Days of Delight Calendar

 Woohoo, today I caught up on the BOM Days of Delight Calendar by Val Laird.  I did not get started until June, so I had a lot of catching up to do.  Following are my blocks for June, July and August and some pictures of all the blocks together. This has been a challenging BOM as Val likes to include some more challenging embroidery stitches, and I love it!!!!  One of my stitches I think I "invented" but then it may have been around for awhile and I had just never seen it used.  I call it Bullion Daisy and first you make a Bullion stitch and then surround that stitch with a Daisy Stitch.  I did this on my June month block.

So here is my progress as of Today!

Blume and Grow Quilt Completed!

 This morning I completed the Blume and Grow Quilt and want to just post some pictures of the finished quilt.  This was a joy to make and I enjoyed every step.  I did modify the pattern a little, but not very much.  This is a pattern by Natalie Bird of Birdhouse Patchwork Designs.   I did not use the kit, just bought the pattern.

So here goes......camera roll......................

Blume & Grow and Days of Delight progress

 This has been a few days of progress, even if there is not much to show for it.  I got the Blume & Grow quilt top basted and ready for hand quilting.   One block is marked and ready to go into the hoop.

Progress on Days of Delight by Val Laird continue as I completed the blocks for February and March.  I greatly enjoy working on these sweet little blocks and had to fight the temptation to work on April until after I had the Blume & Grow basted and ready to quilt.

Days of Delight Calendar - Val Laird

 I have started a new project by designer Val Laird entitled Days of Delight Calendar.  Got started late, but I will catch up as I enjoy working on this project.  

This is a picture from Val Laird's blog

I finished up the January BOM blocks this morning.  I am using Liberty Flower Garden Midsummer fabrics, which are so pretty.  Thank you to my dear friend Darlene for introducing these fabrics to me with a charm pack and for sharing from her stash the fabrics I needed for borders and bigger pieces.

I did modify the January block a little to include a snowflake where Val had a butterfly.  Thought the snowflake fit better with our January season (Val is Australian)

The little hexagon blocks will be used to show the day of the month, such as 01,02,03, etc.

Fall/Christmas Table Runner

 I recently made this table runner for my wonderful daughter-in-law, Holli.  Her birthday was in May, but since Fred and I were spending those days in the hospital and rehab, we just got around to celebrating May, June and July birthdays on July 2 - as well as Father's Day.  I had the blocks for the Fall side completed for awhile now, just never got is put together for the runner.  So I decided to make Christmas blocks for the other side of the runner - a two in one table decoration.

I also purchased some candles (the pre-lit ones) that I think look good for both Thanksgiving and Christmas.  

   

Bring Me Fllowers - Gail Pan Block of the Month

It has been awhile since my last post.  My husband has been in and out of the hospital three times since his surgery on March 29, as well as going to rehab between each hospital stay.  I spend the nights with him in the hospital, but in rehab I am able to come home at night to rest.  For the months April, May and June I think he was actually home only 2 1/2 weeks.   He has gotten an infection from the surgery and is now on IV antibiotics which I give him at home through a picc line.  Hopefully this will be over July 15.

But...........we got a call yesterday that he is possibly going to have to have his gall bladder removed and that will be done soon.  We are waiting on a call from the surgeon.  So here we go again, poor guy, back to the hospital.

I did manage to finish up the Bring Me Flowers quilt for my granddaughter Lorelai and will show you some pictures. The quilting is hard to see as the print is kind of busy, but I am showing a few of the blocks up close so maybe you can see it there.  I hand quilted the quilt center and machine quilted the border.

And here are a couple pictures of my sweet grandaughter with her quilt.  They recently moved to Winston Salem, many tears here from this Granny, and the one in the car seat is on their way back to their new home.

Another hospital stay -Grandmother’s Flower Garden

 Well, we are back in the hospital. Fred, my husband, had back surgery March 29 to do fusions on L1, L2 and repair previous work on L3. He was in rehab for two weeks after that and came home.  Instead of getting better, he began having pain and they put him on steroids for a week or so at the end of April.  Once the steroids were gone, the pain returned with a vengeance as well as some major headaches. He ended up back in the ER ON May 16 unable to walk because of the intense pain.  After a CTScan and MRI they found fluid building up around his spine and what appeared to be a CSF leak at L2.   Surgery on May 19, three day lying flat on his back and today he is virtually pain free and able to walk.  He will most likely be here until Monday or Tuesday and then back to rehab for about a week.  They took him off the steroids today and we will if the pain and headaches return. They determined that the L1 ans L2 screws had become loose and the L2 was rubbing a hole in the spinal fluid covering.  

So, we have been in the hospital for a week now, but there is a light at the end of this tunnel.  When not up and down doing things for him I have been adding a border to mg GFG, rounding the last corner this morning.

I am doing the border all in hexagons.  I have been inspired by Wedgewood China do applique a floral border all in white, using the same fabric used in the diamond sashing (Moda Snow).