Sunday 16 November 2014

Winter drawers on!

It's that time again.   Time to dig out the thermals, fire up the wood stove and snuggle down to hibernate till spring.    I'm kidding about hibernating by the way but judging by the time it's taken me to get around to writing  this post I wouldn't blame you for thinking I was already deep in the land of Nod!  

So... what's been going on since the last time I posted.    Chris, Sally, Kitty and me did go to the cottage.   Did plan a whole week of sewing...food... wine and plenty of laughter but this time it didn't work out that way.

I did get some of those dastardly triangles stitched together.   To say they drove me nuts is an understatement.....




My back was killing me..... after effects of the cutting marathon before we left.  Have to tell you it's hard to sew a straight line when you only have one buttock on your chair and the other one is dangling in mid air.    Did more pain pill popping than anything else.

Sally was productive....



She pieced the corner 'dolly' blocks for her most recent quilt.   Yes... all those triangles round the edges are to have heads and arms appliqued to them.    The colours are gorgeous... shame my photography doesn't do it justice.    I know we are going to have a big problem with Sally when the heads go on..... she has a 'thing' about faces without eyes.  Can you imagine how spooky it'll look with 44 pairs of eyes watching your every move.... especially in the bedroom!   Can't see her hubby being very happy about that.   

How about this......


can you believe this is her very first tote bag!      Sal did a great job.  Love the fabrics don't you. Love that view out of the window too..... (sigh).    Not content with just one bag she made another... fit for a little princess.    


Kitty got to grips with a BOM.......



Is it still a block of the 'month' if you are sewing all the blocks at once?    Whatever!   It's gorgeous and I'm happy to say I have the very same BOM waiting to reach the top of my 'to do' list.   Might be a long wait.....


Kitty did a whole lot of piecing and applique.   There's quite a lot of stitching do do on this little quilt too... it's a really pretty project.     You can see the pattern here at the Bobbin Patch.

I thought I might have more success ditching the triangles..... changing chairs and trying a spot of applique.....



this is it..... talk about a feeble effort.

I did eventually finish piecing all 98 of the central section of each quilt block.... 4 triangles around each centre square.   Only one block got it's outer triangles attached... but it's looking good




Well... that's it for the sewing news.

Now.... I imagine you are wondering why I haven't mentioned Chris and what she was working on.   Chris did come with us on Saturday and between then and Monday lunchtime she enjoyed working on a pair of cot quilts ready for the arrival of her first grandchildren.   I'll tell you a little of what happened next....

Chris had to leave after a receiving a phone call to say her DIL was on her way to hospital.  We all thought the twins were arriving earlier than expected.   How wrong could we be.    Her DIL was actually en route to the specialist Cardiac Unit in Glasgow in a police escorted ambulance.  Later in the evening we spoke briefly to Chris who told us that the situation was critical and that her DIL had suffered heart failure and faced surgery early Tuesday morning to both deliver the babies and operate on her heart.    The prognosis was not good... for any of them!

The operation was successful ..... thank goodness.....both mum and babies survived.    Mum remained in Intensive Care in the Cardiac Unit attached to an external heart pump while the babies were transferred to a Neo Natal Unit in a nearby hospital.    It was hoped that the pump would allow her heart to rest, recover and resume beating regularly on it's own.  It didn't and within 72 hours she was placed at the top of the Heart Transplant List.

After weeks of uncertainty there is good news......Mum has a new heart and is home with her husband and babies.... a boy and a girl.  It's so hard to comprehend that a healthy, energetic, vibrant young woman on the verge of becoming a mum for the first time could suffer heart failure.    The cause..... an undetected heart defect she was born with.    It's more common that you would like to believe so... please consider taking a moment to sign up to the Organ Donor Register or become a blood donor.  

Without the amazing generosity of the donor family one young mum would not be at home today to enjoy her little family.

Hope all your families are healthy and safe tonight.....

Big Hugs
Josie  xxxxx

p.s.    I'll be back very soon to fill you in on what's been going on around here while I've been absent minded.
:o)

14 comments:

Diane-crewe said...

how awful for all concerned! We forget in these days of modern science and skill (thank goodness) just what a dangerous undertaking pregnancy and child birth truly is x Its a wonder any of you got anything done .. however the work produced IS wonderful ... hope your back is improving x

gracie said...

Hope all goes well for the new mom and babies. The quilting looks great.Hope your back ache will soon be gone

Jeanette said...

Oh dear. Hope all continues to go well for Mum & bubs. Lovely show & tell. Hope you are well. Hugs,xx

Leanne said...

What a horrible time everyone involved has had, So glad mum and babies are Ok,Sometimes we don't realise just how lucky we are.

Lynda said...

Oh, Josie, what a time for your friend and her family! So thankful that's she and the babies are ok.

Helen said...

Oh wow..thank goodness everything worked out so well. It would have been a very scary time for everyone. So much is taken for granted in our lives, take care and stay well. Hope it is all smooth sailing for mum and the babies, the whole family xx

margaret said...

such good result after an horrendous time for the Mum to be and family, how wonderful they found a heart suitable and she is well on the way to recovery and has two wonderful babies that are healthy too.
By now your back should have recovered, cutting out is the bit I dislike most too and that is due to the back, also layering the quilt together is not easy on the back.

Lots of lovely makes went on on the break and I am sure lots of fun , laughter and maybe a few glasses of wine too

Susan said...

What an amazing story, I'm so glad it has a happy ending. A blessed little family indeed.
So much great sewing done on retreat, I like how the view keeps creeping into the photos.

Shirley said...

Oh my goodness Josie! What a terrible time for everyone concerned. So pleased it had a happy outcome thanks to the generosity of someone else's immense sadness. Keep sewing, stay sane and look after your back. Hope that is now recovering. Mostly, keep that sense of humour.x

Anthea said...

Never a dull moment in your world Josie!
While I'm glad to read that the new Mum has a new lease on life & that her bubs are ok, I can only try to imagine the fear for their lives. Thank goodness for topnotch health care for them all - & yes being a donor is so important - I know that if any part of me is any good to anyone after I peg-out, then they should have it, it'll be no good to me!

Don't stay away so long next time!! x

Kaisievic said...

Wow! So glad to hear that Chris's DIL is going to be okay. What an awful situation all around and how brave of the donor family. Blessings on them all.

Supergoof said...


I'm so glad that mum and twins are 'well' again!!!!!!!!
:o)))))))))))

Yes, it happens many times, a verry dear friend of mine died, and she was a mum of a baby boy and a 3 year old boy. We miss her very much.

Terrell Sherman said...

At least your back pains are markings of persistence and not just merely sustained. That means that you can get rid of it in no time. You have what it takes to do it. You just need further support, such as medical treatments and therapies. I hope you do consult a specialist for your pain, in order for you to know what precautions to take and avoid. Take care!

Terrell Sherman @ Murrieta Chiropractic

kiwikid said...

Oh boy Josie, what a worrying time...hope the Mum and bubs are going ok now and the rest of the family are ok too.Hope too your back has mended, cutting is the worst activity for a back I reckon. I had a chuckle (sorry) at your sewing position ...at least you got a little sewing done...love that view...think I might have spent my time looking out the window!!