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:

SAL Update, Wreath of All Seasons

 I am pleased with the progress I've made the past three weeks.  Here is where I started:

Here is where I am now:

To see what others in the SAL are working on:  Avis, Claire, Gun, Carole, Constanze, Christina, Kathy, Margaret, Cindy, Heidi, Jackie, Sunny, Megan, Deborah, Renee, Carmela, Sharon, Daisy, Anne, AJ, Laura, Cathie, Linda, Helen

SAL Update, Wreath of All Seasons

 I've had some health challenges the past few weeks and have done next to no stitching.  My doctor has given me some new medicine to help with my symptoms, so hopefully, I'll start feeling better soon. Here's where I ended the last check in.  

To see what the rest of the group has been stitching:  

Avis, Claire, Gun, Carole, Constanze, Christina, Kathy, Margaret, Cindy, Heidi, Jackie, Sunny, Megan, Deborah, Renee, Carmela, Sharon, Daisy, Anne, AJ, Laura, Cathie, Linda, Helen

SAL Update, Wreath of All Seasons

 It's SAL check in time again.  Three weeks ago, my wreath looked like this:

I've about finished the white flowers and have moved on to leaves and berries.

Sometime soon, I want to stop and do the backstitching, so I don't have to do all of that at the end.

To see what others are working on:  Avis, Claire, Gun, Carole, Constanze, Christina, Kathy, Margaret, Cindy, Heidi, Jackie, Sunny, Megan, Deborah, Renee, Carmela, Sharon, Daisy, Anne, AJ, Laura, Cathie, Linda, Helen