"Almost Normal"

My hematologist Dr. Seghur told me yesterday that I was "almost normal."  Having never been even close to "normal" - ever - I am pretty excited about this.  While he may have been talking just about my blood,  I am choosing to interpret his words at a much broader level!

Finishing Bags

These Mors bags are the last in this batch.  Three of them are going with me tomorrow to my appointment with my hematologist.  As much as I love the Interventional Radiology Team, this doctor - Faisal Saghir - represented my comfort level throughout August.  He even checked in with me on his day off, which was the day after my big procedure.  I am expecting nothing but good news from him! 

I also finished a zippered tote bag.  All the parts were cut out in early August, but then things happened.  One of the generous people during this long summer has been my physical therapist.  Chandra knows my passion for Indian food and several times has dropped off yummy dishes. She needs no more bags, so I proposed making something for her daughter, a play director who lives in the city and uses public transportation.

Lavina is always carrying lots of things, and I know she puts her bags down on the floor.  So I tried using an iron-on vinyl for the bottom of this bag - I have no idea how it will wear.  There's an outer zippered pocket, and there is a zippered top.  However, if she decides to carry marbles, they will fall out.  So I made her a little zippered pouch and attached it to the bag.

A little 5" x 7"zippered clutch

I missed a couple of deadline for two wedding quilts and a bridal shower present.  Fabrics for these three are already in a pile.  And I want to do some fabric key chains.  Oddly enough, these are the same width as the handles I make for the Mors bags.  But before I do any sewing of any kind, I must...

put things right

clean up the various piles

and make everything tidy.

I have a birthday coming up soon.  My present to myself will be a clean and organized studio!

CMQG and the AAMQG Swap

"Woven Glass" by Donna Moscinski, CMQG

Reverse of "Woven Glass"  (Art Gallery Fabric - I am a Maker)

 The Chicago Modern Quilt Guild and the Ann Arbor Modern Quilt Guild made some connections, mostly thanks to Camp Stitchalot
and QuiltCon 2015.  A swap of mini quilts was proposed, and several of us in both guilds jumped all over it!.  My swap partner has not yet received hers - all Chicago minis are in the mail.  I used fabrics from designer Alison Glass and wove them over a neutral background.   I love the back almost as much as the front - it's Art Gallery's fabric "I am a Maker".  The wool batting gives the machine quilting a nice dimension that isn't very visible in these pictures.  The Ann Arbor Guild will receive their quilt next Monday!

"Give and Care" by Brenda Rowley Gray, AAMQG

Reverse of "Give and Care"

Meanwhile, the Chicago guild received their minis at last Sunday's meeting.  My mini- quilt is a "Give and Care" quilt, Brenda Gray's homage to Swiss Army blankets.  Brenda honored my color preference and told me about her uncles who died during World War II.  That my dad and uncles were veterans who survived this war makes Brenda's story even more meaningful. 

Give and Care?  It's what quilters do!

For the Interventional Radiology Surgical Team

 While my doctors are of course important to what I had done, so is their support team in the Operating Room.  Before my five-hour Angiovac, Nurse Eileen was particularly comforting and reassuring, telling me how fabulous this surgical team is and how they work together like family.  I remember smiling as the anesthesiologist gave me his magic drugs.  From the leftovers of the Alison Glass fabrics I used in my swap quilt (see next post which hasn't yet been written), I made this quilted Mors Bag for Eileen. 

 Inside Eileen's bag are 10 more bags, not quilted but absolutely functional.  This morning at my one-month checkup, I asked nurse Ben (this place - Vascular/Interventional Radiology of Hinsdale - hires the nicest people) to make sure Eileen and the surgical team got this package.  I also have another 10 bags in process and asked for a call if these bags are a hit and more of the team or spouses want more.  I dont want to be overly dramatic, but this team saved my life and I would do anything for them.

more bags in process, including some manly ones

 Finally, one of John's beautiful jazz t-shirts got kind of creepy looking in the armpits and neck.  But it's a beautiful shirt.  So we salvaged the good part and turned it into a Mors bag.  I think John will use it as a door prize at the Brookfield Jazz Society.

                                        I am happy to be sewing and to be alive! 

Getting My Head Out Of My Medical Butt

Regaining my sewing mojo?  Easier said than done.  So I revert to an old favorite - Mors Bags.  They are pretty simple to do.  They are great at stash busting.  They provide a great sense of accomplishment.  And now I have a lot of bags all ready to give away.  To be able to focus on someone other than myself is important to me at this point.  I am going to start with the Surgical Team of the Interventional Radiologists - what a fabulous group.  Without being overly dramatic, they saved my life. 

You can see that I am trying to rid my stash of all these batiks, some of which are over 10 years old.  There's a pile in the bottom left that are all part of a demo I am doing at my Chicago Modern Quilt Guild next week.  I still have several more I want to do, especially of bags that are a bit more manly.  (I have run into my knee surgeon a couple of times at the grocery store, sporting one of the Mors bags I gave him).  Since batiks are so tightly woven, I don't line them.  The next batch will all be ones that must be lined.  But whether the bags are lined or unlined, the technique is the same.  The very bottom bag is one that I made months ago, and we truly use it on an almost daily basis. 

Reduce (my fabric stash), reuse (these cloth bags and wash them when necessary) , recycle (by saying no to plastic bags).