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Sunday, February 10, 2013

A Little Silver Lining



Since my diagnosis of shingles, I have tried to be calm and not stress - since that is apparently what brought this on.  One of my all time favorite things to do that does not stress me at all is hand applique.  Fortunately, I had just the project.
I was planning on having some friends help me applique these borders for the opportunity quilt "In Full Bloom".  But since I have been housebound and couldn't go to work, I had extra time on my hands and needed something to do. :).  Lucky for me I had almost 10 yards of vine and about 150 leaves to applique.  The blue circles are the markers for the flowers.  I had to completely rip out one of the vines, but I only had one side done so it wasn't too bad.  There is something so soothing about vines and leaves.
Once those were done (or at least as far as I could go at this point) and since I was still in the "zone", I pulled out my Jubilee Quilt.  This poor thing has been seriously languishing for months.  I'm still struggling with exactly how to finish these borders, but I'm at least moving forward.  Technically my jubilee year is over, but I didn't start this quilt until the end of March.  It's going to be so pretty, but it's been so hard.  I know it will be worth the effort.  My blisters are starting to dry and my pain level is down.  Thanks for all the well wishes.
-Karen

13 comments:

Dianne Mitzel said...

I had a mild case of Shingles some years ago, brought on by stress. I ran to the dr. and got a shot, and the same treatment you had, I'm sure. I swear by Balmex, it's wonderful, and gave me instant relief. It's in the baby products area of the store. I am going to get the vaccine next week, you have convinced me that I do not want to take a chance on this happening again. Prayers for your complete recovery!!
diannemitzel1@hotmail.com

regan said...

I'm so glad you are de-stressing, and it's giving you some relief. Thank goodness we love stitching.....it really is a cure-all! :o)

I'm in the same place with my jubilee quilt....I'm stuck on the back. I just can't seem to get a clear picture in my mind of what it should look like. So it's sat for months on my design wall, with no progress. So glad you are getting back to yours!

MamaT said...

I agree....vines and leaves can be so soothing. Hope you're all better soon!!

Pokey said...

I hope your healing comes quickly, I'm sorry to hear of the shingles! Your vines will be a neat project ~
:-}pokey

Janan Doster said...

I am so glad to hear that you are a bit better. I am sure you will be glad when you are over this.
You are so right that there is something about having a needle and thread and stitching on applique that just soothes the soul, and now we know it soothes the shingles too!

Karen said...

I am not so sure that stress is the only factor in shingles appearing. I was not stressed when mine broke out. I hope they go away soon.

QuiltSue said...

At least you had something to help you stay calm and stressless. I'm glad you're starting to feel a tiny bit better.

Barb said...

glad you're feeling better!
the vine are beautiful and I love what you're doing with the Jubilee quilt.

Barb said...

glad you're feeling better!
the vine are beautiful and I love what you're doing with the Jubilee quilt.

Ruth said...

I'm glad you found a way to de-stress your life a little and hope you continue to improve. I don't think hand applique would do that for me, but I'm working on my basket blocks for February.

Fanypap said...

Amazing artwork!!!Bravo!!!Kisses from Greece.

Kim Brackett said...

Oh, no! I'm so sorry to hear about your shingles. I wondered why you hadn't called me for a lunch trip to A&E. I hope you're better now, and feeling normal soon.

I laughed when I read that you've appliqued 10 yards of vines and 150 leaves to relieve stress. I'm pretty sure having that much to applique would cause me to have shingles. :-)

Hugs!

FlourishingPalms said...

Your vine and leaves look so-o familiar! I have a UFO that need only two borders finished, pretty much like yours. Wish I could pass them on to you. I like to do hand applique, but it's so darned slow. I always feel like I'm not accomplishing anything. I didn't know that shingles keeps you housebound. I'm so sorry, but it's good to know you're getting better, and especially that you've had the supplies on hand to keep yourself busy. Great work!