Almost There And On To Somewhere Else

I'm finally quilting Beast. It's been a long haul but in retrospect, very worthwhile. I have gained so much skill with my quilting by challenging myself to create what I envisioned for this quilt. For a while I thought I'd have a really hard time letting it go to the person that commissioned it but I no longer feel that way. I know I can make others in this style if I so choose and they too could push my boundaries in a positive way.

I'm really pleased to be able to share this photo of it in the process of being quilted.


My dear friend Grace of Grace's Cases helped me baste the quilt. Her assistance allowed me to get the basting done in a few hours in one day. I would have taken me days to do so by myself. Take a look at some of her work, she makes and sells some really fantastic knitting and crochet needle cases as well as project bags. The color scheme on this case really appeals to me

And in other big news, my husband got a job as a teacher in Jackson County in southern Oregon. We will be moving to either Grants Pass or Medford at the end of September. He starts work this Friday, 8/26/2011 but I'll be in Beaverton packing up our home. I'm going to miss my local friends terribly but right now the plan is for me to come visit quarterly for a few days so that I can continue to see some of the same doctors so I can very slowly transition to doctors down there if need be. I certainly have enough friends and family members I can stay with! We're hoping to find a three bedroom place so that we have a dedicated guest room.

My Quilting Mojo Is Back

Check out the foliage spilling over the burgundy sashing.

This quilt was started in 2007. I started designing it in January and production began in in May. While my arthritis issues had started appearing, they didn't fully manifest until about 2008. My ability to be physically active tanked in 2008 and until very recently had been extremely poor. Ankylosing Spondylitis also causes exhaustion and I've dealt with that in spades.



In the summer of 2009 I started wondering if I would ever be able to finish Beast, which became its sometimes affectionate and sometimes not at all affectionate moniker. I have a stubborn streak a mile wide and decided I was going to ignore that thought and work on the quilt as I was able.

About a month ago, I changed my diet drastically. I don't know if that's what's given me  more energy or if I'm out of an arthritis flare but I'm not looking at this gift too closely right now for fear of driving it away.

I've been able to work on Beast for 45 minutes to two hours six days a week for the past three weeks. This is after only being able to manage 15-20 minute stints a few times a month with some several month breaks. It took a year each on the foliage around the house and then for the detail on the house itself. There are so many very small pieces that are incredibly intricate throughout the blocks shown. Thankfully all the border blocks will be much less difficult as they'll be what I now consider easy peasy patchwork. There was a time when I hated patchwork but now it's practically cake to me after making this.

Other quilters that make and sell quilts have seen the quilt in even earlier stages that the photos in this post show and have said this a $5,000 quilt. That's far less than what I'm charging the person that commissioned it.

Mike's a good, kind and generous man and he and his family have done something wonderful for the ichthyosis community that is worth celebrating. In my own way is to express my appreciation because I long ago stopped accepting quilt commissions even when I was still healthy enough to work full time. I prefer having the freedom to make what I want in whatever style I want without having to please anyone but myself.

There have been times that I have truly hated this quilt because I thought it beyond my physical ability to complete. It has been a constant reminder of the physical losses I have had to deal with. I am in love with it again and I am really excited at the thought of sending it to Mike.

It's still not done, but it is so much closer to being done that I am confident again that I can finish it and barring injury or another major flair, finishing it is so close it's practically tangible. That confidence has fed back into my interest in sewing as I realize that even though my arthritis can be extremely painful at times to the point that I can hardly move, when I do have good days, and I will continue to have them throughout my life, I can still quilt and sew.

I think if I hadn't had this commission quilt to work on, I never would have figured that out. I would have made a normal quilt, or at least one that was normal for me, and the pain would have made me finish it and then give up the entire hobby. It's a hobby that I love and having to push myself to make this quilt has given me a gift of realizing that I haven't lost the physical ability to do it. I won't consistently be able to make quilts, but I am not forever barred from making them.

I'm not sure that Mike knows that he's given something hugely important back to me but I will be sure to tell him.

The fish blocks will be placed so there's a fish above and below the house block.






The gray looking geometric shapes in the picture to the right is a template for what the border blocks on each side of the fish will look like

I Do Windows

The greenery has been done for a while and now it's been house beams and today it was windows! Yes, I do windows. Fabric ones, that is. My windows in my home sadly, have not been done. The patio door is covered in doggie noseprint. I figure it the noseprints add character to my home and let people know that cuddles, play and love with the dogs is more important than housecleaning. Well, that and I don't like bending down that far. I digress.

Here are the windows. I have yet to trim the stray threads from moving from pane to pane. And of course, I ran out of bobbin thread when there was less than 3" remaining to be stitched. Murphy and his laws are not welcome but apparently they're not polite and come around anyway.










In other news, JR has been at NELA (his assigned location through AmeriCorps) since early September and he is kicking ass and taking names. NELA is Northwest Education Loan Association and they help anyone of any age and any educational or financial status find money for college. He is specifically involved in finding students that could use their services, finding volunteers to work with the students, though he does a lot of other things. It's the first paying job he's had where he gets an extreme sense of satisfaction. I am so thrilled with it. He also enjoys the company of his coworkers a lot.

What I personally have found interesting is that it's families with middle and lower level incomes that are least likely to apply for financial aid whereas the higher income families almost always do. He runs into a lot of people whose incomes would probably fall in what's considered middle class and they think they won't get any scholarships or financial aid when that is not the case. The families with even less financial resources often aren't aware of financial aid for school. He does just as much education as he does recruiting.