Christmas Potholders and Mom Update

So this week I have been working on some pot holders for my Mom. She needs some new one's desperately.

She loves Delph blue decorations, so I thought these wonderful fabrics would look lovely in her kitchen.

So she is now taken care of for Christmas.

I love the red and blue in this one. I used a red thread for the quilting in this one. It looks great.

I love the blue and white fabric on the border.

I used a block pattern I found in the Quiltmaker's 100 blocks volume 7 book. I can not remember off the top of my head the name of the block but this is only one part of the original block and I added my own border. I like the design it created.

I like the quilting on this one. I thought it made it look more sophisticated of a look with the fabrics used.

I almost wish I switched the border fabrics between the two but they are already put together now. These are real fun to make and only took a couple of evenings to get complete.

I like how they turned out. She is going to love them. I sandwiched them with a layer of the Insul-Bright along with a layer of regular batting just to be sure she is not going to get burned using them. It quilted nicely with the extra layer too. They are stiff right now, I just have to wash them and they are ready to go.


For those of you interested in Mom's status here you go. We went in for a new CT scan since she has finished eight weeks of Chemotherapy. We went in on Friday and got the news yesterday. Her four satellite tumors went from 3cm to 1 cm. Good news, the large tumor in her right breast has not changed much at all. It has not gotten bigger or smaller. The doctor says it is because it has blocked her blood vessels in the area and it is not getting much of the Chemo to it. They are giving her a week off of Chemo and the doctor is meeting with the surgeon and a few experts this week and are going to discuss what the next step is. They are considering surgery to remove the large tumor but are concerned that it is so close to the edge of the breast and has erupted through the skin that they may not get it all. They are also thinking about doing spot radiation on the tumor to shrink it some first then seeing about surgery after. They are going to come up with a couple of choices for us to decide on next week. Mom has decided to go see her sister in California while she can for the week while she is on a reprieve. She is in good spirits but wants it to be done already and gone. She is still struggling with the fact that she is not going to be able to be cured and will have to have treatments for the rest of her life. We will see how it goes from here.

That is all this week. Hope everyone has a wonderful Halloween and stay safe out there.

Almost Finished

 So here it is all laid out on the floor. Jessica is bugging me to sew it together so she can have it.

It sits on the floor for the rest of the evening before I start putting it together the next day.

It is the first quilt that I have assembled that is a diagonal assembly. I have never done it before. It really was not that hard to do.

I started in the center with the longest line and then did the lower half first then the upper half.

Jessica has been hovering all over today waiting for it to be pieced together. She wants to try it on her bed and see if it fits. I keep telling her it will fit just fine and if not I will add borders to it for her.

She loves the colors too, I do to.

Here it is on the bed. See it fits. She is so excited she wants it finished now.

I just have to spend the next couple weeks sandwiching it together and quilting it.

I still do not know what quilting I am going to do on it yet. Some all over quilting though, it is a busy top that will need just enhancing with quilting and not make the quilting stand out, I think it would get lost with all the busy squares there are in it.

 She loves it very much, and it was hard to get her to pull it off the bed so I could put it up until I get the sandwich done on it.

She wants a flannel back on it so it will be warmer in the winter and if she gets bored she could flip it over for a more plain look. We are going this weekend to pick out the fabric for it.

Hopefully it will not take me another couple of months to finish this one, the holidays are coming and this needs to move off my WIP pile.

Until next week, everyone have a wonderful weekend and enjoy the weather.

Easy Street Update

     Well I have been working hard the last couple of weeks and we now have a block together.

These looks kind of neat with the colors she chose. I worked the entire last couple of weeks putting them together.

We should have the top together this weekend. Then we get to figure out how I am going to quilt it for her.

She keeps bugging me to finish it for her. Jess can not wait to get it on her bed.

Hopefully it will fit without having to add extra borders. We will see.

On other news, Mom was tired this last week and pretty sick. In case you have not been reading my Mother was diagnosed in August with triple negative stage 4 breast cancer. When we took her to treatment this week my sister and I talked with the doctor and nurses and got her medications for nausea and discomfort changed for her. Turns out that what she had was too strong for her poor stomach to handle. Now that we got it changed she is feeling better. She had Chinese food when she was done with Chemo and finished more of it later on in the evening. Yeah she is eating again. We still have the website up for donations if anyone is interested. Sue Parrack Cancer Fund is still running if you wish to help.

Hope everyone has a wonderful and productive weekend ahead. Until next week all, stay safe and happy.


Hopefully 

Next Step Easy Street Quilt

Well I got a couple of steps done this week.

I love Bonnie Hunter's Quiltville blog site. I love her patterns and her wonderful adventures.

So this last week I was able to get a lot of cutting and piecing done. It was great being able to loose myself in my sewing. It was a week that I am glad I was able to loose myself in it, it was rainy and stormy outside. I am surprised I got so much done because we lost our power for 8 hours on Saturday and thought that my whole weekend was going to be shot. However, it was the perfect time to do some stitch ripping that I have been putting off because I hate ripping out stitching.

I got through several steps and was starting to put things together too. I love the colors my daughter picked out for this quilt. She was even helping me cut out the pieces. It was a great time for both of us.

She was very curious how it all went together. She was actually interested in watching me use the sewing machine. I have never had her interested in sewing before, so I was grinning from ear to ear this week. She is 16 now and has always loved getting things that I have made her, but she was never interested in actually learning how to do it herself before. So for her to actually start cutting out pieces and being curious was a shock to me, but a good one.

So I was able to breeze through a few steps this week and hope to get more done this next weekend too.

As long as the power stays on, it should we are suppose to be dry and cool this weekend. I think I will have to make some Peanut Butter Cup cookies for the kids (who am I fooling, they are for me too).

Here is the last of what I finished this week. Hope you all have a wonderful weekend. Until later have a sew perfect day.

Easy Street Quilt

So I decided I was going to try Bonnie Hunter's Easy Street Quilt. My daughter was needing a quilt for her and so she came with me to pick out the colors she wanted. She also helped cut out some of them. After a while though she got tired of cutting the same size so she just watched and helped iron.

 Here are the first steps done. She enjoyed learning how to press them so the seams on back rotated properly.

She thought that was neatest. She loves my seam ripper tool. It was funny watching her make it talk as it ripped two little seams.

Here is another picture with all of them done.

That took a while but she loves the gray fabric. I used Jinny Beyer fabrics except for the black on white. I can not remember who's that is but Jessie love's the small design on it.

So step one is done. On to step two.

I will have to work on that this weekend. I do not like making flying geese so much, they never turn out quite right. Maybe I am just too picky.

Cancer in our lives

As I write this, my mom is going through her second Chemo treatment.

My sister and I started a go fund me account to try and help her with this trying time. Here is our story so far.

If you would like to see the site it is:

Sue Parrack Cancer fund 

 

            One month ago our world was turned upside down. My sister and I were told that our mom has triple negative stage 4 breast cancer. The whirlwind of events that have taken place since that day in August have left us all drained and stressed. We try to hide it from Mom because she does not need the stress while fighting this horrible disease, but we can see the stress on her face too.

            I would like to start by saying my mother, Sue, is a wonderful person. She has always been there to help my sister and I through some rough times and never complained. Now when she needs us most, we are trying to be there to take of everything for her.

            In the last few weeks we have been on an emotional roller coaster. First, we found out there were three lumps, and then she went to a specialist and had a mammogram. They came back and said it was cancer. Then came the biopsy, and we found out it was malignant. The doctor said it was a very treatable kind of cancer. So then it was off to get a PET scan within 3 days. Then we all went to the oncologist and found out that it was all over. There was a large mass on her right side and in two lymph nodes under her arm and a small one on her esophagus. They said stage 4 and my heart sunk. They then said Chemotherapy just to get it under control and keep her alive longer. They would not be able to cure her. He wanted to start Chemotherapy right away. He scheduled her for surgery to insert a pick so they would not have to put in an IV every week. The surgery went well, or so we thought. By the next afternoon she was in the hospital with a collapsed lung. They were able to insert a chest tube and slowly get the lung back up and working. After three days in the hospital she came home. Things were very uneventful for three days, then we had to go in and have the chest tube removed. All went well, and the next day we started chemo. It was a long day; first she had x-rays to make sure the lungs were ok. Then, they did blood work ups to make sure her counts were ok and to check her potassium levels. They were then ready for her treatment. Now a week later we are on the second treatment. They have not said how long this will go on, but I imagine for quite a while.

Now I told you all that so I could tell you that when this all started she had no insurance. She has worked all her life and was in retail when this started. There is no insurance offered to her in her line of work. So the weight of all the bills for the doctor and now treatment are on her shoulders. My sister and I have worked along with a wonderful person, Lynette Basiou of Providence, god bless her, and we have gotten her approved for Oregon Health Plan. We are still up in the air about what they will and will not cover, but it is something. She also has not been able to work hardly at all since the start of this and the bills are starting to pile up. I would love to be able to take care of all her bills and medical, but with my sister and I trying to keep our own families above water in these trying times, I just can not help financially. It is hard for me to say that, since she was always there to help me. We are trying to raise enough to help with paying off the house and having some left over to pay, if need be, any medical bills that will arise, while making sure there is still food in the house and medicine that is needed. We went to Social Security and did all that paperwork, but they are saying it could take up to 6 months before we see anything from them. I have told Mom not to worry my sister and I will deal with it. So it is with hope I ask anyone please help me make some of my Mom’s worries go away.

It is very humbling to be in this position and to have to ask for help in this way. But sometimes God has lessons for you that need to be learned at the bottom of life. I am very grateful that you have thought enough of my family to take the time to read this, and any amount you are able to contribute to our goal is tremendously appreciated. If you are unable to help financially right now, believe me, I understand. Sending prayers also helps.

If any of you know of anyone that might be willing to help in this effort in any way, please send them to this site. Thank you for your time, remember every dollar counts. God bless all of you from the bottom of my heart and all of our family.

The ugly Cancer Bug

I am sorry it has been a long while since I posted, life got in the way. I am going to start posting again. I would like to start with my Mom has cancer. We have been dealing with it for about a month now and wow can it just zap the life and hopes out of you.

She is doing ok but we are dealing with lots of things at one time and I will hopefully be able to share the good along with the bad as time progresses.

Until tomorrow have a wonderful Monday.