Design Wall Monday Oct. 4

I'm late posting today. I had an optometrist appointment this afternoon. At my normal visit, a year ago, he told me that I had cataracts starting to develop. I've noticed a change in my vision in the past couple of months, so I thought I'd better get checked. Sure enough the cataracts are getting worse. Not enough to need surgery, yet, but enough to be annoying. Rats. On my design wall is the basket block I've been working on for the past week, while sick with a cold on the couch. It has grown considerably since last week.  Go on over to Patchwork Times and check out more design walls.

The only good thing about being sick

I have had a crappy, miserable cold since Monday. Yuck. There is only one good thing about it. I haven't had the energy to do anything but sit. But, sitting without doing something makes me feel even worse. So, I've been doing a lot of hand stitching on my basket block. It's so pretty, it's making me feel better, and giving me something to think about besides how rotten I feel. So, I sleep awhile, stitch awhile, watch TV awhile, and wait to feel better. (sigh)

Design Wall Monday Sept 27

Whew, this is the last Monday in September, already. I've spent the morning quietly going through all the posts that are up so far at Judy's website showing all kinds of different design walls. They never fail to provide inspiration, and ideas to put into mental pockets. Of course, if they are only mental pockets, the danger is forgetting where they were put. So, I will remind myself here, that there were several good ideas on using scraps, crumbs and strings in this Monday's postings. I started a new project this week, which is, of course, the last thing I need. But, I've been haunting her website for weeks now, drooling over her patterns. So, while we were on vacation, I ordered the centre medallion of her pattern, Miss Hannah and actually hope to be able to make this entire quilt. It was love at first sight. I've posted this link quite a few times before. I have some of the pieces for the medallion prepped and glue basted down. I am totally in love with her method of applique, and, if you are into hand applique at all, her tutorial is well worth a read. I used to be a hard and fast needle turn girl, but, I've been converted. It is so nice to be able to pick up the piece and simply sew, since all the edges are finished already, without having to trace each shape individually, or cut out numerous pieces of freezer paper. In addition to Miss Hannah, I've been working on a swap for Canadian Quilt swappers of some 12 inch Card Trick blocks. The guidelines were for blue cards, with white on white backgrounds. When done, I will have 12 different blocks for a quilt. I'm having trouble getting the seams to play nicely together, though, and am a little frustrated with them. Lastly, I have all my unit 2's for the Nine patch pineapple quilt along finished. So, for the rest of the day, I think I am going to take the day off. I worked 6 evening shifts, in the past 7 days, so, today is mine. I'm going to enjoy the fire in the fireplace that my DH started for me, and continue to work on Miss Hannah, while have a chick flick day, starting, I think, with Dr Zhivago.