Friday 15 November 2013

This and that

I can never think of good post titles but that pretty much sums up what I've been up to - at bit of this and some of that.

I have been sewing as I'm feeling much better (apart from tiredness), chemo is now done (hooray!) and my ultrasound at the end of last month showed that it has been worth it as my tumour has shrunk be two thirds (hooray again!).  I'm having surgery (mastectomy & reconstruction) next Thursday and then radiotherapy after Christmas.  Still some way to go but I feel like I'm past the worst of it now.

Anyway back to the sewing.  I've been doing quite a lot of cross stitch - before the kids arrived that was my main craft hobby and so I have loads of stuff and it was an easy option when I felt like doing something but didn't have the energy to haul out my machine.

Looking ahead to Christmas I've been doing some ornament kits I'd never got round to.


They are Mill Hill bead kits and are a nice quick project.

I've also made a quilt - unfortunately the 3 year old daughter of one of my work colleagues has recently been diagnosed with liver cancer.  As hard as my own diagnosis and treatment has been I think it must be so much harder to watch your child go through it all.

Obviously we aren't in a position to offer much practical support at the moment so I went for a quilt - I really felt the cold during my treatment.  I ordered a layer cake of Bluebird Park by Katie & Birdie and put together some wonky stars.  It is a lovely collection, sweet without being saccharine and a lovely mix of colours.  I quilted it in a loop pattern using Aurifil 50wt - Aurifil is the only cotton thread my machine will happily FMQ with.


The squirrels are my favourite
My mum had to pop back to Dubai (where she usually lives) and purely by chance brought back some flannel that happened to coordinate well (Riley Blake Peak Hour) - it turns out that a lot of fabric is shipped via Dubai and any split or damaged rolls are sold off there at bargain prices (£2-£3 per yard).


I have also started making blocks for the wee chap's Cat in the Hat quilt (no pictures, sorry) and I'm setting myself a goal of Christmas to finish it, which may be a bit optimistic given the surgery but I'll never hear the end of it if I don't get it done soon!

I'm linking up with the lovely Liz at Dandelion Daydreams

Liz of Dandelion Daydreams

Bye for now but check back tomorrow when I'll have a Craft it Forward post :-)
Sarah

5 comments:

  1. Had been thinking of you - so glad that you are over that hurdle. Your star quilt is lovely and I'm sure it will be loved.

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  2. Love your wonky star quilt! The colours and the fussy cutting in the centre of the stars are perfect.

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  3. Delighted to hear that you are feeling better and that the chemo has yielded such a positive result. Will be thinking of you next week.

    Love the quilt, well done you!

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  4. Beautiful! Very thoughtful of you. I also was extremely cold during my cancer treatment. And a quilt will bring so much comfort to that little girl....and those snuggling with her. Can't imagine what it would be like to watch your child go through that.

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  5. So glad to hear your tumour has shrunk, best of the luck with the next stages. I love the Bluebird Park line, and that is a lovely quilt, I'm sure it will be loved. And yes, I cannot imagine what it would be like to have that diagnosis for your child.

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