Some Gifties for My Friends

Each year (this is the second annual) on Facebook (Doris Werkman is my other name) I have a giftie giveaway. I post in March that the first five friends who respond to the post will get something made by me. The first year I had seven people respond, so I made seven different gifts. This year I also had seven. I work on these things over the summer and then in the end of August or first of September I show them off. Here are this year's gifts.

This is a wallhanging for my friend kammie in the Bay Area.

This welcome banner is for my friend in Washington.

This is a bookcover for my friend Debbie in Lousiana.

These are candle mats for my friend in Missouri.

These are coasters for my friend in Missouri.

This is a shopping bag for my friend in Portland (she has to fill it herself!).

These are tea towels for my friend in Michigan.

I'll be doing this again next March!
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It's All About Summer

I love summer. I love the smell of summer, the long hot days, sunshine. I love the freedom summer brings. The days stay around long enough to allow adventures to happen. Even if they don't happen, the potential is there. Games played with the rules changing after dark. Swinging high enough to touch your toes to the tree leaves. Green and yellow and flowers laughing in the sun. Friends and family spontaneously visiting, staying for hot dogs. Laughter until it is too dark to see one another. Swimming and camping and just being.

Fall is nature grieving the loss of summer. Winter is just there...waiting for summer to arrive again. And spring is hopeful, celebrating summer's soon arrival.

And then there is summer again and sunshine and laughter.
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Benign!

Finally received the pathology report. Benign!

Now I have to tell you, getting this news was not easy. The arrogant surgeon decided the news wasn't important enough to call me and tell me. Instead he apparently has mailed the info to me. It was only my calling multiple places trying to find the news that I heard.

I don't like this doctor. How rude!

peace~~

Successful Surgery

It's been seven days since I had breast surgery and I am doing very well. The incision--about 4" across my left breast--isn't very painful and I think I am doing well. I still get tired more easily but I am doing more and more each day.

The doctor told Doug that he removed all the tumor, with no cells left behind. I am still waiting to hear the pathology report, but even if it turns out to be malignant, we are finished. The way I see it, the only way to successfully deal with a phyllodes tumor is to remove it. It is removed. Chances of recurring are less than 35 percent, so I am totally done here :)

The only real problem I am having is removing myself from Vicodin. I had this problem with oxycodone as I recovered from knee replacement in 2006. It took me months to withdraw from that drug. I was very careful, only using the Vicodin when needed. Since I didn't have that much pain, I only took maybe three-four a day for four days. This is my third day of withdrawal symptoms. I guess I have to accept that if I take any narcotic for pain, my body will fall in love with it and I will have to go through withdrawals.

Another problem is with my surgeon. I received a call from his nurse, canceling our check-up appointment. He fobbed me off to another doctor; my surgeon is now not available until sometime in August. The nurse didn't understand why this was offensive to me.

Ahh well. The rumor is removed, I'm not in much pain beyond the queasy stomach, anxiousness, and body sweats from narcotic withdrawal, and I've been able to sew quite a bit :) Too bad the surgeon didn't remove about a third from my right breast as well. Maybe give both of them a little lift...

peace~~~
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Catching Up On My Sewing

It's been a long while since I have been able to sew. Classes have been taking too much of my time. So now that school is out, I am able to put some things together and finish. Here are a few of my most recent quilts.

Daisy Mae is a fun wallhanging that helped me learn how to applique. I finished making the top last fall, but the poor thang has been sitting in my "to do" pile for a while. The pattern is from my cousin's online quilt store, Quilt Books U.S.A. It is a needleturned applique on a 3" pieced back.



Purple Haze was made from a free redwork pattern from Alex Anderson. I set the flowers on point and found this gorgeous purple batik for the lattice. The center piece is from Alex's Shadow Redwork book.



I also recently made these two quilts to give away to the Children's Relief Nursery, an organization that helps abused children and their parents. They were pretty fun to make. Rag Dolls is needleturned applique. Fairy dust was crayon-colored and then embroidered.

Rag Dolls:

Fairy Dust:

Just a week before, I made this little wallhanging for one of my favorite people who retired this year. One of his students drew a great picture of him, so I embroidered the portrait and framed it with fabric.





On to more sewing! Have a great time doing what you love.
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