Mommy!

I'm back on the couch again. This is about the fourth week in a row - from a cold to a stomach bug to my neck and now mastitis. Do you think my body is trying to tell me something?

There will be no quilting for the rest of the week. I feel like I've been hit by a bus, square on my boob. I've spent the last two days on the couch. At least I finally finished the binding on this quilt last week. Something to snuggle under while warding off the chills. It still needs a label, that's why I haven't posted about it.

In the meantime, I'm waiting for my mom to arrive. Yes, I called my mom. Yes, I feel guilty about that. But last night proved that if Hubby is tired then he can't really manage the girls and I. While the Monster is in daycare today, tomorrow she will be home and we will both struggle if he's trying to work and I'm trying to rest. Thank goodness my mom was free and willing to drive down. To be honest, I think looking after me is a break from looking after my dad! And she gets to see her youngest grandkids in the mix.

And now, Northern Exposure is about to start and I need to pretend to tidy before my mom arrives. Seriously, why do we do that? But I can at least put away the breakfast dishes and maybe clear her bed of the laundry piled on it. And of course, make sure she has a quilt to keep her warm at night.

Odd Quilting

It's all about where you get your inspiration.

The quilting on Inspired Improvisation is well underway. At first, I wasn't sure if I liked it. But ultimately I was too lazy to rip it out. I took the idea for the quilting from the fabric that features prominently on the back and in some blocks on the front. Now that I've done more it is growing on me.

It is a sharp contrast to the angles of the pieced work. Originally, I was going to do a bunch of straightline quilting to echo the piecing. I have a tendency, however, to overdue it when it comes to quilting. The pattern I decided on is forcing me to have a bigger design. Because this will be a snuggle quilt I wanting something that would ultimately drape a bit better. The closer you quilt the stiffer the quilt itself.

I'm on a mission to get this quilting done and the binding on by the weekend. I might be up in Edmonton next week and want to visit the recipient in the hospital, hopefully bringing the quilt with me. Simple things like dishes, voting, blogging, and picking up the car from the tinting place will slow me down... but they won't stop me.

Water Everywhere

Sometimes being laid up is a good thing. I was all set to applique a bird motif on to this quilt last week. But I got sick and spent two days on the couch. Towards the end of the second day I got a phone call from my friend and former boss. Her baby had come early! So much for being on time with the quilt. It did, however, give me a chance to change plans and make the quilt that much more special.

The baby's name is Océane. In case you couldn't tell, that is French for ocean. The bird motif no longer seemed appropriate. So, what to do? A fish seemed a little obvious. And a starfish a little too simple. I could ignore my original intentions and quilt the quilt as is. In the end I decided to applique a seahorse to the quilt.

Silly me, I decided to HAND applique the sea horse. I haven't done hand applique since the class where I was taught it. But I've done dozens of bindings. How hard could it be? Well, it isn't as easy as I expected, but it's turning out okay.

We went up to Edmonton for the weekend for a slew of family birthdays. The drive up was a perfect opportunity to work on it. I eventually gave up, however, as the weather was crappy and the storm clouds made it hard to see what I was doing. Hubby is away this week so if my neck holds out I plan to knock out some work once the girls are in bed - provided I can keep my eyes open.

Good Idea Gone Wrong

I was feeling marginally better this morning and really quite sick of doing nothing, so I decided to baste my Inspired Improvisation. The floors were already clean thanks to some company this morning so I left the dogs to whine outside while I spread things out on the kitchen floor.

Now, basting on the kitchen floor is never recommended. No matter how young you are it is torture on the knees and back. What's a girl to do? I usually baste my bigger quilts on the boardroom table at work, but I'm not at work these days. The kitchen floor it was.

It wasn't too bad, actually. I had enough room to maneuver around the quilt and between the cabinets/fridge. And a cup of tea forced me to get up every few blocks or so for a good sip. Just as I was getting the last of the pins in the quilt the baby, or Little Miss Sunshine as she is now known (better than The Barfinator, her former nickname) woke up. After I nursed her she joined me in the kitchen while I closed all the pins and tidied up.

Unfortunately, as I was closing all the pins my neck started killing me. By the end I could barely lean over, I was crying from the pain, and nausea was about to overtake me. A simple lunch with a chaser of Ibuprofen and a half hour with an ice pack eased the spasm, but OW!!! My girlfriend was on her way over and felt bad for staying while I was in obvious pain. It was a welcome break - it always is with her - and plus, she brought me dinner!

So much for our planned picnic in the park to enjoy the gorgeous day. Instead, I will enjoy the meatballs my girlfriend shared and hopefully get some backyard time in while I count the hours to my massage tomorrow.