Simple Stars and 4-Patch - adorable

I love the fabrics that were used in the quilt. It was flat, well-pieced and square. I thought that it was too pretty to panto. So the owner got a custom job on a panto budget.

The border and CC are freehand. Debbi's cool (digitized) Double Elegant Feather and
Legacy Quilting double pumpkin seeds. I used black So Fine in the black border. And I used King Tut 912 St George with So Fine 429 Pumpkin in the bobbin.

You should see the other guy - Warning - graphic photo

The "other guy" is a large pot-hole.

I retired last September. I had some health issues. That, plus the commute, were just wearing me out. I needed to slow down, recharge my batteries, and get healthy.

Since September, I have dealt with Osteomylytis (bone infections) that led to amputation of first one toe on my right foot and then 4 months later, another toe. I ruptured a tendon in my left foot (PTT or something) and now wear a brace. In that space of time, I had pneumonia twice. Then the doctors found an antibiotic-resistent infection. I took Rocephine antibiotic shots for a week in early February. Hey, how's that retirement working for you, Linda?

Just as the infection was cured, I hurt my back in late February. No idea how that happened. It was a compression fracture of the T10 vertebrae. Two months of pain, pain meds and muscle relaxers followed. I was in a mopey and dopey haze for weeks. Then on April 15th, I had a Vertebroplasty, back surgery. It worked like gang-busters, though my stamina is slow to return. A week ago, I finally thought that I could see light at the end of the tunnel.

I went down to my daughter-in-laws parents house for the annual neighborhood yard sale. It was mobbed. Lots of people walking up and down the street and the large landscaped island. There were even food vendors. There was an air of a festival. I decided to walk up the street a half block while I waited for my husband to retreive the car and catch up to me.

I stepped into a pothole, tripped and fell. Even before the pain hit, I prayed that I had not hurt my back again. I was on my back and folks were crowding around me. Everybody was so kind. One lady wanted to call 9-1-1 but I told her that my husband was just stuck in the traffic on the street. Then I noticed the blood on my white pants. Oh crap, that will never come out. Did I mention that I take blood thinners? I pulled up the pants and my knee was split wide open to the meat. One woman moaned and looked away. Another woman brought a couple of dish towels to cover the wound. I just wanted to get up before my husband got there and saw me laying in the street. The lady with the dish towel wrapped it around my knee and I used my beautiful summer cotton scarf as a torniquet to stop the blood.

Road rash. My elbow is in there somewhere. No photos of the knee. It was just too icky for photos.


9 stitches outside, 3 inside. Bruised arm, ribs and hands. But no breaks. Kneecap intact. What a break. tsk. Will this slow me down from getting on an airplane in 8 days and going to MQS ? Uh, no. They have doctors in Kansas City that can remove those stitches.


P.S. In other good news, the summer cotton scarf came out clean from the washer and dryer. The white pants? My knee tore but my pants didn't. Too funny. Well, they are waiting for second go round in the washer. Gain and the Tide booster stain remover blob did not get all the blood out.

IQ designs - hot and fresh off the grill

I wanted to use diamond motifs in my show quilt. Well, I think diamond motifs look good in a lot of different quilts. The MQS quilt show deadline loomed large and I had to re-think the diamond. But I still wanted a good diamond poin-to-point design.

Trouble was, I could not find anything that I liked. I wanted a curved diamond, maybe even concentric curved diamonds.

Or how about a diamond that could be used P2P (point-to-point) so that the size and shape of the block did not matter. Point A to Point B, click and click.

Oooh, and maybe put something inside the diamond for some added interest. That is what I wanted. I even tried to design it myself using the tools that I have; software, the IQ record function and simply drawing the design. Pitiful.

I don't remember exactly where on the internet I had bemoaned the fact that the P2P diamond design that I had, did not work and that I was not finding suitable P2P diamond digitized design replacements. Which design house had this so-called P2P-diamond motif that I had even came from?

Then I got an email from Shannon Hicks over at Piece and Joy Quilting. She wanted to help. We emailed back and forth. She listened to my requirements and sent me a couple of ideas. Wow, that was a surprise. She even suggested some cool things to add to the diamonds. I did not know that a designer could or would make a design for you. Not exactly customized in the sense that I get the only design. No, these designs would be seen and loved by others. Before I knew it, she emailed me with the finished designs. They are so cool.

I have a quilt in my queue that will look terrific with at least one of these diamonds. Now my imagination will not be stifled by my inability to digitize a design. That is so liberating. Thank you, Shannon Hicks.