Update

My son's surgery went well. The surgeon was able to put the cages in front of T11 & L1, as well as rods/screws from T10 - L3 all through a single incision in his back. A big incision, but only one. It looks much like the xray at the blog top. This was all made possible because he didn't have to worry about damaging his spinal cord. Yeah, whatever.
It was a big surgery, about 5 hours and yesterday was rough. He was doing better today, though. Ate breakfast and lunch. Got out of bed, talked to people. I spent Monday night in the single most uncomfortable chair ever created, and remember I'm a hospital sleeping veteran. Not my first night in a chair. I came back to his apartment last night and tonight. I'm too old for chair sleeping. I did discover that I can lay down in 2 chairs placed seat to seat. Quite a feat. And I'm a poet.
His roommate is a 49 year old heavy guy that fell 4 feet off a ladder a week and a half ago. Smashed his leg when all 350 pounds of him landed on his right leg. Broke all 3 major bones, damaged his femoral artery, broke his patella and broke the tibia in knee joint. He's had 5 surgeries, so far. Including skin grafts to close the other wounds because it swelled too much for the skin to reach. Moral of this story? Don't trim trees with your ladder on mulch. Oh, and loose weight when your wife tells you too. Apparently she's pretty mad at him about this whole thing. Interesting people you meet in hospitals. Not.
BUT I finished a PAIR (yes, that's right, a pair. 2. ) of socks. They're in the wash right now after me wearing them all afternoon. I'm quite pleased. A few errors but whatever. I'm happy. And #2 looks better than #1. Then I created yarn barf out of my next skein and spent 3 hours attempting to untangle it. Finally left it in the visitor chair and left. AKKK!
Well, I'm going to finish my glass of wine and let the Benedril do it's thing. That's a story for another day. Unless you're an allergist looking for a challenge. Then give me a call and we'll talk.

Not Sewing..

My son is having surgery this morning. I'm in Detroit for a while to help him recover. He's having some poorly healed bone removed from this spinal column, then they're going to put new rods/screws in his back - at the FRONT of his column (like against the inside of him). Think of the photo at the top of the blog and move the hardware to the inside of him. Yes, this is a MAJOR surgery - possibly two. In the hopes of finally relieving some pain and helping him to be straighter.
Keep us in your thoughts, please. Upside? I always loose 10 pounds when a family member has surgery - and that happens way too often.

Do You Want to Play a Game?

Julia's Sew Sweet and Special asked if anyone wanted to play. The "game" is that the first 5 commenters that say "I want to play" will get something from her. Conditions are that you take what she sends, and that you play on your blog. Well, I want to play. So, here's the deal: you want something from me, be one of the first 5 to say so, leave your blog addy so I can contact you to let you know you are a winner (or a wiener? HAHAHA!), and play on your blog. I will send you something. It is my choice, and I promise it will be sewing related. It may be good, it may be bad, it may be funny, it may be cool, it may be just want you always wanted or just want you threw away, it may be something for you to make, it may be something I made. It's just a crap shoot. And I have a year to do it (though I hope it doesn't take that long!). Sew, Do You Want to Play a Game?
I drove back to DC last Saturday, a week earlier than planned. My son was doing well and the doctor said he could drive and load his chair and all that Jazz, so I was just in the way. His hip was still hurting and he's on an antibiotic (one more day), but seems to be doing well. My husbands going to spend next weekend with him.
The last night before I drove back I went to an old favorite beer and wings joint for the best Buffalo Wings west of, well, Buffalo. And big beers. And felt like it on Saturday morning. Not the best scenario for a 9 hour drive. But worst WORST WORST of all was that I left my box o' feet (sewing machine, that is) at my son's apartment. GRRRR! I had them in the desk drawer and didn't remember to get them when I packed. GRRR! again. Of course he's taking his own sweet time in mailing them back to me. Remind me of this next time he wants something, deal?
I finished my fabric post cards this morning (thankfully, the foot I needed for this was still on my machine) and will mail them out tomorrow. I've already received one from Laurie. I'll post pictures of all of them, including mine, when they're all received. But I wouldn't want to ruin any one's surprise if they peeked here. You just never know who's watching, right? I thought this was a blast to do and I know I'm really going to love it when the rest start rolling in. But I also thought it was a bit tedious by the end. I made 10 cards and doing the same thing 10 times was a bit much for me, I guess. That's probably why garment sewing appeals more to me than some other crafts. I may do this again, but not right away. (subject to change when I start finding goodies in my mailbox)
Speaking of goodies in my mail box, Wendy promised to send me a BWOF tracing for a pair of lounge bottoms from an issue I don't have. After saving it from the big New Jersey fire of 2009, she mailed it time to get to me before the holiday. AND she added an Independence Day bonus. The skirt she's wearing in this post. THANK YOU WENDY! And, hmmmm, she also sent me some fabric for making welt pockets. Is this a hint that I've procrastinated long enough? Made enough Marlene pants with OUT the pockets? Hmmm???
But since my husband will be at my son's next weekend and my box of feet should arrive this week, I'll get to sew next weekend. I'm thinking PJ's, no welts? And my July BWOF has a pair of pants I like and a pair of shorts. Passing on the poncho for now, though, I think.
And, despite the fact that it's only about 70 degrees right now I know that it really IS summer. How do I know? Yesterday we hit the farmer's market, then I got a little sunburned in DC roaming around for the 4th and tonight we had green fried tomatoes. YUM! I won't make them more than twice a season, they're just too fattening, but they're soooo gooooood and so summer. (And limiting myself to twice seems to keep them special).
If you're still reading, thanks for sticking through this whole picture-less post. I promise I'll drag out my camera soon.

A little of sewing

My son hasn't felt as well this weekend, he went out on Friday night and it may have been too much. Additionally, I think he popped his hip out yesterday and it was very painful, I made him lie down flat to look and moved him around some and I think it popped back. He seems better, now. Hope it lasts.
I made it to JoAnn's yesterday and picked up the supplies I needed for the fabric postcards. I'm using my own fabrics that I already had. The theme is summer. The rest will have to wait until they're all received. I will say that doing them is fun: they all fit, I get to use the deco stitches, I can start and stop as needed, there isn't a huge need in precision, it just fun. And it fits in my strategy of learning my machine better.
I also found (at JoAnn's) a nifty divided magnetic pin catcher, I wanted another one for the ironing area and I also like to keep plastic heads separate from all metal. And it's shaped like a heart. A piece of navy twill for some shorts for $2/yd. And Australian Stitches. I occasionally find this at JoAnn's. And it was on sale. So it was a nice trip.
And I got my hair cut, a lot. Probably 3 inches in places, I had it cut about 6 weeks ago and it may have been the worst haircut I've ever had. This one, I'm liking. I'll post some pictures in the not too distant future. My camera's around here someplace. Now that I don't live in Detroit, I find a hairdresser there that I like. Figures.

Questions answered:
okie2thfairy said...
I'm sure you've probably addressed this before but what is the significance of your photo and tagline? I'm interested but don't want to offend. If you want to discuss it, please do. Thanks!
My son was in a car accident almost 5 years ago that left him a paraplegic. I went into some real detail here . This most recent surgery was to remove the rods and screws you can see in the top photo. We tried this about 3 years ago and his fusion failed and his back broke again. This time, cross your fingers, we're doing MUCH better.
June 18, 2009 10:56 PM
wendy said...
Do you have the December 2007 BWOF lounge/PJ pants pattern? I swear it's the best one I've ever tried, and let me tell you I've sewn up a ton of PJ pants patterns in my sewing life! ;-) Let me know if you want me to send you a tracing of it! I always find other lounge pants bottoms slide down in the back, or are too baggy, etc. No, Wendy, I don't have this this issue, PLEASE PLEASE send me! I usually make a 38 in BWOF. I'll send you an email with my address. I think I still have your email in my inbox. THANK YOU!
Well, I'm off off to the eye doctor.

Day two.

He was doing well enough that I went home (well, to his apartment) for the night. I felt strange hanging out in his apartment without him. Even though all I did was take a shower and go to bed. He said he didn't sleep much, but was sleeping well when I got back to the hospital this morning. His PCA pump was disconnected this morning and he's had his last antibiotic, so they took out his IV.
He deals amazingly well with all this stuff, but he's a HAIR WEENIE. Cries, screams, yells and complains constantly when they take tape off him. He says he has monkey arms because they're so long and he can reach stuff. I say because they're so hairy. Anyway, since this hospitalization was planned, he took care of this by shaving. Everything. His arms, chest and back. Clean as a whistle. Done. (As an aside, when he was in high school he once Naired his chest. Oh yeah. Used the FAST stuff, extra strength. Oh yeah. Burned his nipples. Go ahead, laugh. This is funny stuff! Really funny. Cried for days, and I just laughed as I put Vaseline on them.)
His doctor said they may send him home this evening. I'm not too sure about that. He got up in his chair once this morning and it was tough and he was in a lot of pain doing it. I'm not sure he's mobile enough for us to manage at home just yet - getting him in/out of the car would be an ordeal. PT will come in later this afternoon, and they may have suggestions.
His private room didn't last, he has an elderly gentleman who also had back surgery as a roomy. His family visits in hoards - but they all leave together, too.

Out of surgery

His doctor had a cancellation, so he got moved up from 10:15 to 8:15, and it only took about an hour and a half (not a big deal, we just spent less time in prep and waiting around). So he was done before he should have started. After another 1.5 hours in recovery, he was in his room. And, so far, no roommate. He's always grouchy waking up from anathesea, but otherwise is doing well. The surgeon said he looked very fused, nice solid bone and should hold up. They're managing the pain well, he's eating (wishing for real food - not just jello) and taking a nap right now. He may go home tomorrow and says I can go home tonight, LOL. I guess he's a big boy, now.

A quict and non-sewing update

I drove to Detroit yesterday, quite uneventful and rather quickly. I left at 9 am and pulled into Kevin's parking lot at 6 pm. I tend to just DRIVE when I'm alone, so I did. 2 stops, once for gas and food. And once for an ATM when I realized I didn't have enough cash to get my car off the Ohio Turnpike (why can't they use EZPass like everybody else?) . And Karen, I got smart and velcro'd the EZPass to my windshield since I didn't have a side-kick to hold it up for me. (In Pennsylvania).

Today we went shopping: Kroger, Target and Best Buy. I got him a larger shelf unit for CD's and DVD's so I'd have a place on the sofa. Then I had to build the darn shelf. Whew! At least he has good tools for the job. It only took us about an hour (us, HA!). I made a quick run at JoAnn's, but just wasn't inspired, so I went on to Kroger.

Of course I have the usual clean up to do. I love my son, but he's a pig. Plain and simple.

Not to worry, all. He's 26 miles north of the center of Detroit and quite safe. We lived here for 14 years and he stayed when our jobs moved us to D.C. The JoAnn's is a nice one (includes a Viking outlet with lots of feet for my new fetish) and Haberman's is only about 1/2 hour away (even less from the hospital). I need to do some research and see what I need for the Fabric post cards . I have my fabric, but that's all. Sometime over the next couple of days I'll have to move his school desk to the dining room for me to work and sew on. Scoot it in next to the weight machine I should use.

His surgery is at 10 in the morning. He's looking at probably a 2 day stay and then home. We chose a closer hospital to home this time, so I'll be able to come and go better. May even get to sleep in a bed on Tuesday. Hey, it could happen.

A Rant and a Rave

First the rant. If you've followed along for the past year, you'll have gathered that I really struggle getting my Pfaff to do button holes. To the point that I start to sweat when it comes times. I've had so many really bad ones, spent so many hours picking them out and even wadding up an almost finished garment. Well, here's the latest mess. First the trial. Not too bad, if you don't care that they don't really start and stop at the same place (look at the tops), so I can't use any of the keyhole or rounded templates. Only the straight ones, so they still work. Anyway, I thought I was as good to go as it was going to get. Here's the real one. On my trousers. With the waist band attached and top stitched. Seriously, I almost cried. I still might. I'll try to pick this mess out. And maybe try again with the Singer. WHY!!!!!????? It started at the right, worked to the left, straight stitched up to the right and then zig-zagged 3/4 of the way back and finished off. (if it seems backwards, this is the underside, it shows better in the lighter bobbin thread) DAMN IT!

And my rave, as a follow-up to last night's tracing paper. I promised Kathryn I would confirm whether the Beinfang paper will bleed through a Sharpie. That's be "no". None. Here's my amazing art work. I'll be incredibly humble and decline any requests for commissions. Sorry. And here's the paper I put underneath This is a really cheap absorbent made for kid's art paper from Ikea. You don't see nothing do you? That's be point. Not one mark went through. Now I didn't have a wide Sharpie (isn't that an oxymoron?) but mine are new and, well, juicy. And I held them in place for a few seconds a couple of times. BUT they will smear if not given a few seconds of alone time. And yes, for those of you who are interested, yes, that IS permanent marker on my finger and yes, it is still there after washing my hands.

And finally. Thank you all who left such positive messages concerning both my son and Stem cell research. I was afraid to post this, afraid I would loose followers, that I would blasting messages concerning abortion, GW Bush and where I am likely to spend eternity. I received only positive messages, I didn't delete a single one (if you're keeping score). I am touched by all your comments and proud to call you all my friends. THANK YOU!

A little background

Four years ago, just before my son was to start his senior year of high school he was involved in a major traffic accident. He and 2 friends were returning from a day at the lake, my son was in the passenger seat, a 16 year old was driving and his 14 year old brother was asleep in the folded down area of an older Ford Explorer. Apparently the driver fell asleep, only a few minutes after leaving the lake, veered off the road and hit the only damn thing there was to hit in a big corn field: a utility pole. My son was thrown from the vehicle as it flipped and rolled, they had to cut the brother out of the truck. The driver walked away with a banged up knee and split lip. The brother has his spleen removed that evening and a spinal fusion done later that week - lucky for him he had no cord damage. My son broke his back at T12 (about the waist), his right thigh, his pelvis in 2 places and had a few other bang up injuries. He went to the trauma unit for 3 weeks. He was not wearing his seat belt, and surprisingly this was good. There was no part of the truck left where he was sitting, the engine was in the back seat on the passenger side. Again, I will spare you the photos, they aren't pretty. They pinned his leg and fused his spine that night. He was left as a complete paraplegic, meaning no feeling or movement below the level of his injury.

He also lives alone and goes to school. Dates, hangs with friends, cooks (sort of, but he's only 21 and a guy), shops and drives. He graduated that June with his class. THAT'S a picture I will share: Life does go on, just not the same way.

He's had a rough time in recovery: a staff infection, rod failure, fusion failure. He's on his 3rd set of hardware and it's likely that it will be replaced this summer (that's his xray at the top of my blog, you can see the hardware). Most of his high school friends went off to college while he was in rehab. His girlfriend dumped him (yeah, probably would have ended anyway, they were 18). He's still struggling to finish an associates degree while fighting pressure sores and UTI's. There's so more to being paralysed than not walking.

Thank you to all of you who cared and are concerned, it means a lot. It's ok to ask. I will answer if appropriate.

Hope

It is likely too late for my son. His injury is too old and too severe, but maybe someday soon a 17 year old thrown from a vehicle will walk again. A 14 year old who dove into a shallow lake will write his name again. A 29 year old mother with epidual problems will feel her her newborn nurse. It's time.

US approves first human embryonic stem cell therapy

WASHINGTON (AFP) – US authorities have approved the first human trials using
embryonic stem cells to test a pioneering therapy to help paralyzed patients
regain movement, the FDA said Friday.
"The FDA has granted its clearance for
a new drug application of Geron Corp for a phase one clinical trial of an
embryionic stem cell based therapy in patients with acute spinal cord injury,"
FDA spokeswoman Susan Cruzan told AFP.
Earlier, the California-based biotech
firm Geron Corp. announced the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had been
cleared to carry out human trials of a novel therapy called GRNOPC1.
"The
clearance enables Geron to move forward with the world's first study of a human
embryonic stem cell based therapy in man," Geron said.
The goal is to inject
cells into the spines of paralyzed volunteers, between seven to 14 days after
they are injured, hoping this will prompt the damaged nerve cells to regrow,
enabling them to eventually recover feeling and movement.
"This marks the
beginning of what is potentially a new chapter in medical therapeutics -- one
that reaches beyond pills to a new level of healing: the restoration of organ
and tissue function achieved by the injection of healthy replacement cells,"
said Geron's president Thomas Okarma.
Embryonic stem cells are highly
versatile, primitive cells capable of developing into any tissue of the
body.
"The neurosurgical community is very excited by this new approach to
treating devastating spinal cord injury," said Richard Fessler, professor of
neurological surgery at the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern
University.
"If safe and effective, the therapy would provide a viable
treatment option for thousands of patients who suffer severe spinal cord
injuries each year."
The company stressed the therapy had been developed
using cells derived from the existing H1 human embryonic stem cell line, created
before August 9, 2001 when former president George W. Bush banned using new
lines of such cells for research.
Bush banned all federally-funded research
on new lines of embryonic stem cells, but the FDA's announcement may mark the
start of a shift in the nation's stem cell research policy under President
Barack Obama.
Obama said before his inauguration on Tuesday that he hopes
Congress will introduce legislation to overturn the ban, telling CNN he was
still exploring the idea of issuing an executive order to revoke Bush's
ban.
Stem cells are a source of huge interest in medical research. Supporters
point to the vision of material that can be grown in a lab dish and then
transplanted, regenerating tissues destroyed by disease, accident or
war.
Embryonic stem cells have triggered the most enthusiasm, but in the
United States they have been shadowed by controversy.
They are taken from
early-stage embryos, which are destroyed in the process, prompting some
religious groups to brand the process as unethical.
In blocking federal
funding for stem cell research, Bush sided with religious conservatives who
argue that research on embryos destroys human life, albeit at its earliest stage
of development.
Research into spinal injuries was given high-profile support
by "Superman" actor Christopher Reeve, who was paralyzed in a riding accident at
the height of his career and died in October 2004.
Reeve long championed stem
cell research after his 1995 accident, and even accused Bush of obstructing
medical research which might help him.
Geron said it had submitted a
21,000-page dossier to the FDA to back up its request for the study, citing
evidence that the treatment was effective among lab mice and rats.
The
so-called Phase One trial will be conducted among a small group of patients with
"functionally complete" spinal cord injury, mainly to see whether the treatment
is safe.
Under a cautious three-phase procedure, two further sets of trials
then take place among progressively larger groups to see if the therapy is both
effective as well as safe.

Christopher Reeve died less than 2 months after my son's accident. Our lives were still centered on PICU hours and rehap schedules. 4 years later we have new lives, but they are not the same. That cloud is always there. That weight always on our shoulders. Knowing you will likely outlive your child. Watching dreams die a little more every day. We can't go back, but we can pray that someday soon families won't have to feel this pain, that they can look at old photos without crying. When Reeve died, so did a lot of people's hope in a cure. When Bush's policies became known, my own hopes died, my son's window of hope closed. I stear clear of politics usually, but this too important.

I have photos I could post here. I won't do that to my readers or myself. If anyone is offended or against this, I'm sorry for you. All I can say is not to judge until you've walked in those shoes, and don't choose your viewpoint without knowing all the facts, not the rhetoric.

Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but if you feel compelled to leave religious, political or "blasting" comments about this post they will be deleted. I welcome comments, something of a "Comment 'ho" as Carolyn says, but there are lines.

My Sewing Back Story

In the theme of other blogs this weekend, started by http://www.lindsaytsews.com/2009/01/whats-your-sewing-back-story.html Lindsay, here's my story.

I can't remember when sewing wasn't around in my life. My mother sewed. A lot. I think one of the reasons she wanted girls (vs. boys and we were both adopted) was so she could sew for them. And she made us some beautiful dresses. We always had special ones for Easter, Christmas, our birthdays, St. Patrick's Day, Valentine's day, Forth of July, well you get the idea. As we got older we were not so appreciative of the matching outfits and, to my eternal shame, started whining about wearing the nice things she made and wanted the cheap junk from Sears or J.C. Penny's - "Like everybody else". But, at the same time, it rubbed off on me. I made Troll clothes - nothing more than squares with armholes cut out, doll clothes, and Barbie clothes (those things are tough! they're so small!) and a stuffed lady bug. And then moved on to real clothes.

My Aunt Mae made everything she made, not that she was a style guru - she lived in the country in cotton house dresses. And she used the scraps for the most beautiful quilts. And I don't have a one of them. She tried, bless her heart, to teach me to quilt, but it never took. I just never got into it. I wanted to, but just NOPE. She did show me how to crochet. But not how to stop. Somewhere, there's a purple granny square the size of a queen bed. Unblocked.

My mother had a Singer 201, purchased in 1952, likely as a wedding gift. And I'm sure she couldn't imagine life without a sewing machine. That's just how you got clothes to wear. She even made my dad's shirts for a while - not the dress shirts he wore to work, but all his "Saturday" shirts. This machine is cabinet mounted and now resides in my sewing room. I used it today for button holes.

By the time mandatory HomeEc hit in Junior High, I was an old hand at this. While the others made elastic skirts, I made the most coolest pair of hip-huggers. White denim with anchors (think nautical) up and down. As I recall, my waistband didn't work and I didn't have enough fabric to re cut it. So I turned it into a facing and wore them to death. They much have been really low slung, as they started out as hip-huggers and then missed the waist band. Whatever. I was cool. We had a fashion show and I was the hit. The only class member not in a skirt.

In high school, I went through a bizarre "Little House on the Prairie" phase and made a lot of dresses and skirts. I loved full skirts and little flowers. (Don't judge me, you had your days!) The fuller the better, and I remember mom complaining about how much fabric it took.

The sewing machine moved all over the house, sometimes in my parent's room, sometimes in the dining room, in the rumpus room, in my room. But I always cut on the floor in the living room/dining room area. It still feels odd to cut on a table.

Other than HomeEc, I've never had a class, and I knew as much as the teacher for that. Mom taught me most of the basics and I was fearless. If I wanted it, I did it. In college I didn't sew much, no machine except at home, and other things to do. After we got married and Mom got sick, she gave me the machine. I used it sporadically, some for clothes, some home dec, Halloween costumes. Then my son got busy in school, I went back to school, DH started traveling and the machine got tucked into a closet.

Fast forward until last year. I'd been thinking about it for a while and finally just did it. I was convinced the old Singer had problems (like, I had never oiled it. In 20 years!) so I went on a search for a new machine. With the help of my BFF and SG I purchased a Pfaff and started up again. It's been fun and hard.

I don't really have anything to write about tonight, I'm just here, so I thought I'd leave a mark. I updated my Sewing to-do list. **sigh**

Looking forward to getting moved. I'm going to have the "den" (aka closet?) seriously small! for my sewing area. It will be nice to have it all in one place. Furniture by Ikea. Need to add a couple of filing cabinets, too. And a chair for sitting.

Drove by the place last weekend. Looks like the blinds are up, but it didn't look like they'd put any on the loft window. Hard to tell, though. Cancelled the cable today, no direction (ie when Susan's going to want to switch over) for the rest of the utilities. Put in the COA.

Helped Kevin with a paper yesterday. Worse part was that it made me watch Road to Perdition. Dark, slow, and way done before. I knew I didn't want to see it when it came out.

Good chance to update on a couple of other items. My quad friend is doing much better. Still the hospital, but ALIVE. She even went out and voted. First time out of the hospital since last June. Hard trip, but she did it. Slow recovery, but recovery.

Tara Grant's husband/murderer was found guilty of 2nd degree murder and received 50-80 years. Makes him 88 when he first comes up for parole. I say "let him out" at 88. HA! He has, of course, applealed. Her sis got the kids and her case was on Dateline last week.

Another on-line friend from CC commited suicide the other day. Just couldn't take it. T5, refused rehab. Injured on a motorcycle trip from Alaska to S.A., hit a donkey (seriously!) in Mexico. The donkey just died faster... My favorite injury story, though. Next is the girl who fell off the porch railing while making out. **sigh**.

K's done with school end of April, will come see us then. Looking forward to it!

Well, for a nothing day, I guess that's it. G'nite.

Sewing update, part deux

I now have 2, count 'em 2, completed and wearable projects. I finished the blue cami yesterday. It looks nice. Not perfect, but probably no one other than me would every know. I've worn RTW that was done worse. Unfortunely, it doesn't go with the suit, either in color or style. I may alter the neckline before I do another. Make it a little more rounded & higher. I don't mind the V, but it's too low for work or with a suit. Other change I may make is to make it about 1.5 inches longer. Otherwise, it fits well and should go much easier next time.
AND I finished the skirt!!! Hemmed it (on the machine, sorry, mom) an used a skirt hook/eye for closure, rather than a button. I may still put some lace trim on the bottom, I think that would increase wear-ablility and direct the eye away from other flaws. I have a sweater set that will go nicely. Added: I did go back and put the lace trim accross the bottom. I think it looks much better. It adds interest, it was a little bland, and hides flaws.
Kevin says his ankle looks better. I'm still worried that it's healing outside and not inside.
Been looking for a new place to live. Our TH is for sale, so we need to move on. W has a meeting with the Pres of BU tomorrow and we'll see what's next. I like the TH, but not the emptiness and starkness.
Wish I had my camera so I could post pics of the sewing achievements, but I left it with Kevin so could send me pics of his ankle. He hasn't done so, though.

Sewing update

Time to update the sewing venture, inclusive of the skirt saga.
First, let me ammend my prior statement concerning the workability of the houndstooth fabric. It turned out to be a PITA! I didn't know anything could unravel that fast without the assistance of a kitten! Geez Louise. And I had to handle it so much that I have strings everywhere and am having a hard time matching seams because they've frayed beyound recongnition. And the zipper. JCSS, now in for the 4th time and will stay. Whatever. Done. I did have an "AH HA" moment the other day that should prevent the same problem again (not to say I won't develop new problems, but I dislike redundancy) I was using my regular zipper foot on an invisible zipper, so I wasn't getting in close enough to the coils. And yes, the SOB pulled apart when worn. I ended up stitching it down as a topstitch. Not perfect, but ok. It did alright since the fabric has such a small, busy print. Wouldn't have worked on another fabric. I'm going to insist that finish this one this weekend. I think, for the flaws in the fabric, I'm going to do a Decorative stitch over them. I'll need 2 rows to cover, but I may do 4-5 for interest. And I need to hem it.
On other sewing news, I've been hitting the local Hancock's. Once I got in there and took some time, I found some nice stuff. So I have fabric for 2 cami's using B4736, view C. I have 2 fabrics: a deep blue and a lighter more purbly blue that's very silky. I'm going to make the darker one this weekend as I think the fabric will be easier to work with and I want to get the fit right. I also still need trim for the lighter one.
I went back again last night to get patterns and a couple of other fabrics I wanted, with partial success. They had none of the patterns in my size, so I ended up joining BMV and ordering on line. Don't know how long that takes for delivery. And a couple of the fabrics I thought were on sale were not, so I didn't purchase. BUT I did buy the wool Red/Black/White plaid for a skirt, I want to use the pattern I just used, with mods. And a deep brown stretch velvet to make out of V8390. I have some cheep knit to make the first out of as a trial and (hopefully) wearable muslin. But that pattern is one I had to order, so it isn't ready to start, yet. That's okay, I have enough to keep me busy.
My BFF, is coming up to see me in February and we're going sewing-shopping. Hitting G-Street and Michaels. Have a couple nice dinners, hang out a bit. I need a friend fix and am looking forward to seeing her and having a sewing inspiration.
In other news... Kevin's ankle seems to be getting better (according to him, I'm still very concerned), I'm going home in a couple of weeks and will judge for myself. W's going to CA & ID next week, so I'll have some sewing alone time and can catch up on my TV DVR. I've lost 3 pounds, not monumental, but my clothes already fit better. Collegue at work quit, he's over there now packing up his office. 27 years collects a lot of stuff. I put in for his job, but that will go to Wm, so I guess I'm in for Wm's job instead. I also need to call MR and talk about Houstan.

Well, I told you I was busy.

The wound care doctor gave Kevin a script for some boots to wear at night to keep the pressue off his ankle. That was all, no antibiotics or anything. Kevin says it looks better, I sure hope so.

After 4 FOUR 4 Freakin' tries, I finally got the Freakin' zipper in the skirt. Still looks iffy, but better than the other 3 tries. It kept pulling apart a the fold line, so I ended up topstitching it like a regular zipper. Maybe I'll get to the side seams tonight and then the hem. If I like it after that, I'll get the tape for finishing, or just let it go. OR I could use a dec stitch on the two lines, maybe add a third or fourth. Hmmmm. Just don't know what to do about the zipper. Also needs a button and button hole, though it may just get a hook & eye.

After some pretty cold weather, it's turning really nice. We went for a walk in OT yesterday, and sat down for a while at the river. Saw an eagle (probably a golden) fly up towards the District. Awesome site. Going to be in the 60's today and 70's tomorrow before getting cooler and raining on Wednesday.

I'm back for an update. Kevin has a sore on his ankle, NOT good. I'm sending him to the doctor tomorrow for a referral to a wound care clinic. The problem is keeping the pressure off it for it to heal. I know people who've fought ankle sores for their entire lives. Kind of scared about this one.

Here's the pic of my old sewing machine that I've been promising. I've gotten a little excited about it after doing a little internet research.

Vacation's over after today. My flight back to DC leaves at 7:15 tomorrow and I've a ton a work waiting for me. It snowed like crazy last night, about a foot out there, it's kind of hard to tell because it drifts and blows. Hope Steve gets the driveway plowed or it will be a real problem getting out of here in the morning.

My First Entry on my First Blog

The first step is always the hardest. Where to start, what to say, what font to use.

So: what I've been doing lately?

I want to get back into sewing, so I've been researching machines and websites. I'm about ready to buy. I suspect I've overthought this whole thing, and need to "JUST DO IT" (Swoosh). Looking at the Singer 7470 and I may just "DO IT" on Friday. I have that day off and it sounds like a plan. I'm anxious to get started now that I've decided I want to do it.

I've been following the progress of a friend of mine, from Canada. She has a SCI and went septic this summer following a flap surgery on her ankle. She's finally doing MUCH better, it was very touch and go for a while, she spent about 3 months in a coma and is just now rallying. Really miss her posts on CareCure. I really didn't think she'd make it, but she's stronger than she looks.

I'm so far behind in Christmas Shopping that I'm starting to panic. I have NO IDEA!!! what to get my son. He wants PS3 or XBox360, but that's not going to happen until after he graduates. Seriously, the dude's 21! Get on with it!

I've gone back to the gym after a long absence. And trust me, it shows. Okay, I had a damn good excuse for about 6 months. Not sure about the next 2 years, though. Hmmmm.

My dad died in May, and I am the executor of the estate. It's getting better, over the big hump, now. But there's a biggie coming up on Monday. If that doesn't happen, things could get really ugly. Speaking of ugly, my sister stole $22k from the estate.

And then there's the day job.... That really prevents me from doing all the above.