish something else before I go into hospital on the 8th of May :(

Daily Traffic Jam & Studio Update

I was driving home today and had to wait for the neighbours

to move their sheep so I just quickly snapped this photo

of the kind of traffic we get around here :)

*****

This morning I had been showing a friend

the floor that DH has laid in the studio...

Just as well I went back in later to get a photo

as I had inadvertantly closed kitty in!

She was pretty pleased to see me again :)

Getting in a Bind on my Birthday

YES, everyone who did the Cathedral Stars workshop

with Bonnie Hunter LAST February!

Yes, I have attached the binding...

But, NO,

No I haven't had a chance to stitch it down just yet...

*****

I received some really beautiful flowers, fabric, chocolates

etc. for my 40th birthday.

Unfortunately, I spent the day on the sofa and in bed

as I had some sort of stomach bug,

but hey at least I got some rest as my wonderful husband

looked after the kids and left me to wallow...

These are the flowers my Mom sent me.

Thanks Mom, they're lovely!

Lakes & Likes

We had a lovely trip to Bowness in the Lake District,

the weather wasn't warm enough to actually go out on a boat,

so we had a little stroll past the row boats
and into town for ice-creams,

while some of us slept...

*****

I have been enjoying some pre-birthday spoils

with many thanks to a very special friend:

Only Birgit will know that there were actually more chocolates

in the box. BUT I can explain :)

I was reading an article about how woman OVER 40

have a tendency to put weight on more easily...

so I thought with just a few days to go,

I had better hurry up and eat them all up LOL