End of an era…..

I give you: the finger :p

 I know: I`m waaay behind on posting. I had (and still have) discomfort on my right ring finger. 

Diagnosed with a so called `trigger finger` I first went to the handtherapist. After 6 weeks of fruitless exercises and massages (on what turned out to be the wrong spot) my doctor sent me to a plastic surgeon.

Two weeks later I had a `trigger finger release operation` Ah the medical phrases you learn. What hurt the most (and I mean really hurt) was the numbing injection. When the nurse removed the cloth they cover you up with, I was sent home with this..

I thought they must have sliced my entire hand open. A little anxious i removed all this after 2 days and found a lightning shaped little cut that could easily be covered by a cheerfull green plaster. I guess they like a bit of exaggeration at the local hospital.

After another 2 weeks the stitches were removed, it took about the same amount of time for all the dead skin to dissapear and now I have this

Looks all healed but: my finger is still rather swollen, it hurts when used. Can`t bent it properly and the scar itself hurts rather a lot when touched.

So here we are: can`t cut fabric and although I can hand quilt, I have a speed from 10 stitches/hour.

I read, I played internet games, I took several walks, went to Ikea, got bored.

According to the surgeon it can take another 6 to 8 weeks (aaaaaaagh)and if not better by then: back to the handtherapist (aaaaagh)

Oh, and she (the surgeon) found a similar obstruction at my index finger. I think the phrase f….ing hell is indeed appropriate here.

(I noticed that it is hardly possible to react on my blog. I read somewher how to fix that, but I forgot where… If someone really wants to contact me: carpequiltem@gmail or hop over to my carpequiltem insta.

Dianne: your lovely comments just popped up: thanks and sorry I missed them at the time)

Girls day out again

 Finally we got another day out. C, DD and myself went to a small quiltmarket and exhibition last sunday.

Less booths than we were used too at this location; it seemed that store holders are not as keen as they were pre-Covid. Maybe because we all got used to shopping online?

The exhibition was nice, but I`m not into art quilts that much and I get an overload of that quickly. The `old fashioned` bed quilts appeal to me the most. 

A pleasant surprise were the quilts of a Russian(?) lady called Galla Grotto. She makes, in short, faces. It`s not the actual faces I like, but I was stunned by the technique and the craftsmanship. Amazing!!

However: we enjoyed ourselves and I got everything on my list. Yes, I made a list because I tend to forget things I said I needed to buy. So I got that thimble and those sewing machine needles. A bottle of Best Press was on the list too, but we couldn`t find it. DD had one at home she didn`t use as well as handquilting needles nr 11. Ofcourse I needed fabric too! 3 Bindings for 3 Granny Squares and some fq`s for the Granny quilt 3. Not that I ran out of fabrics that I used in 1 and 2, but some fresh, new ones spike the creativity. Let `s keep it at that:)

I pre washed the new haul yesterday (with retayne;I had a bleeding quilt once and I am still not over that)

Then I ironed and folded to make a pretty pile: fq`s on the left, binding fabric on the right.

(Those who know me, will be surprised by the fact that I bought PINK. The colour I really dislike, to put it mildly. Truth of the matter is, that no matter if I hate pink, the grand ladies love it, and I`m making a quilt for them, not for me. It`s C`s fav colour and she`s talking me into more pink items now. LOL. Not going to happen dear!)

Late in the afternoon, we dropped DD of and drove home again. Since this time I was not the one driving, I had the chance to take some pics on the way.

The western part of the country is very flat, as you can see.Nice, beautiful skies, but I`m always happy when, further south, I see an actual forest….

Square in a square

 Never underestimate the amount of effort, time, fabric (and coffee breaks) the square in a square blocks take.

For each granny square quilt, I need 70 for the borders. And since the quilting on quilt 1 is done in the foreseeable future, it is time to get on with sewing nr 2.  I already finished the main part, so now it s time to get to the borders.

I`ll take you through the process of my way of making the square blocks..and I skipped the fabric cutting part. I used leftovers from the quilt for the first batch.

Chainsewing the first triangle to the inner square. I `pinch` Both the fabric pieces in the middle so I can align them perfectly.

Sewing the opposite triangle, using the first `pinch

Cut the dog ears and press and repeat for triangle 3 and 4

Repeat for triangle 3 and 4

Press again and cut to size

I made 25 today.. not even close..

Toolbox

 Decades ago I made myself a sewingbox. It is, in fact the second one, after the first got a bit too small.

It is made from cardboard, covered with linnen and fabric. Don`t remember the manufacturer of the fabric, but it was called `witches `undies` which I thought was a funny theme. Ah well..

According to the witches theme, the handle is, ofcourse, a piece of wood.

I said `sewingbox`, but it is actually a toolbox. It contains (almost) all the tools I need from template making to sewing. Mind that I am thaught in the CLASSIC way of quiltmaking. That time when dinosaurs roamed the streets and templates were made from mm paper glued on sandpaper, after you`d drawn and measured the blockpattern all by yourself. Ha!

Except for the dinosaurs, it is still my preferred way to make a quilt…

For my offspring: this is what mum/oma is always carrying around..

And for a better look:( click on the pic to enlarge or zoom in if you want)

Do you recognise stuff?

What`s in your toolbox? :)

Contrasts

 We had 4 rather severe storms in a row lately and when we got on the train to go to Amsterdam last monday, the last one was still blowing my hairpins out.

It happened to be my birthday and I was in for a day out. First we went to the Stedelijk museum (mainly modern art) and then we visited the Rijksmuseum. We skipped the Van Gogh this time; it was too busy and crowded to my taste. Next time Vincent!

Matisse

Chagall

Mondriaan, all at the Stedelijk

And Vermeer, Breitner and Asselijn at the Rijksmuseum.

Amsterdam being pretty as always

Then on Wednesday, we took the Ladies to Naturalis. What a contrast! And such a beautifull exhibition of thousands of animals. The Ladies fav were the dinosaurs, ofcourse..

They were allowed to hold a piece of dino poop and a genuine piece of triceratops skin.

Another day for the books!

Yesterday the carnaval festivities started here in the southern part of the country, after 2 years of cancellation due to Covid. It lasts untill Tuesday night and everywhere there are people in silly costumes, cheerfull music is playing, bars are crowded etc

At the same time there`s constant tv coverage of the war in Ukrain. Footage of fathers saying goodbye to their families, people seeking shelter, bombs, tanks…This time it`s not from WW2 or something like that, but 2022 in our backyard, in Europe. It`s horrible, heartbreaking and all because of the delusion of one man.

Keep calm and quilt on

 Lately I noticed that I couldn`t bend and stretch my right ring finger as freely as it should. And while bending and stretching, it made a soft cracking sound. It became increasingly painfull as well. My doctor diagnosed it as a “trigger finger” and sent me to a fysiotherapist. 

I had the intake there yesterday. The therapist asked about my hobbies. Ofcourse she had no clue what patchwork and quilting was. When I explained she said (while typing):”ah, with a sewing machine “ and was horrified when I replied that I am a HANDquilter…LOL

Anyway, she made a brace and told me that it had to stay on 24 hours, 7 days, for starters and that I should not use that finger at all if possible, except to do prescribed excersises. 

I considered myself lucky that it was this finger. After all, you don`t use it while quilting!

Phew!

How wrong was I!! You use it all the time when grabbing something. I couldn`t pull a needle through anymore. And I was making such good progress on the Granny Square!

(The sun made some strange shadows on the picture, but the quilting is visible..)

I didn`t have a needle puller at hand, so I made one myself.

I padded the pair of pliers not to damage the needle and although it slowed me down considerably, it worked. Sort of.

Another nifty tool I gifted myself is a ergonomic rotarycutter. I choose one from Marti Michell.

What a difference this thing makes!! I never ever cut so many layers at once with so little effort. I cut a bunch of scraps to shreds just for fun, because I just couldn`t stop cutting haha. I forgot to take a picture, the orange pieces were the last ones left on the table.

Now let`s order a genuine needle puller and see if that keeps me quilting on (with the wretched brace)…Not quilting would mean I need a psychotherapist and probably a divorce lawyer in the near future.

January blues

 For as long as I remember, I hated januari. The grey cold days, spring still far away and the anual winter depression sticks out it`s ugly head. I know in my head how to cope, but my heart isn`t in it.

I try to go on daily walks, but the grey foggy skies do not lift the spirit..

Luckily there`s always quilting! On those January days I 1m so happy to have a hobby!!

This wonderful and cheerful Andover fabric arrived, that i wanted to use as a backing for the Great Granny Square quilt. A thousand rainbow hearts, what`s not to love?

So, with a little help from DH I layered and pinned..

Let the quilting begin!

The great Granny Square project part 2 and unfortunately Covid 19 again

 As of today, the country, once again, is in total lockdown. Omikron scares the shit out of everyone ( no, I will not *bleep* that) and in an effort to withstand that tsunami that`s apparantly coming, everything is closed. Well, “essentials” like supermarkets, drugstores and such, remain open. Bookstores and quiltstores are, ofcourse, non-essential. 

To make this worse for me personal: I am vaccinated twice with AstraZeneca. The experts state, and I quote:” AstraZeneca provides no protection against Omikron whatsoever” Shit again then!!

Ofcourse I immediately booked a booster appointment: first opportunity is the 7th of januari. Did I already say “shit” ?(I actually said something worse)

But it is what it is. The grandLadies will come to stay the coming week, as the parents have to work and schools are closed too. For various reasons, there will be no danger of them infecting us with Covid.. At least the ladies will bring laughter, distraction (and chaos LOL).

And now the Great Granny project!

Quilttop nr 1 is done. Yeey! No fabric shop roadtripping, so no backing yet. Therefor I started Quilttop 2, for the eldest one who has pink as her fav colour, instead of the purple in top 1. Thing is that I really hate pink. I have a scrap and one fq and that s it.

It`ll be enough I think :).

Weapon of choice for this one is the 1956 Featherweight. (  Yes, I am the proud owner of two feathers.)

An excellent, outstanding year 1956!! Ask me how I know….haha. Problem was that it rattled like an old truck, although fully serviced, oiled etc. After half an hour of troubleshooting with zero effect,I decided to put a new needle in and that did the trick. Pffff.

Now I have one day left to sew in my room. The Ladies will confiscate it, as soon as they walk in…and I don`t mind at all…..