Table Preservation

Well I'm long overdue a sewing post, so I feel a small hurrah is in order ... not exactly sewing per se, but at least a step in the right direction! Suddenly struck by the realisation I better get started cutting up fabric if I'm going to have even the remotest chance of entering the Men Quilt Too competition this year, I remembered that I left my nice large cutting mat back in America because even though I got mum and dad to bring their largest suitcase, there just wasn't any way it would quite fit the dimensions of said suitcase! So into Abergavenny I trotted and visited the new wool shop which also has a small selection of fabrics and general crafty paraphernalia ... There was nothing on display but when I asked, as if by magic, a pair of cutting boards were produced from the back of the store! So now I have a nice self-healing cutting mat of the same dimensions as the one I left behind ... 36 inches or something like that! It's not one of those snazzy ones I've heard some of you guys drooling about, the ones that sharpen your rotary cutter as you chop your fabric, but I can't grumble at short notice! So my tasks for next week are to go through my stash and the pattern I'm doing and work out what I've got and what colours and patterned prints I still need, and then maybe I can go do some additional fabric shopping and get started on the quilt top! PS I haven't found my camera battery recharger since I've been back, which makes me think it didn't come back with me, so that's why my posts have been devoid of pictorial content lately! I'll see what I can do about that!

Second Wind

So what's been happening in Touch And Sew land? .... not a lot to be honest, but I do have plans and news! First I made it to the Malvern quilt show and had a really nice day. Having been not so well for the previous month I ran out of energy after about 2 and a half hours of looking around the stalls and exhibits, but it was fun to see everything .... and I got a really nice craft lamp which will help not only my sewing but other things too ... It has a magnifying glass and I got excited when I could read the text on a fabric print and I wondered if I'd be able to read large print books with it .... however it's only a 2x magnifier and I normally use a x6 to have any chance of reading anything .... my optimism was misplaced, I found the fabric print must have been quite large anyway because I had no luck with a large print library book :( but all the same the excellent lighting will be a big help .... watch out for a review once I get stitching again! On which note, I had an email from Thearica from Pigtales And Quilts announcing that the second Men Quilt Too! competition will happen in October .... for my newer followers, my very first quilt took 3rd place last year .... so this year I want to win! lo .... with new changes to the rules I am forbidden from revealing which quilt I am entering, so I will have to write incognito about my progress, and certainly no photographs until voting has closed. But I know you'll all like what I have planned to work on this year! I'm actually going to follow a real pattern rather than just randomly sewing squares, so it should look like something recognisable if all goes smoothly! To do this I'm going to need a new sewing machine, since I decided to leave my old one in America when I moved back. Having seen the prices of new machines over here I admit I'm horrified! My $150 machine is the equivalent of machines costing over £450 (around $600) and £200 barely gets you much above a beginner machine. Now I don't need extensive features, except I do want the ones that make quilting a pleasure not a arduous chore! ... Luckily my friend Susan in Tennessee found a fantastic machine on Amazon with all the lovley quilty bits my old machine had and more! And it is on sale with $300 off the normal price of $450! .... with a simple voltage converter this could be my dream machine! lol .... it's the Brother CS6000i and even with postage costs it's going to be cheaper than anything above those entry-level machines over here! And something else I'm very excited about .... I may get my very own sewing room! At least while I'm still staying back with the parents .... mum said we might convert one of the spare rooms into a craft room! Now this may have something to do with the fact that she's always knitted and done some sewing, and is keen to learn some quilting with me .... so we will both get a lot of use from a nice craft room! Health wise things are good ... I'm feeling a lot better and ready to get out and do things again! Catching up with friends is top of the agenda! Talking of which, if you are one of my new followers and you notice I've not managed to follow you back yet, do give me a nudge! Sending me an email or leaving a comment with your blog address would be ideal! I've had some lovely comments of late and if I haven't replied to yours then it's been a slip of my mind because I try to reply to most comments! It's been a bit hectic trying to catch up with emails and blogs since I was offline .... my inbox is slowly reducing and I think I'm down to only 30-odd unread messages now! Gosh I've wittered on a bit here! I'll shut up now and let you get back to your sewing!

Quilts UK

Tomorrow I am going to go to my first UK quilt show! It's 30 minutes up the road in Malvern which is pretty handy@ I'll also get the chance to say hello to Lorraine from Monkey Buisness and Quilts! Having said that I've been battling with a cold that has be threatening to afflict me for the last week. it's made breathing a little harder and that's caused me anxiety at night with the result i have hardly slept a wink in 4 days! Today the cold hit with full force and I have not only been sneezing but have been sick too - that made me wory it was a return of the peritonitis infection, but i am glad to say my drained solution was clear so that's ok .... if it's cloudy that's when you end up back in hospital! here's the list of workshops at the show. I'm quite taken with the cordroy ones and the hand stitching, though i can imagine the silk flowers would be fun too! Time might limit how many I can do if I want to wander round and look at all the quilt entries too! WORKSHOP 1 11.30am - 1 hour - Free (registration essential) Thread Sense with Wonderfil Speciality Threads Are you confused by all these different threads out there? Why are there so many different threads and what do they do? Debbie from Wonderfil Threads will talk about their thread range and answer any questions you might have. We will clear up some of the nonsense and give you thread sense. 12.45pm - 1 hour - £6.50 Silk Ribbon Roses with Valeri Bennett A demonstration on the various ways to make silk ribbon roses. Handout sheet plus fabric and ribbons provided to try out the various stitches and techniques shown. 2.00pm - 1 hour - £6.50 Flower for Fool-Proof Foundation Piecing with Anja Townrow Be converted to the new Fool-Proof Frustration-Free Foundation Piecing! After a short demonstration, we will make a Flower block using the new method for Fool-Proof Frustration-Free Foundation Piecing. No waste, fits every time, sharp points! Beginners will be amazed at how quickly they get great results with this new way of Foundation Piecing, while anybody who didn’t ‘get on’ with this technique in the past, will now be totally converted! Your block can form the basis of a larger bed quilt. Pattern, freezer paper and fabric supplied for one block. WORKSHOP 2 11.00am - 1 hour - Free (registration essential) Creating Hand Look Needle-Turn Effect Appliqué by Machine with Eileen Blood Eileen will demonstrate her techniques to produce ‘hand look needle turn effect appliqué’ as featured in her original designs. The appliqué pieces can either be prepared ‘in the hoop’ using an embroidery machine or just a regular sewing machine. The demonstration will feature quick, accurate methods of construction using modern products and stabilisers. 12.15pm - 1 hour - £6.50 Rag Quilting with Jane Lodge Learn to make "a quilt as you go" rag quilt block in lovely soft flannel cottons. See how easy it is to create the ragged effect. You can then use the free pattern to make an extra warm quilt to snuggle under. 1.30pm - 1½ hours - £5.50 Hand Quilting - The Basics with Ann Jermey An introduction to hand quilting. Learn how to start, stitch and stop. For those hand quilters unsatisfied with their stitching, a chance to iron out problems. Quilting sample, needle and thread provided together with the use of hoops, thimbles and frames. WORKSHOP 3 11.30am - 1 hour - £5.00 Button Landscape Cards with Lesley Brankin Learn how to create fun little fabric landscapes using foundation (paper) techniques. No previous experience is necessary. Full materials will be provided to make two greetings cards. 12.45pm - 1 hour - £5.00 Kanzashi Flowers with Maggie Davies Learn how to make these elegant Japanese fabric flowers to embellish any project. Kit provided. 2.00pm - 1 hour - £5.00 Introducing Japanese Folded Patchwork with Lesley Brankin A brief introduction to the 'circle into a square' technique. Although simple in concept, this technique can open up a world of exciting design possibilities. No previous experience necessary (includes a number of tips which should interest even those have done this before). Full materials will be provided to make a stylish needlecase. WORKSHOP 4 11.30am - 1 hour - £5.00 Corded and Stuffed Work with Sylvia Critcher Come and try this very simple combination of techniques that I demonstrate at the shows. It looks complicated, but it really is very easy to do - all levels welcome. It is hand stitched so you must be able to do a running stitch. 12.45pm - 1 hour - £6.50 Felt Brooches & Key Rings with Roz Johnson Learn how to make a fun felt brooch or key ring. Roz will take you through the steps that will enable you to create and complete a charming, fun-to-wear brooch or key ring. A pack will be provided for each person, containing instructions, pattern sheet and materials to make up the brooch / key ring. 2.00pm - 1 hour - £6.50 Little Owl with Sadie Yeomans Spend a relaxing and fun hour creating a cute little owl beanie made from scraps of fabric and embellished with large Suffolk Puffs and buttons. Full kit and pattern included. WORKSHOP 5 11.30am - 1 hour - £6.00 Redwork, Beginner to Continuation with Marilyn Hornby Choose, depending on your skill level, between a card (beginners) or a needlecase project to be completed at home. Full instructions will be given and techniques and stitches demonstrated. A kit will be provided and loan of equipment. 12.45pm - 1 hour - £7.00 Italian Corded Quilting by Machine with Sarah Wellfair (Goose Chase Publishing) Learn Italian corded quilting by machine and decorate with the use of automatic machine embroidery stitches and decorative threads. Make the panel up into a cushion with instruction for button back. Husqvarna machine and fabric pack provided by Modern Sewing Centre Worcester. 2.00pm - 1 hour - £6.50 Summer Meadows with Claire Tinsley Make a picture of summer meadows. Very simple, using marbling and bonded appliqué. Easy to do, but very effective.

The Missing Month

You may have noticed, it's been over a month since I last wrote anything on here! So here's a brief account of where I've been, what I've been up to, and where I am now! Exactly 1 month ago today I had been sick all night .... I called my dialysis nurse and she came by and took all of 30 seconds to realise I needed to be heading to the hospital! She called me an ambulance, and so I spent 3 hours in a chilly waiting room, at which point I got sick again and found myself at the front of the queue pretty rapidly! As soon as I got through preliminary tests I was then into Intensive Care for 4 days and then a dialysis ward for another 5 days. I'd picked up an infection connected to my dialysis, peritonitis, which can be pretty rough! So that accounts for the middle of April. My parents came over , arriving the day before I got discharged, and with their help I spent the next 10 days packing up my American life ready to head back to Wales. I was managing fine by myself over there, but episodes like the past 2 weeks made me decide I'd be better back closer to family! So now I'm back in Wales. I've spent the last week and a half in and out of morre hospitals, seeing different doctors and dialysis nurses to get set up with dialysis here. Initially they thought it'd take about a month to get me a machine so I could do dialysis at home overnight again .... but in an unprecidented turn of speed the good old National Helth Service got me a machine in 3 days! I was quite flabbergasted!! Very happy about that though! The new machine is easier in some ways than my old machine too, though with the minor drawback that I can't read the screen because the text is too small and the screen to dim! But it has icons I can see, and the procedure can just be done in routine order and the machine takes care of the majority of the steps! So that's my tale of why I've been offline for so long! I now have wi-fi at home so can use my own laptop which also helps enormously! One hard thing to deal with at the moment .... I'd made all the arrangements to bring Maggie cat back with me, but we all arrived at the airport and were told there is an embargo on pets entering the UK! At this point I interrupt the tale to say a huge huge thank you to an amazing person .... my dialysis nurse in Rochester not only came to visit me in hospital, she also took a key to feed Maggie twice while I was in. And if you think that's above the call of duty, there's more! She said if there was any trouble with Maggie at the airport to let her know .... I'm sure she didn't really expect me to be calling and interrupting her breakfast asking her to look after Maggie for possibly 30 days! But she agreed with no complaint and Maggie is now staying with her until she can fly back .... that's a big flight for a little kitty all on her own! But she seems to have settled ok with Janice for now and I'm sure she's being well looked after! Maybe I can make a nice quilt as a thank you present ..... I am also pleased to report that, despite initial doubts, I was able to find a box the right size to mail my picnic basket that I use to hold much of my fabric stash .... and yes, I brought a good 95 percent of that fabric back with me! The basket and my quilt have arrived safely in the mail so that's all the important things, except for the cat safely here! next step is to find a local quilt club .... I've seen an advert for one and I believe there may be a second one too, so that's my mission over the coming weeks! Glad to be back and on my feet again! Now I just have to catch up on what y'all have been writing in your blogs over the last month! hopefully they've been less eventful than my month!

Last minuute answers

OK, some time ago I remember Narcoleptic in a Cupboard asking some revealing questions and tagging, or tigging (yes, I'm one of those who would say tig instead of tag) a motley collection of her followers to answer them. Now quite what she thinks these questions are going to reveal about me I shuudder to think, but here are my answers .... somewhat late ... ok, I admit, very late!


1 Who did you blame for your last public fart?
Margaret Thatcher
2 What's your favourite TV theme tune and why.
I like the theme to Grange Hill, though I don't know why, it's just catchy! I liked Twin Peaks (Falling by Julee Cruise) and X-Files, Tales of the Unexpected, and Bergerac!
3 Tell me, what's on your 15 minute mix tape?
a 15 minute track by Underworld, or Lilly Allen's smile, James' sit down, Catatonia lost cat, and Lady Antebellum need you now
4 Roller boots or roller blades?
I'd kill myself in 1 minute flat on either!
5 If a cushion is a pillow what's a pillow?
why is a cushion a pillow? a cushion goes on a sofa, a pillow goes on a bed, don't they?
6 Who is your Dr. (who)?
David Tennnant, no question!
7 If you don the ruby slippers and click your heels etc, where you gonna end up?
In a whole heap of trouble, probably
8 What fragrance is your fabric softener?
Oceanic
9 Bananas - young and firm or old and soft?
ugh bbananas
10 Why is a raven like a writing desk?
just because, Stupid question!
11 What was the last thing that totally grossed you out?
that happens less now that I can't see things! Our eyes influence how we think things are going to be before we let our other senses sample them!

Now the more important question, it's 8:30pm so what shall I do for dinner? Answers a bit quicker than mine please else I might starve to death, Thanks!

Helping Hands

It has been a busy, rather challenging week! In summary I have:

• Spent 5 days training to learn the kidney dialysis machine
• Got lost either on the way to the dumpster, returning from the dumpster, or both .... twice I tried to take the rubbish out and failed. It's frustrating how apparently simple things can be hard and take so much time :(
• Booked a bus to take me to the supermarket today ... I will actually post this when I return so should be able to relate how I get on!
• Met Cindy from Bird Brains And Dog Tales, a local quilter and blogger and we enjoyed good food and conversation at Cheesecake Factory!
• .... and went to the pet store afterwards, which helped me get Maggie cat stocked up for a couple more weeks! :)

Dialysis was as fun as learning a new medical procedure is ever going to be! I like learning new things, machines especially, so that was good, challengingg, and I picked it up pretty fast, with the aid of some improvised guides (made by janice the extremely helpful nurse, out of a chopping board from Wegmans spermarket!) ....

The staff and doctors were very doubtful that a blind person could manage a machine with touch screen keys and on-screen alert messages ... but they've not met this Lert before, and I quickly demonstrated that with the help of my magnifying glass I could read what I needed to read, and with the cutting board additions I could connect up all the tubes in a safe manner!

So on Monday I am expecting delivery of a house-full of dialysis supplies, mainly bags of sugar solution which I will ratttle through 3 per day of the 3 litre size (no I'm not going to be drinking them!) Numerous other paraphernalia such as masks, gloves, yards upon yard of disposable tubes and bits and bobs for the machine, soaps and bleaches and gels to kill all known germs beyond an inch of their little lives ....

Then I get to meet my doctor, whose bedside manner I am already less-than-impressed with, and finally my machine will get delivered Monday afternoon.

.... then on Tuesday it's a final morning of trainin at my apartment, during which time my machine will get set up and my apartment inspected .... I expect a list of recommendations on how to improve my safety and clean conditions while doing dialysis! I've finally made a start shuffling things around so the machine will fit in nicely and not be too accessible to the cat!

.... it is mostly just a case of washing hands and keeping things clean, but the times where I have to connect to, or disconnect from the machine are times where the tube going into my stomach is open and all those nasty bugs and microbes have an expressway into me ... those obviously have to be done in sterile conditions, hence the multitude of antibacterial soaps and gels and bleaches! ... the cat will also be bannished from the room at those times! (she doesn't know this yet, but i softened her up with a sachet of smelly mackeral food which she devoured with gusto, so hopefully she'll accept the new rules!)

Right now I'm just trying to mentally prepare for the challenge of my first solo grocery shop .... the store say somebody will be able to guide me around so I can find what I want ... I just have to get there and back and know what foods I want! Sounds simple ... but then you'd have thought taking the trash out would be too!

But to round off last week, after a successful week of training it was lovely to meet up with Cindy and talk about all things quilty and cat related. Aparently questions had been asked of other quilters who she knows that go to my quilt group, and the consensus was that I am very shy and quiet! LOL, as far as I know that was the worst that was said about me! Quilters can be terrible gossips! ;) .... depending on any plans for going back to the UK, I may go to one of Cindy's quilt group meetinggs in Fairport just for a change!

I did also find out about some local services that may actually be able to help with things like shopping .... I will find out more about their services and costs when I speak to them, but it was encouraging to know there might be some ways to make life more manageable!

So that's it ... not much quilting unless you count talking about it! but it has been a hectic week with lots of new things to grapple with .... I can only hope the grappling gets easier and the challenges less mountainous in the coming weeks! .... at some point I have to get the cat to a vet for her rabies shot so she can travel .... that is going to be a barrel of laughs ..... oh yes, she's going to love that and no amount of smelly mackeral food will placate her for that one!

And now finally, as if this post wasn't long enough already, I got to and from Wegman's supermarket safe and sound! i can't praise the store highly enough for making it a painless trip! it was easy to speak to somebody to make the arrangements, the girl who guided me round was really nice and I got everythin I had on my mental list, and then after waiting for my bus inside I headed out to be there as the bus arrived ... as I was battling with my mountain of shopping bags another employee arrived out of nowhere to give me a hand onto the bus with my bags! So i have enough food and milk to last me another week or two, and the cat should be catered for too, so now I've just got to remember to go back to work on Wednesday!

Sizing Up!

I know, I've been a bit quiet lately! more on that in a moment, but first I have a couple of big thank you's to make!As I have talked about lately on here, and with several of you by email, I've been deliberating over rulers that I might be able to use. The main issues are that not being able to see the markings, I'm somewhat left needing a ruler in different widths, one 6 inch wide to make blocks, a 2 inch wide for strips ... and every width in between that I might need!

In one chat about this problem, my new(ish) friend Patricia showed me this ruler by Guidelines for Quilting. It sounded rather fine but we didn't know how much it cost. Unbeknown to me she spoke to the company, asked the price and whether they thought a blind guy would be able to use one ... they did, and very very kindly said they'd send me one, complete with a seam allowance addition that also performs as a finger guard ... this is super helpful since I don't think my braille reading would be helped by the loss of a couple of digits!

So here's a photo of mine!

Now I'm not certain I've actually got it in the picture, so here's one from their website!actually I can't figure out the URL for the image so here's the page about it!

I've been taking my time getting to know my new ruler! I can adjust the size,which is currently at 5.5 inches. I can add or remove the seam guard, and I've discovered that on the underside there is a railway track style ruler in 1/8 inch increments and markings at 1 inch intervals, and I can trace those with my fingertips and count to determine the size setting of the ruler ... this is very cool for a blind person! :)


Next important announcement: I have noticed a nice handful of new followers recently too! Hello!! Please do leave me a comment if you're reading this, because I have not figured out how to go from your name in my list of followers to your blog, so I have no way to follow you back except if you leave me a comment! So please do - I'm thrilled to have new followers and would love to follow you back! The same applies to anybody who has followed me and notices I haven't followed you ... I'm not trying to snub you, I just can't get to your blog! sometimes I feel so dull when I can't figure out how to do some things on Blogger!!

So what has been keeping me away from blogging? Well, a move back to the UK is on the cards, probably in about a month. So I'm trying not to do much other than preparing and thinking about what I might be able to bring back ... this is why I haven't done any quilting at all of late ....

I do hope to bring my fabric stash, main tools, in fact pretty much everything except the sewing machine, which I'll probably try to sell and replace when I get back ... it's a stressful time, but I am looking forward to being back in Wales. I'll certainly miss my American quilt friends who I won't see anymore, and those who I hope to meet in the short time left here ... but being blind poses challenges that I feel I'll cope better with back in the UK!

bout a week ago I had minor surgery to ex-plant the catheter that I had implanted back in October. This is for my dialysis which I am due to start in the next week or so, at least due to start training! I've still got a small amount of life in my kidneys (at best 5%) but I'd like to get going with the training so I'm getting familiar with the new routine!

So that's what I've been up to. Those of you who live nearby, do let's see if we can meet up at least once before I go, and for those in the UK I hope to see y'all soon!

Go get yourselves one of those super cool rulers, you know you need one, every quilter should have one! :)