summer 2021 progress and injury

Well my summer did not turn out the way I wanted it to. I had just started working in my flower beds getting the last 2 ready to rework them.  We were getting ready for a new deck by removing all the stuff off of it.  I was carrying a chair off the deck and I guess missed a step which there were only 2..  I fell and landed in the yard but not before hitting my ankle on the step and there I laid in the yard.  Managed to get myself up with husband's help  got into the house to my chair.  Sat there a little bit but it was not good. It started swelling and turn purple.  Decided needed to go to walk-in clinic to have it looked at by then could barely walk on it.   Yes it was broken luckily only broke the small bone but bad news is it was my right ankle..  So they put it in a boot and scheduled appointment with orthopedic surgeon.  Did not need surgery just no weight on it for quite awhile.  So I went from a wheel chair for 2 weeks to a knee scooter for many weeks, then to crutches with little weight on it in the boot, then got to go to shoe with crutches, then 1 crutch,. I am now walking on my ankle again but is still stiff and swells  and now can drive. 3 months almost to the day later.  Nothing had gotten done at our house this summer.  

Also no much sewing got done either.  In the end of June set up a machine on the dining room table that had a start/stop button instead of foot pedal.  A learning curve but it worked.  Could only sew for a little while at a time due to needing to have leg up.  But I managed with help from bonus daughter to get oldest grandson's graduation quilt to the top stage. hope to get it quilted soon now.  

Then I started working on a Block of the Month designed by Kaye England that many of my sewing group is going to do when the kits come.  So I am putting together the shop sample so know the pattern.  I could cut a block and then sew a block.  I am in the process of putting it together now.

I started Bonnie Hunter's  leader and ender project for 2021-2022 called fish school.  They are using up 2 inch strips and squares. They are fun and fast. 

 

I went to a retreat week of August 23rd  worked on a few projects. Did not get a lot done due to issues with projects.  Making younger grandson a quilt for Xmas using a layer cake and honey bun. I used all the fabric and it is not big enough so put that away.  Made a mistake in the next project I started assembling so quit on it.   I did make 3 string potholders to completion. I took an UFO of leftover pieces and worked on it.  It uses a charm pack and leftover pieces from a large periwinkle star quilt.  I used up all the leftover pieces I had in the project bag.  They are cute.  Luckily when came home I found another stack of the leftover pieces so can make more.

  Since being home from retreat I have sewn up more of these blocks and have used all the blue leftover pieces. I have some more blue pieces of another shade of blue just a little darker that I am gong to use to hopefully have enough to use all the charm pack squares.  Then to see how to put it together.

A friend needed something to work on at retreat that was simple, so had her sew some Square in a Square blocks for me.  She sewed the strips around the squares.  This is very scrappy too.  I am trying to use up scraps.  Since I am home I trimmed the 20 blocks she sewed  and I have sewn 40 more.  Still a small basket of squares   I need to pull some more strips for variety.  

Also while laid up with my ankle, in end of July and Aug I have been trying to declutter my sewing room. I did it while sitting on my sewing chair rolling around cleaning out drawers etc. A friend of mine brought me 3 rolling drawer carts she did not want.   I replaced a desk with 2 of the carts( well I did not move the desk my brother and sister-in-law came over and removed it from sewing room and took it to the basement).  Found that the other one with deeper drawers would fit under cutting table if the wheels were taken off. Hubby did that for me and put pads on the bottom so it still slides out if needed.  In this cart I have organized all my strips and squares. I had them in plastic shoe boxes by color and size which took up a lot of space.  they are not in baggies by size and in a bin by color.  Now I need to label them.  I have cleaned out a lot of small scraps into gallon bags for our quilt show in September.  Now project bins are in the place of the shoe boxes so they are off the floor.  Yes the downstairs is a mess now but I will get to that later. I am still not doing stairs anymore than necessary.   Trying to clean the wire cubbies under the longarm to make that area neater.  

I hope to be able to start quilting some quilts soon. I know will need to take more breaks that usual but need to get started.  

Well enough for now.   I will post pictures of sewing room when a little clearner.

Happy Quilting,

Sharon J