Spring is on the Way!

 My first daffodil of 2020 bloomed Monday.  On Tuesday, there were 7 in bloom!  Spring is coming, we just need to be patient. Since I started this blog,  I have been keeping track of when the daffodils bloom in my yard.

My picture is a little out of focus.  This variety of daffodil is called February Gold.  It is short, and the blooms are delicate.  When the daffodils bloomed:

2012             Before 2/1/12
2013             2/21/13
2014             3/10/14
2015             3/13/15
2016             2/4/16
2017             2/19/17
2018             2/18/18
2019             2/18/19
2020                2/8/20

2021                 3/7/21

2020                 2/21/22

It is a warm winter day here.  The temperature is almost 70, so I have even more daffodils out now.

Rolling Waves Top Done

 I finished the Rolling Waves top today.

This quilt is approximately 80"x80". I was happy with the colors I chose, but the red Riley Blake fabric frayed a lot compared with the blue grunge.    I made it as a graduation quilt for one of my nephews.   He hasn't decided if he will go to college or trade school, and I struggled to make this quilt personal.

  His brother went into the Air Force ROTC, so I put airplanes on his quilt.   He also ran cross country, so I put runners on the back.  I am at a loss how to make this quilt feel like my nephew's and not some generic quilt.  The back is where I need to concentrate my efforts next.  Waiting a couple months may help me figure out how to personalize the quilt.   

If I were to make this quilt again, I would use multiple colors like I did with my first Rolling Waves quilt.  I would also use batiks to get a sharper press.    

My first Rolling Waves:

Rolling Waves is a free pattern online, but it isn't the easiest to find.  I downloaded it in booklet form from McCall's.   If you are going to make the version with multiple colors, a design wall will be a big help.  The directions are written only for two colors.

Rolling Waves Quilt: Nine Patch Blocks Done

 I have completed all the nine patch blocks for the Rolling Waves Quilt.  Here are the 16 double nine patch blocks:

Here are the 9 double nine patch variation blocks:

And here are the blocks that do most of the work in this pattern, 24 stretched double nine patch blocks:

Here are all the blocks, so you can see the size difference in them:

I hope to get this quilt put together in the next 2 or 3 weeks.

Back to Quilting

 I spent most of last spring and summer on the couch.  I had been taking an oral chemo, and it wiped me out.  Then they found out my cancer had spread to my liver while I was on this drug.  So my oncologist had me get a port, and try an infusion of another chemo.  That didn't go very well.  I had an allergic reaction to this chemo.  They dosed me up with antihistamines and steroids, and I had 3 more infusions.  It turned out this drug wasn't working either.  So I am now on another oral chemo, 3 pills twice a day.  Fingers crossed that this one will work.   We are not looking to cure my cancer, but slowing it down will give me more time.

I feel pretty good on this chemo.  Stomach problems once in a while, dry eyes, and a side effect I had never heard of:  hand-foot syndrome.  My feet started first with blisters, skin pealing and redness.  The skin has gotten really thick and dry.  I have tried different lotions, salves, and creams.  None of them  make a difference.  I have it on my hands too.  Swollen fingers, dry thick skin, and I have lost my fingerprints. My fingertips are so thick and dry, I don't think I will be cross stitching for a while.  But I am quilting again!

I am making another Rolling Waves quilt for my nephew's high school graduation.  I chose something simple to see how difficult sewing and cutting would be with my hands as they are. This is a simple quilt made only of nine patches, but there are about 270 nine patches, so it will take me a while.  I made the same quilt back in 2017, but this time I'm only using two colors. I wish I had chosed batiks because many of the nine patches are teeny tiny, the little squares being 3/4 of an inch.  I think batiks give a crisper press than regular quilting fabric does. I think using batiks would have improved my piecing accuracy.

Here are 16 of my double nine patch blocks: