Friday flaunt and great news!

I can't wait - the first thing I want to share with you is that the PET scan Steven had was negative, meaning there was no evidence of cancer in it - the relief is massive, but I suppose we have to get used to this roller coaster of events, as we can no longer naively think that all is well - that is the unfortunate legacy of cancer......We want to get on with our lives, and after a year of Steven suffering massive pain and still suffering damage from the tumour and chemotherapy drugs, we need to refocus and start enjoying life! The oncologist still needs to clarify what is causing the symptoms Steven has been experiencing, but the clear scan is a great start.

This last week, I made a few cards - not sewing, but very therapeutic and more achievable than some other things at the moment. Work pressures combined with worrying about Steven have made it impossible for my brain to function properly, and I find that the card making doesn't cause as much brain strain as some other things.

I also finally managed to complete a few ATC's - the theme was 'something old, something new'...

the 'something old' was the hand dyed fabric. The 'something new' were the lovely white flowers I bought up at 'Patchwork Teahouse' a few weeks ago.

I have received the circle foot, so hope to spend some time getting used to it over the weekend and then doing some more of the blocks for Steven's quilt. I'll let you know how I go.

Un Friday update

(Well, if it is good enough for Pooh Bear to have unbirthdays, doesn’t that mean I can have Un Fridays??)
I wanted to show you what I have started:

I have become increasingly disturbed that I have not ever made a quilt for Steven….. somehow, it had never happened. If he has to endure more chemotherapy, I want him to have something made specially for him there when he has the treatments, as he is usually in hospital for at least one day each time.
He had admired “Summer Palace” done in aboriginal fabric at the Point Nepean Quilt Show earlier in the year, when he made his first day trip after his chemotherapy. This was what led me to organise Rob’s quilt (posted about recently.)
So, last Saturday, we went to Lilly Patches in Boronia – they have the most wonderful range of aboriginal fabric, and were really patient and helpful.
Steven discovered a really interesting pattern called “Murrumbidgee Dreaming” and selected all the fabrics himself – the lapis blue Jinny Beyer fabric is to be the river running through the blocks, as well as the main border. The deep ochre Jinny Beyer fabric will be the inner border and possibly the binding.
I have attempted four blocks so far – the original pattern needs 25 blocks, but we decided to make it larger. I have cut out about 50 blocks, and am planning to use 48, so there is room for flexibility.

I am not convinced they are as good as I can get them, even though they seem to match up well when laid out together………..so I have ordered a special foot that it is claimed will make curved piecing a breeze. As soon as it arrives, I will try some more and let you know the result.

An update on Steven – he had his PET scan on Thursday, now we wait until next Thursday to get the verdict from the oncologist.
Have a lovely week, and try to make the most of every day!

Friday flaunt

I have nothing to show personally - sewing and relaxation have ground to a halt, partly due to being back at school, but mainly due to trying to come to terms with Steven possibly needing more chemo - we will know more when he has another PET scan in early August.

I would, however, like to show you some fabulous things Steven has made for me recently.

My Year 12 students have to photograph their completed food items as part of their SAT. The better quality the photos, the better they can show their achievements. Usually, schools use foamcore sheets held together with velcro. Steven decided this was too shabby, so he designed and built this fabulous portable photo box. Above is what it looks like when packed up......

and here it is all ready to make their food look as beautiful as possible. He has an amazing brain and never ceases to amaze me!

If you look back at this post:

http://alstreasures.blogspot.com/2009/03/small-steps-forward.html

you'll notice the lovely sewing box Steven made me to add to my collection.

He decided he wanted to try a special way of labelling it, so has been playing around with sandblasting initials into a brass disc he cut.

When I arrived home from work one afternoon this week, he had succeeded in inserting it in the top if the box:

he had also created one for Lana's sewing box:

I am so lucky to have him in my life - keep your fingers crossed for him please.

Karma Award

I was lucky enough to receive this award from Penny, my special Canadian friend. She is an amazing lady, and I'm proud to be part of her life.


Now, the big decision - who to give the award to.... I need to acknowledge two people who have been true and faithful friends, giving laughs in the good times and support in the bad times.

Firstly, Karen.... she doesn't have a blog, but has become a very special part of our lives - thank you for being such a gentle, funny and inspirational invividual, you darling girl!

Secondly, Julie. Thank you for everything, you clever lady. Your great sense of humour, inspiring work and constant support have been greatly appreciated.

I also want to award the lovely Helen Stubbings. Without Helen organising the fabulous Stitcher's Angel swap last year, I never would have met Karen. Helen is an amazing lady, who is creative, genuinely caring and is always attempting to make the world a better place. She is also a fabulous teacher, being highly organised, professional and supportive of her students.

While I would dearly love to be part of the Stitcher's Angel Swap again this year, we have had disturbing news from Steven's oncologist, so I need to focus on home for a while. Join in, though, as you may be lucky enough to meet a special person like Karen!

Friday Show and Tell

Yes, I know..... I am supposed to be showing you what I have been working on this week.... the problem is, I am making another Springtime mini quilt for Julie and if I post a picture of it, she will get a sneak peek. Now we can't have that, can we!!! The truth is, I fell in love with the one she made, and talked her into doing a swap.

What I CAN show you, however, is the fantastic quilt Penny sent me for the Springtime Swap. She is an amazingly talented lady, having hand painted the ginko leaves and other fabric. It is a beautiful piece and I am a very lucky woman! It is wonderful corresponding with someone on the other side of the world.

I can also show you the fabrics I started cutting up tonight for Rob's 21st quilt.

I am making him "Summer Palace" by Leesa Chandler. Rob's favourite colours are red and black (Go Bombers!) We've added some gold fabrics as well. I'm hoping by getting it organised now, I can have it completed for his birthday in December. I'll keep you posted.

May and June finished projects

Life has been a little hectic, so I neglected to post completed work for the last two months. To get myself up to date, I'll do a combined post, I've decided!My gorgeous friend, Karen, sent me a "Recipe for Friendship" charm square pack as a surprise. I decided to create a little bag for each of us, based on a bag my mate Judy had. They were relatively quick to make and turned out quite successfully, I think!

Over the last few months, I've made a few cards......

While I don't have time to make special gifts for friends' birthdays, I like to at least give them a hand made card. Some of these designs have been provided by very talented people like Diane and others from their blogs. I enjoy setting up my Cricut and Cuttlebug and seeing what is created.

I completed my offering for Spring Blooms........

And some ATCs:
I created the first one for my groups "What colour are you today" swap in May, just after Steven received his PET scan results - he is in remission, but there is a likelihood that the cancer may recur. This may help explain the mix of colours and emotions stamped on it.



June's swap title was "In the middle of......." Well, it HAD to be reports, didn't it!




The last ATC was a set of "Noughts and Crosses" I made for the June no theme swap. I received amazing cards back in return!



I have a nasty feeling that I have forgotten something.... never mind - if I think of it, I'll post later.

my amazing students

I had to share with you some of the fabulous morsels my students created for their cup cake design assignment.........

They put a great deal of thought and imagination into their work, and produced their own photographs. I am incredibly proud of their efforts. What do you think?

(By the way, if you want the answers to the sushi quiz, the students' work is pictures 1 and 3 - did you guess correctly?)

Spring Blooms Quilt in progress..

This is my offering for the quilt swap. It seems a little strange, depicting spring here when the weather is coming straight off the Antarctic, but I am certainly enjoying the process. I still need to complete the stamens, back, quilt and bind it, so I had better hurry!

I love this block - it was originally from Dianne Johnston's "Happiness Is" pattern.

I adapted the original quilt pattern, making it smaller and rearranging it into a large wall hanging. I used my hand dyed fabrics and Steven and I designed the hot air balloon block to accomodate the kids. (If you look closely at them in the basket, you'll realise that I made this quilt quite a few years ago!)

We also personalised it - the name on the bottle of wine is denoting a stunning spot in Tasmania, where we met in 1981.

Where did you meet the special person in your life?

April's projects

I told you I had a few things to finish off this month.....

Firstly, I finally had a chance to add the binding to the mystery Mayhem quilt top I made in January.

Secondly, I made a strip pieced QAYG quilt to donate to the bushfire collection. Marilyn at Patchwork Teahouse in Warburton helped me out with the lovely purple sashing fabric, which Steven and I thought added more interest to the end result - what do you think? I am trying to finish off a different quilt to donate also, and then if I can manage it, I want to do another strip pieced one using black as the sashing and binding, suitable for a male. Hopefully next month!

Next is a little Easter gift for my lovely stitcher friend Karen.......

I hand painted the pink sections on the butterflies before I stitched them. The fabric on the bottom is a lovely Lakehouse butterfly fabric, so she can use it either way. (How is it working out, Karen??)

Now, for the ATC's I made this month.....

These "Friendship Fans" ATC's are needleturned and then accents are stitched with gold thread.

The three "April Showers" ATC's are made with my hand dyed fabric. They are buttonhole stitched, then the black accents are stitched. Special glitter I use on my cards has been added to give a flower centre and to signify the raindrops. I enjoyed sitting down and creating them.

The last set of ATC' s was the nine I made for the Haiku swap. You may recognise the photo I used on the front?? I printed them onto fabric, machine stitched some of the branches and added some dew drop with the glitter in the places they actually occured when the original photo was taken.

That's enough for now - the challenge is certainly inspiring me to complete something each month - I am amazing myself how much I am actually able to achieve in the limited time I have available. How have you progressed this month?

A lovely surprise

Look what I found on my desk this morning.......

If you are having difficulty reading the note, it says:

Joy of Health

surrounded by

Joy of Life

XXX

I have not as yet worked out who they are from, but they made my day very special - I am lucky to know some very special people!

I hope your day was a good one