Medical Bribery? No, just heart-felt appreciation

For over 15 years John and I have been patients at Family Medical Center of LaGrange, started by Dr. Steve Sauerberg. With him in practice are Dr. Daniel Chen, Dr. Scott Robertson, Dr. Judith Lin, Dr. Michael Dupont, and PA-C Debbie Sleeper. I have been seeing Debbie for five years but have also seen and talked to Dr. Dupont. And John likes his relationship with Dr. Chen.


I'm crazy about everyone in this office. The referral staff, the reception staff, and the nurses are all terrific. I was thankful for the referral to my orthopedic surgeon Dr. Groya. When I had a blood clot in December, I was admitted into LaGrange Hospital within 45 minutes once Debbie knew. After 6 months of being on a blood thinner, I think each one of the doctors has at one point weighed in on my Warfarin dosage. I walk into this office smiling, and I leave this office smiling.

My parents are starting with Family Medical Center of LaGrange next week. The general practioners they are currently seeing do not inspire confidence. I'm happy they are willing to make the change. My mom is going to see Debbie, and my dad will see Dr. Dupont.


There are 19 worker bees and 6 doctors. I've already given Debbie some bags - and I think Debbie knows I would make her whatever she wants. So here are 24 Mors bags for everyone else on staff. I'm constantly appreciative of the quality of medical care that my husband and I - and now my parents - receive.


In appreciation also of the earth's resources, these shopping bags come with the mantra "Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle." And for what it's worth, my fabric stash is now finally looking managable!

For My New Toy - a Prototype

I couldn't help it. When the price of the Kindle dropped, I bought. So far I'm halfway through my first book and really like it. For travel it will be perfect. But how to pack it? I experimented with a quilted carrier, one that would hold the cord separate from the Kindle. This is like an envelope with 2 compartments. The one for the Kindle is shorter, and the one for the cord is deeper so that the two don't overlap on one another. John thinks it needs a shoulder strap, but I'm not so sure.

Hostess Gift

 Today I attended a shower for the fiance of my good friend Cecilia's son Rob. This shower was given by Cecilia's sister Joan, who is also Rob's godmother. For the past week I've been cranking out Mors bags - my goal is 20 to give to the nurses, receptionists, and referral staff at my doctors' office.

As I was leaving the house for this shower, I thought about what a generous act it is for an aunt to give a shower and decided that Joan's efforts should be acknowledged. These two Mors bags are made with leftover fabric from my niece Jen's wedding quilt. Aunt Oralee and I gave Jen a bridal shower, just as Joan is giving this shower. I folded these two bags together and tied them with a ribbon for Joan. It's great to have a supply of bags on hand for occasions like this!

A Wedding Quilt - only 18 months late...

Tim and Kim Gibbons got married in March 2009. Tim is my cousin Dennis's middle child. Between our poor communication and my knee replacements, this quilt has been in process a long time. And the heart of this quilt is from when this blog first began in 2006. These leftover tumbling blocks from the quilt I made for Dodie are what caught Kim's eye. But Tim is colorblind. Then we realized that his eye would easily see the dimensionality of this design. The color order of these blocks is built around Roy G Biv, with the indigo and violet morphing into one row. Although the background looks black, it's actually a very rich blue-black batik. Here's to a lifetime of happiness for them! 55" x 75"

For Cute Little Girls

My niece Laura has three very cute little girls - Amelia, Olive, and Elle. I don't see these girls often, but tomorrow we are celebrating my dad's 85th birthday on June 24, my mom's 82nd birthday on June 21, and Laura's 25th birthday on June 22nd. I've made them little bags before, and I'm sure I'll make them little bags again. These three little girlie bags are what I'm giving the girls tomorrow. Great-uncle John will fill them with some little goodies. Fun, fun, fun!

High School Graduation + Football Jerseys = One Terrific Quilt

During my first knee replacement I met Nurse Meg Fredian, the busy mom of four kids. Her oldest has played on the Nazareth Academy Football Team for four years. In February Meg gave me all of Alan's jerseys and told me that Nazareth's colors are navy and white.

Normally I work with t-shirts and a 12.5" x 12.5" template. But these jerseys had to be cut a lot bigger. Each is 20" x 20" and has been stabilized with a fusible webbing. This quilt has a navy background and has a very light batting. The quilting is very simple. The result is this very usable and washable quilt that holds all of Alan Friedian's football memories. 65" 90"

Crafts for the Crafter

Over the weekend I saw 4 of my 6 White cousins - my parents and I drove to North Judson, Indiana where Kathy White Mattraw hosted a graduation party for her son LJ. My Aunt Betty looked great, and I loved seeing cousins Bill, Larry, and Jerry.

Jerry drove in from Kansas City. He's a mechanical engineer and enjoys woodworking, as did his father and as does his brother John in Atlanta. These spoons and boxes are lovely, and I'm pleased to have them. Click on the picture to see these pieces better. In exchange I'd like to do a house quilt for Jerry and his wife Connie. They have 3 children - one teaches in Virginia, one just started med school, and their youngest just graduated from high school.

Not with us physically but certainly in spirit were my Uncle Leonard (my dad's brother) and my cousin Jim. Both of them are still missed greatly. My visit with Jerry was a highlight of the day - he's become the wise tribal elder of the family. What a rock solid man he is - and a heck of a woodworker! A note about the wood used: the darkest box is from sassafras wood that Bill gave him. A note about the quilted background - it's my table runner made from purple and red scraps.

Quilt Adventures: The Dangers

My grandsons and I often argue whether quilting is a sport. They of course say it's not. I insist it is, complete with injuries. Seriously, look at these pictures. This football jersey quilt has been pin-based and is now ready for quilting. There are three layers - the top made from jerseys, the middle batting, and the navy blue backing - which need to be sewn into a unified whole. To keep the various layers from shifting and sliding around as they are being sewn, a quilter has to baste them together. This basting can be done with big sewing stitches (boo hiss - too time consuming), spray-on glue (boo hiss - too smelly and expensive), or pins (my method of choice). Even on big quilts I tend to use straight pins in areas that will be quilted first and thus removed and safety pins in the areas I'll quilt last. You know how you can't be too rich or too thin? You can never use enough pins for basting. Really. I bet there are over 400 straight pins in the quilt at this point.

I keep a supply of band-aids handy for my hands - there's no way I can keep from pricking them. I wear blue jeans to keep from scratching my legs and a denim shirt to keep from scratching my arms and stomach. I have had scratches in a variety of places. Also, a quilt at this point is heavy and has to be handled and handled and handled. Sore shoulders are another possible injury. Thus, the dangers. But like any other sport enthusiast, I face these dangers because I love the thrill. Starting the actual quilting is my favorite phase of quilting. I have to make myself take a break every 45 minutes or so. I love living on the quilting faultline!

Farewell to May 2010

The past six months have been a blur - travel, knee replacements, physical therapy, and very little quilting studio adventures. Except for the month we were in Asia, I have spent a lot of time in my bedroom - sleeping, physical therapy, icing with my recirculator. It's a room I love, and of course I have quilts for all seasons.

My oldest and favorite is a Blues Trip Around The World that I tied. It's our lightest quilt, so we use it in the summer. Then there my Log Cabin in Blues, which I made in 1992 during a couple of snow days. I still remember the joy of being in my old studio, snowed in and sewing to my heart's content. The third quilt is my Myrtle Beach Quilt made from shirting cottons that I bought in Beijing. It's huge and light and beachy and airy. Mani, my college roommate's daughter, has its twin, made in celebration of her mother's life. My bedroom is full of blues, white furniture, and a beadboard ceiling. It's what I imagine a summer porch of a beach house to be like, and this quilt suits the coziness of this room. The newest and heaviest quilt is the one we use in the winter - it's the twin of the quilt on the home page of this blog, Jinny Beyer's Around the World quilt in dark, rich colors.

I'm at peace in this bedroom. But now that I'm 6 weeks out of the second knee and healing nicely, the bedroom will again be used for its original purpose and no daytime lolligagging. The past 6 months have gone by quickly enough, and June 1 will mark a new page in rehab and sewing and getting back to normal.

Here's to more Quilting Studio Adventures!



Note about artwork: The Four Seasons lithograph is a piece I bought 35 years ago and still love. The Charcoal Three Gorges piece is something we bought in Beijing after being in the artist's home.

Kharma - and Ethnic Fabrics

The past 18 days have been totally self-centered. My routine has revolved around taking drugs, doing physical therapy, and icing my new knee. My dependence on John has never been greater although I have been able to carry my own coffee to the living room. But that's been it. Just 2 days ago I ditched my walker and have graduated to a cane. I'm getting up to the studio but have no stamina to do anything once I get up there. Compounding my frustration has been my quilting buddy Wayne who has been going through one of his most prolific and creative periods. Every quilt he does is one that I want to try!

I've received some wonderful gifts in the past few weeks. Terry made me the best turkey salad. Wayne and his wife Wendy sent Lou Malnati's pizzas. Daughter Julie made us some stuffed peppers. Neighbor Pam Caes and her mother made us a roasted pork dinner. My parents delivered lunch one one day from Chuck's Southern Diner. Cecilia sent a wonderful fruit basket. Paula gave me an afternoon visit, complete with snacks and flowers.

Then there's all the non-food gifts. Janet gave me the gift of an in-house ortho-bionomy session. Ed Sheehan drove me to and Midge picked me up from a massage session; Midge was also my attitude adjuster. During what I thought was my down week, she would have none of it and coaxed me nicely out of my blues. Chris and Jerry gave me flowers. Laurel and Richard gave me the new Paula Deen cookbook.



And there's Chandra from Paulsen Rehab in LaGrange. She's the physical therapist I worked with in January and February. She is a woman whom I love. The day after my new knee was installed, she came to my room with a piece of her pistachio cake and a little get-well visit. Yesterday she and her husband delivered a sewing machine (never been used!), some fabulous pound-rum cake, dal, rice, and a wonderful chicken dish (like tandoori chicken minus the tandoor). I'll resume out-patient rehab with her on May 24th; and despite the pain that will ensue, I'm looking forward to working with her again.
Even though I'm counting the minutes until I can take my next dose of Vicodin, I am finally coming out of this self-centered period and ready to think about contributing with the household chores and giving back. I've been on the receiving end of Kharma for the past 5 months, and it's time to get back on the giving end of Kharma. I may not be sewing yet, but at least I'm touching fabrics and thinking about what I want to sew. Chandra has a daughter who is interested in ethnic fabrics. When I do start to sew - and work on my Kharma - a bag for Lavina is at the top of my list!