Lonesome Sewing Room

Things have been a bit quiet in the sewing room lately because my husband has been dealing with severe leg pain. As you know, when your loved one is hurting or sick, it is hard to concentrate on anything else.

He was had shingles in April. It started with a rash on his left torso, and the infamous shingles pain concentrated in his left leg. He stayed on the prescribed meds, and then one day, after 2-1/2 weeks of pain, it dramatically stopped. In July we both received shingles vaccinations.

The first weekend in August, his leg began to hurt, and we went to see his doctor, who thought it might be a strain or pulled muscle or tendon and ordered an MRI. Long story short, insurance coding delayed the MRI, and by this past Monday, his pain was so severe we headed to the ER. He was given morphine and Dilaudid for the pain, and neither helped! Finally, based on no abnormal results on X-rays or a CT scan, he was diagnosed with post-herpetic neuralgia, which is pain that occurs after the shingles rash has disappeared and is unaffected by normal pain medication because it is nerve pain. He went home with a prescription for an increased dose of Gabapentin, a shingles pain medication, and that is where we stand.

The pain has pretty much concentrated in his knee, and he can hardly bear weight on his leg and has to use my sewing chair to either sit and roll or to use as a walker to move around. I have gently suggested he order a walker, which would be a nice thing to have around as we age, but he seems to think ordering one is some kind of confirmation that he is an "old man". At some point I guess I'll have to tell him I'd like my sewing chair back - lol!

We are waiting for a neurologist's office to call, as the ER doctor suggested they might provide alternatives for chronic pain.

I am in my room today and hope to do something, anything to get my mind away from the constant worry. I don't mind the extra work around the house, and our son-in-law can come over to help with yardwork, but trying to help keep his mental state hopeful is difficult. I am proud of his determination to keep going and to get better, but he does get down in the dumps - who can blame him? And do I even need to mention this terrible heat that is so discouraging?

But I keep praying and know this will all pass and hope to update soon with a more encouraging report!

Barbie Coin Quilt Flimsy

 

The Barbie Coin quilt is a flimsy! After sewing the strips into sets I realized the finished quilt would not be wide enough, so I added one more coins column, intermittent sashing, and a border. The dimensions are 75" x 84", and it should fit Laney's bed nicely. This quilt is based on the beautifully designed Rosie Coin Quilt by Rachel Hauser at Stitched in Color. I added a few stars to my version.

This was the tentative layout prior to sewing strips together

I will repurpose a backing originally created for another project!

Laney and Everett visited in June and made patriotic pillows! Before they arrived, I took the Barbie quilt off the design wall, labeled each column numerically, and stacked them on a shelf in my closet. Laney walked straight into the closet, spotted the stack, and immediately recognized that it was hers - love that child!

I am linking with:

Kate's 15 Minutes to Stitch

Melva's Sew and Tell

Brenda's Monday Musings

Alycia's Finished Or Not Friday

Summer Stitches and Sunflowers

Tote

After an alarming amount of procrastination and kind encouragement and tips from Wendy, I finally finished this tote! My granddaughter Sammy (Samantha) asked me to make a tote for her friend whose favorite colors are green, orange, and gold. I hope she likes bright!

Happy 250th Birthday America!

 

Happy Fourth of July to all of us as we celebrate America's 250th Semiquincentennial!

Wishing all of you a safe, happy, and cool day! I'll leave you with our celebration menu, and yes we are pigs!

2026 Little House SAL In Progress Flimsy

2026 Little House Sew-Along Flimsy

Last minute and still-in-progress, but I just had to jump on the linkup to give Melva props for this fun Little House sew-along! It has been an enjoyable and companionable experience with a great theme - the Little House on the Prairie books. Melva shared excerpts from the books as each block was presented. I know she  gets joy from doing these events, but it is still a lot of work, and I truly appreciate it, so thank you Melva!

I chose this layout because I can see two "crosses". Can you see them?

In the photo, I overlaid the white cross with dark pink lines and the darker cross

with white lines to emphasize the cross shapes

The flimsy measures 48" x 48". Additional blocks and/or borders are possibilities for this it as I am still deciding how big I want it. I loved all the blocks, so I wouldn't mind making more and adding the log cabin frame, and I have plenty of the Indigo Garden jelly roll left!

Go to this link at Melva's blog to see the finishes of other participants in the Sew-along!

Placemats, Mulling, Mending, and Best Friends

PLACEMATS

Placemats!

Diann of Little Penguin Quilts has inspired me for the longest time with her pretty placemats. So I finally gave them a try and finished up six of them. I used some orphan blocks and a lot of scrappy bits and dabs - it was so satisfying! Now that I've used up some orphans, I want to try different designs.

My husband likes big plates, so he bought the biggest trays he could find. They are Blackstone, and they are big - and not very pretty - lol - but perfect for his plate (the big blue one).

MULLING

Wings of Wonder fabric - Sue Penn for Freespirit - and a couple coordinating fabrics for lining/pocket

You might recall that my 23 year-old granddaughter Sammy requested I make a tote for her friend who graduated college. I found a glorious fabric with all her colors but have yet to decide on a pattern. I thought I was going to use the By Annie Stand 'n Stow, but for some reason I just can't commit to it. I have Soft 'n Stable, but will go to Hobby Lobby next week to look at their fusible foam and make a decision.

MENDING

Granddaughter-in-law Raegan sent us a photo of a ragged hole in their pretty duvet cover and asked if I would be able to repair it. Their puppy Arlo is the culprit!

Naughty Arlo and his Pawrents - Raegan and Brandon

Pottery Barn photo of the duvet cover

This is a well made Pottery Barn piece with generous corner seams. I was able to inconspicuously cut out fabric from inside one of the corners, and it worked perfectly for the repair. Even though I was unable to match perfectly the trees and leaves in the toile pattern, it still blended nicely. I replaced that fabric with a similar density fabric, and no one will ever see it. Brandon and Raegan came for lunch last Saturday and picked it up. They were SO appreciative!

BEST FRIENDS

This is Terry's layout so far for her Triple Treat blocks - so pretty!

Terry at On Going Projects made a quilt start from project leftovers by using Bonnie Hunter's Triple Treat pattern! Terry gave me permission to use her photo above - I just love it! It is amazing how simple scraps and blocks can make a gorgeous chain - and I am a pushover for chains! Terry said she was "shocked that these busy little bits of leftovers could live like best friends!" I love that comment so much! If my blocks ever make it to a quilt, I will call it Best Friends - thanks Terry!

My first scrappy Best Friends block

Redwork Baubles kitted up and partially sewn block waiting for center embroidery finish

Joy of Days Filled With Joy has started a new BOM. Go check it out right here - it will be a Redwork Christmas quilt called Floral Baubles! As with her other BOMs and SALs, each block of the month pattern is free for the month, then becomes available in her Payhip shop. There will be 9 blocks in this quilt, and each block is 12-1/2 inches unfinished.

I "might" do the RSC blocks for June - pastel is not working for me but maybe another color - and I need to make the block of the month for A Quilting Life. Plus I need to sew my Little House blocks together for a finish! But I won't get all these things done before our Grands come on Friday for the weekend. I have a couple projects lined up for them to do - they clamor for Grandma's sewing machine!

Little House SAL, RSC Blocks, and Orphans

 

This is the last block for Melva's Little House SAL! Melva's pattern (see her version in this post) called for a really cute nine-patch block, but I had a fussy cut I desperately wanted to use in this SAL, so mine is modified a bit.

Here is the center block up close

I am eagerly awaiting Melva's layout suggestions for these completed Little House blocks

The Nine-Patch orange blocks and Snowball blocks are completed for May. The color for June is "pastel" - to use up all the "extra light" colors in the scrap bins. I'm not sure how light I can go on these blocks, because they need contrast, but I'm happy to give it a try.

Scrappy Irish Chain blocks

I recently dived into the Orphanage basket and set aside blocks that were unappealing to me (hopefully appealing to someone else) to donate to Goodwill. I kept these 8-1/2 inch Scrappy Irish Chain blocks. I made them in 2020, after seeing Cynthia's on Quilting is more fun than Housework... , and posting about them on my old blog. I spent some time pondering layouts and admiring chain quilts on Diann's blog, like the one in this post and this heart and chain quilt. Most likely I will simply add light blocks in between the chain blocks, but I am open to suggestions! I do need to add more chain blocks to bring it up to a nice lap-sized quilt. 

I am joining these linkups:

Kate's 15 Minutes to Stitch

Melva's Little House SAL - Prairie Rose

Brenda's Monday Musings

Melva's Sew and Tell

Alycia's Finished (Or Not) Friday

Oh, Granny!

First of all, Happy Memorial Day!

However you celebrate, may you have safe travels and good memories

Here are my May blocks so far for OP Quilt's Oh, Granny! Granny Square Sew-Along. Elizabeth's method for the Granny squares is addictively easy, and the hardest part is choosing fabrics! I will probably stop when I have enough blocks for a wall hanging for our living room. The Christmas wall hanging is still up - lol!

The Barbie coin quilt for my youngest granddaughter has reached the sewing-vertical strips-together stage. Grunge White Paper has been ordered for narrow sashing between the strips and for framing the stars.

My goals this week are to make the Prairie Rose block for Melva's Little House SAL finish up my RSC blocks, and continue making Oh, Granny! squares.

What are your plans for today and for the week to come?

I am joining these linkups:

Kate's 15 Minutes to Stitch

Brenda's Monday Musings

Melva's Sew and Tell

Little House SAL and Oh, Granny! SAL

 

Here is Block #8 for Melva's Little House SewAlong. Melva challenged us to sew with little pieces, and in spite of my fear of tiny pieces of fabric, I did it with no bad words!

I even found a Little House quote to use in the surrounding log cabin. This has been a very enjoyable SAL with only one block left!

Oh, Granny! quilt block, pattern by Elizabeth Eastmond

I thought I would limit my participation in sew-alongs and quilt-alongs this year, but that is not happening. Sometimes you have to go with the enticement, right? While innocently reading O0P Quilt, I was tempted by Elizabeth's description of an easy Granny Square block. I thought about it for a bit, then when an update post appeared a few days later, I was reeled in. The idea is to make a couple blocks a week. I have missed the first couple weeks of May, but I think I can do it. The pattern is crazy easy, and there are options to make 3-block square or 4-block square. I made a quick 3-block just to test it, but I have not yet ruled out a 4-block. You may find more versions under #ohgranny2026 on Instagram.

My only other experience with a granny square quilt block was Crochet by Fig Tree and Co that I began and never finished in 2023. I'm not even sure I blogged about it. Mine is a Christmas version. The pattern is a bit more complicated than Elizabeth's simple, genius block, but I have renewed interest in it as a Christmas make. At any rate, it is out of the closet and back into the rotation!

This is the latest incarnation of the Barbie coin quilt for my youngest granddaughter. This iteration  would include white sashing strips between the coin strips. It still needs a few more color strips, then I will decide if I want to add the sashing. It would certainly make a big girl quilt to cover Delaney's bed!

I am adding this post to:

Melva's Little House linkup

Yay May!

 

I turned my back for a minute and Gus decided I needed a break

It is hard to believe it is already the second week of May - time to get serious about the May orange RSC, a new block for A Quilting Life BOM, more Little House blocks, and new stamps for Melisa's Summer Stamp SAL.

Orange Rainbow Scrap Challenge scraps are ready to go for Nine-Patch and Snowball blocks

Delaney's Barbie quilt is a bit different than it was in this post. I felt something was off in my color choices and expressed this to Wendy, who suggested I use photos to determine what was causing my uncertainty (thank you Wendy!) After studying a bit, I removed strips of color that seemed out of place and added in more lightness. And oh look, I added a few stars! I am still percolating and pondering on this fun little coin quilt.

Melisa, whose very entertaining blog is Pinker n Punkin Quilting, creates beautiful, original cross stitch patterns and generously offers them as freebies! She even had a tutorial on how to dye your own fabric for cross stitching! She recently offered a free Summer Stamp SAL (SewALong), and I am finally starting on the border. The SAL stamps are revealed every Tuesday through June. She introduces each patterns with a sweet story about why she chose the design. You may find all the free patterns to date in the following posts:

Introduction

Borders

Header

Stamp #1 - And the Garden Grows

Stamp #2 - Summer Harvest

Stamp #3 - Summertime Treats

Stamp #4 - Sunflower Strut

Kit In The Corner block for Little House SAL

Melva's Little House SAL is almost over! I just finished block #7, and the new heart block is in the works.

Sherri at A Quilting Life released the block for May last Thursday, and it was an easy one. My fabrics are primarily from a Peppermint Bark layer cake by Moda.

My 23 yo granddaughter, Samantha texted Saturday to see if I could make either a tote bag or a quilt for her friend who just graduated college. Well of course I would! These are the colors Sammy says she prefers. A tote bag would be less expense and sewing for me, and it would be a fun make, so I will give her some options for that.

Dining room chair seats with new fabric, waiting for attaching to the chairs

Another project I have enjoyed is re-covering dining room chair seats for our son and daughter-in-law. Jeff removed the seats and sent them to us via our grandson Brandon, who lives in Dallas. My husband gifted me with a cordless stapler to replace my handheld craft stapler - not a bad deal!

Beautiful fat quarter from Melva

Quilters Dream Quilt Batting - a prize from SAHRR sponsors

Here are two prizes I received just for participating in a couple of events! Thank you Melva and the SAHRR hosts!

My husband just got over a bout with shingles, of all things. He was miserable for about 3 weeks, then it began to ease. The pain has settled into his lower back, but it is mild compared to what it was. On May 20 he will have outpatient surgery to replace his implantable defibrillator (ICD), which was originally installed in 2012, right after his heart attack. He had a pre-surgery appointment this morning, and will have labs on Friday, plus post surgery follow-ups in June and August. And I have dermatology and podiatrist appointments scheduled for June. Karen mentioned that as we grow older, our lives seem to be centered around doctor appointments, and how true that is!

I am linking with:

Kate's 15 Minutes to Stitch

Melva's Sew and Tell

Brenda's Monday Musings

Alycia's FInished!! ( Or NOT) Friday!

Fun With Scrappy Coins

The start of my first coin quilt. I will add to and rearrange the strips

I have mentioned before that I am a fan of Rachel LaBour, who used to be Rachel Hauser, and who is the blog author of Stitched In Color. I started reading her blog in 2013 when she still lived in the US. Being a fairly traditional quilter, I was mostly astounded at her fearless choices in fabric and colors. I did not want to try to be her, but I enjoyed reading about her boldness.

Rachel's thrift store chairs and pink walls

Along the way, she has been beautifully transparent about her private life - the heartbreak and loss of her baby, a move to The Netherlands, a divorce, boyfriends, ex-boyfriends, becoming a Dutch citizen, moving in with a boyfriend, moving out, getting back with ex-boyfriend - it has been quite the read! A recent end to a relationship and a change in living plans lead her to a move to an apartment for just her and her daughter. And the decorating reflects her current state of freedom and independence!

NOT my quilt - this is Rachel's new Rosie Coin Quilt in her new pink bedroom!

Go read about her pink bedroom - it is a fun post about exuberant joyful self-reliance. In it she features the gorgeous quilt she made for herself - she calls it "Rosie Coin Quilt". When she first started the quilt, I reacted as I normally do - "oh that's too much pink, it isn't matchy-matchy, why does she have all those other colors in it". Then I began to appreciate the harmony of it all, and now I am obsessed with it!

Months ago I purchased a few fabrics from the Barbie World collection and started a pull for granddaughter Laney's Barbie quilt. I had a completely different pattern in mind, but after I saw Rachel's pink room I decided to emulate her pink coin quilt, adapting Barbie colors instead. Having not made a coin quilt, I followed Rachel's advice and sewed strips of 3" fabric together then cut them into 4-1/2" pieces - big enough to showcase the fabrics. I added stash and scraps with wild abandon.

Photos of her quilt are scattered on my cutting table (along with Gus) to encourage me out of my color comfort zone. Just when my mind says "no that won't match" I look at Rachel's quilt and think "why not!

I pulled some long hoarded fabric such as Carrie Bloomston Painted Cups, a piece of Heather Ross Brides, a couple of Basic Grey PB&J floral cuts, and three pieces of one of Mom's old dish towels!

I am joining these blog linkups:

Kate's 15 Minutes to Stitch

Brenda's Monday Musings

Melva's Sew and Tell

Little House SAL Blocks

As usual, it took more time for me to choose fabrics for the blocks and the log cabin frames than it did to actually sew them together! Melva's sew-alongs are so entertaining with her stories and posts. Her choice of the Little House on the Prairie series of books by Laura Ingalls Wilder, which are the inspiration for these pretty blocks, was a perfect pick for this sew-along.

Block #3 - Harvest Basket block is based on the Farmer Boy book about the childhood of Laura's husband Almanzo Wilder. Melva's post about it is here.

Block #4 - Shoo Fly block represents On The Banks Of Plum Creek. Read about how Melva ties it to the grasshopper devastation here.

Block #5 - Rails block depicts traveling by train in By The Shores Of Silver Creek, which Melva writes about here.

Block #6 - Snowflake block symbolizes the blizzards in The Long Winter, and Melva has a great post about it here.

Here are the 6 blocks completed so far. If I had to choose a favorite, it would be the Rails block!

Rosie has been supurr-vising every block and is exhausted from helping me

This has been a relaxing and fun SAL, and Melva's patterns and instructions are easy to follow. It has been a joy to work with a jelly roll of Indigo Garden by Riley Blake, along with a bit of stash and a few scraps as well.

I am linking to:

Melva's sewalong link

Kate's 15 Minutes to Stitch

Brenda's Monday Musings

Melva's Sew and Tell