Well.....

Here at our house we've had a wild week or two.

First of all, I want to tell you about my mom.

Eight years ago she was diagnosed with Ovarian Cancer.

Her initial prognosis was 3-6 months.

We were crushed.

 

 

There was some good news when it was discovered her initial diagnosis was incorrect on the type of cancer cell...she then began what would turn into eight years of radiation and chemotherapy with surgery thrown in just because we looooove hospital stays.

(disclaimer, we handle stressful situations here with lots of humor!)

 

Those extra years have allowed us to spend more time with her and for her and my dad to spend time with my grandpa during the winters at their homes in Florida before Grandpa passed away.  I'm so thankful they had this time together!  She's seen grandchildren graduate and two of them get married.  She's gone to softball, basketball and soccer games.  She's been able to share in the lives of two great-grandchildren.

She is a strong tower and we love her.

 

About three weeks ago we received the bad news that her current round of chemo isn't working and her cancer is progressing.  She was sent to Indianapolis for a second opinion on treatment options and possible clinical trials.

We are seeing her doctor back here in our town to consult on hopefully continuing chemo.

Please keep my mom, and our family, in your thoughts and prayers!

 

One thing about cancer is that Life continues on no matter how much you want it to stop and let you breathe.  While we were in Indy for the second opinion, we met some incredible people who were creating watercolor bookmarks for cancer patients and cancer awareness.  Each cancer patient could choose a kit to take home and create something as part of the healing or coping process.  They invited us to come and paint with them after her appointment, but we'd had a long day, information overload and just wanted to get home.

 

The founder and I spoke about how the creative process is a stress relieving and healing one.

She paints to help her with the loss of her daughter, and I quilt for a number of reasons, but right now it is a quiet balm to my soul.

My hands stay busy.  My mind can wander.  And pray.

 

So, in the midst of the last two week's countertop full of dirty dishes, unswept and unmapped floors, undusted furniture, empty refrigerator (pizza and eating out was waaaay overdone at our house!), kids and hubs living out of laundry baskets and ungraded papers....I sewed.

 

Don't get me wrong, we still did school at home, kids got shuttled where they needed to be...but it was the bare minimum for me to get done as a mom because I was grieving and hurting as a daughter.

 

Once again, Pinterest was part of my week.  Cruising through other people's lives and projects for inspiration, encouragement and pictures of beautiful things.  I wasn't going to blog for a while, but my mom faithfully reads my posts and always asks me when the next one is if I miss too many weeks.

 

Love you Mom!

 

The Moda Bake Shop had a very easy, but elegant pattern that caught my eye.

I wanted to sew for therapy, but it was all I could do to get Ben through his Algebra I lessons last week, so any kind of quiltey math was going to push me over the edge.

 

 

See how simple and lovely this is?  This recipe size makes a baby quilt.

No complicated computing or thinking!

 

 

The recipe called for candy packs (2.5" x 2.5"), but I had these two charm packs (5" x 5") in my stash.  Saved for a rainy day.  Well, I needed some sunshine and cheer!

 

 

The cutting went very smoothly and was mind-numbingly soothing.

White Kona and some osnaburg.

The instructions on the Moda site were simple and easy to follow for piecing.  Once again I learned I should press, press, press for better fitting seams.

 

The hubs was incredibly supportive of me working through the news this way.  Not a word about empty underwear drawers.  Paper plates.  Eating out and take home pizza.

One day he even ordered me to buy pre-wound bobbins.  I didn't realize how tense I was until I kept breaking bobbins while trying to wind them.  His thinking was this was the less stressful (and cheaper way) to go.

 

 

I love that man!

 

 

You end up with six piles of foundation blocks.

 

 

That look like this when pieced together.

 

 

And here are the four finished blocks ready to be sewn into the finished baby quilt sized top.

I cut enough from my stash to make another four blocks, and when I find time to order one more each of the Moda California Girl and Honeysweet charm packs, I will have enough for a total of sixteen blocks which will yield four of the finished, large ones.  A nice cuddle sized quilt I hope.

 

I also finished up the quilting on the Bow Ties Value Quilt.

 

 

I basted it on a wall about a month ago.

Echo quilting in the "circles". 

 

 

Many colors and fabrics were auditioned for the binding, but a very small print stripe made a perfect compliment.  Not too flashy...to give the eye a rest.  Pleased as punch with it.

 

 

Very happy to cross this one off the WIP list.  A top that was started on February 2nd of 2011.

 

 

All washed and ready for a snooze.

 

Linking up with some amazing blogs this week to share my mom's story and maybe encourage others who are going through difficult times to just

 

 

i have to say

quilt story

freshly pieced

my quilt infatuation

and

sew many ways

 

You can find me here