The Center of The Labyrinth

I finished quilting the labyrinth on Sunday. I had turned it to do the feathers in the last two borders. I had not quilted the center because I wasn’t sure what to put there. I finally decided on hooked feathers in the gold and a curl and spikey curl in the green.


The tension was bad as I worked clockwise around the center. I hadn’t thought about it or I would have done half of it before I turned the quilt. Sewing right arcing back to left was a problem. I ripped it out and it was better the second time, so I left it.

I used the same orange thread as I did in the border. It blended in to the two center fabrics more than I expected. I am posting two pictures so the designs show a bit. I am not thrilled with the hooked feathers but I like the texture.

Lost Keys

I went to the grocery store today. I planned a quick trip with just a few purchases. I have a 5-10 lb lifting restriction since the surgery (laparoscopic total hysterectomy) but I have been feeling good lately and rather housebound.


I noticed when I entered the store that most of the carts were out in circulation, being used in the store and out in the parking lot. This was my foreshadowing moment and like the ditz in a horror movie, I ignored it.

I picked up my few purchases and waited in the checkout line. Pushing the cart had caused me a little discomfort, but not bad. I have been pushing my longarm doing quilting in small doses for the last week without any problems so I was surprised, but I was standing still at the longarm, and it does push easier than a shopping cart.

I left the cart in the store and walked to my car. I couldn’t find my keys. I looked all through my purse. I knew I had them in the store, because when I first got out of the car I had locked it from habit and then had to open the door to get my cloth grocery bag.

I hoisted the groceries again and trudge through the store following my previous route. No keys, no one had seen any keys. I walked back to the car and thought about leaving the grocery bag on the ground by the car while I looked some more but I didn’t. It finally occurred to me that I may have dropped the keys in the cart when I thought I was putting them into my purse.

Back to the store and of course the cart I used was long gone and now the three rows of carts are near full as two employees have brought all the carts in from the parking lot. I knew I wasn’t up to pulling out the individual carts to check them all. I asked the service clerk once again, but no keys were turned in.

Fortunately I only live a little over a block from the store, so I left my car and trudged home. I had a few minutes wait until the apartment office opened and I could get a duplicate key to use for the apartment. I called the store and the keys weren’t turned in.

My duplicate car key was inside my apartment so I walked back to the store and went in and my keys had just been turned in about 90 mins after I lost them. I blame it on the cart shuffle.

I had to take pain medication after this and I realized I probably need another week of taking it easy before returning to work. On the design wall is a donation quilt I am working on. My sister, Betty¸ cut the fabric for me with the Go cutter before she returned home last Monday. It is an Xblock pattern by Patricia Pepe http://www.patriciapepe.com/  Pocketful of Posies. It is very easy and going together well. I added the yellow dots and dark purple because I was afraid I didn’t have enough pink.

Walter the Turtle

Things to do while recovering from surgery….

The turtle design is from Susan Carlson. My sisters and I worked on the turtle collage while visiting. We are still tweaking it. Then we need to audition backgrounds. It’s been fun.



Block Swap Friendship Stars

I made 30 blocks for the swap.  It is great how quickly you can make the HSTs when you are just using two fabrics.  I have not been quilting on the longarm.

I will have surgery on 3/3/11 so I have busy preparing the house and running to appointments.  I had been facing the daunting tasks of trying to stock food for 4-6 weeks, imagining what simple meals I could prepare with lifting restrictions etc.  Fortunately I have friends that will help and siblings Jim, Jeanne and Betty are all traveling to Texas to help me.