Baseball Jersey Quilt

 Hi, and thanks for stopping by.  I recently finished and delivered this quilt and wanted to share/document the process.  

Last year my friend asked me to make a t-shirt quilt (between other projects) for her son-in-law.  He worked for the baseball team during his time in college at University of Miami.  The Hurricanes team provided him with tons of shirts, and something needed to be done with them.  Most of these were very stretchy nylon or polyester type fabrics that work better for sports players.  I also couldn't come up with a layout for a bit, until I looked again at the logo for U Miami, which is a 2 color U shape.  I realized I could use the U shape in the layout, which would use the 4 orange shirts, and 4 of the green.  One of the white ones had a front and back design, and a few had designs on the sleeves.  

The cutting and prep work began.  I saved any sleeves that had a logo, and prepped all the shirts with fusible featherweight Pellon interfacing.  But the interfacing didn't stick to most of the shirts, so I had to keep trying, with progressivly hotter temperatures with my Oliso iron, until the interfacing was really sticking to the very stretchy shirts, to stabilize them enough to make the quilt.  I ended up using a pressing cloth, as well as the woolen mat, and was finally satisfied.  

The next step was figuring out how to create the curves.  I had taken a class with Mario using the Classic Curves ruler by Color Girl Quilts.  I couldn't find mine, so I borrowed Maureen's, a wonderful friend I've made in the Evening Star guild (Mineola, NY).  But the ruler makes squares with curves, so what if I want to only curve one corner, and how much of a curve should I do?  I played with the ruler on the shirt corner for a bit, and decided to use the 7" line on the 2 outer blocks, and the 4" line on the 2 white blocks.  I cut the squares that would be the new corners with White solid from Island Batik, and the Pineneedle basic and then used an orange cotton printed fat quarter for the orange part.  

The layout was still not pleasing to me, because there were more green shirts and placement to make the U stand out would not work.  So I opted to make the 2 lower corner blocks using the sleeve designs.  I pieced them together, then added more of the Pineneedle and orange fq to make them equal the size of the blocks which was based on one shirt that had a larger design.  They all were trimmed to 14 1/2" and a walking foot was used to enable smoother sewing with the still a little stretchy shirts.  I added s small border with more White to help stabilize it.  

Margaret had asked for orange Shannon Cuddle wide back for the backing and I searched for a baseball theme quilting pantograph that would work, without being too dense or juvenile.  Flying Baseballs from Urban Elementz was the best choice, and I layered the quilt with Warm & White batting.  Aurifil thread 40-three was used for quilting, in Chalk, a soft white.  I used 50wt for piecing.  

The back.

Binding was more Pineneedles from Island Batik, and one more sleeve design was added to the label on the back, which I embroidered.  

I know he's thrilled with it, because Margaret sent me a video.  She's sure they'll be using it for many years to come.  The quilt measures about 60 by 74, and I've heard they are using it on their bed.  

I had fun, and was grateful to Margaret for giving me time to design this, figure out the curve and get it done!  I'm also grateful to have the Handi-Quilter Amara with Pro-Stitcher to enable me to quilt great designs.  

Adventurous Applique with Geometrica

Have you been following the wonderful blog hop with Island Batik Ambassadors, featuring applique and Aurifil 40wt thread?  

There have been many inspiring quilts, and today is my day to share.  

The bundle is finally opened!

I sorted by color and lights and darks. 

Island Batik sent their Ambassadors a 1/2 yard bundle of fabric, plus 2 yards each of a light and dark, and asked us to do an applique project featuring the Edge Painting technique created for Barbara Pershing's Full Bloom quilt.  My collection is Geometrica by Jerry Khiev.  The collection is filled with shapes of circles, dots and squares, plus triangles.  The colors include shades of Ravine blue, aqua, gold, terracotta, teal and dusty pinks.  My light was Egg White, one of the Neutrals always avaliable.  It's almost white with a swirled dot pattern in pastel greens, yellows and aquas.  Althought I also got Pomegranate, but I used Ravine for the outer border instead.  

So, how does one do Thread Painted applique?  Please watch the video for more information, but the basic idea is to use a glue or fusible to adhere the shapes on the background, back it with a stabilizer, and just have fun running the needle over the edges of the shapes, using a color of thread that adds to the design.  Aurifil sent us 5 small spools that coordinated with the collection, all 40wt.  I started with a new Schmetz non-stick needle in size 12.  Everything was pressed with my Oliso Pro iron.  

I have a good selection of Aurifil 40wt Mako thread, so I didn't open the navy, and used a larger spool I already had.  I love 40wt for my embroidery machine, so I have a suitcase that has over 40 colors, and I have others that I purchased or got in Ambassador boxes.  I love Aurifil thread!  

Anyway, after watching the Thread Painting video, and looking at the flowers (Stunning!!) I wanted to do something similar, but when I saw the fabric collection, I couldn't figure out how to best use the colors.  Flowers were out.  The colors were more muted, almost Southwestern, and I didn't want to do a quilt with cacti or Native American symbols.  I was pondering this dilemma when my friend Karen called and said "My husband is going out tonight, so do you want to come for pizza?"  Karen has worked with me on a few designs over the last few years, and she was an Art teacher.  I was happy to have time to pick her brain!  Her first thought was maybe Christmas.  Nope, not really a Christmas tree, it's a triangle.  And she agreed it's not a good selection for flowers.  She mentioned Mayan and then brought out a book of Egyptian symbols, including a Cartouche.  I said, "Hmmmm".  This is something that works, with the tjaps (chops, the wax resist stamps) and most Egyptian symbols are fairly easy to reproduce, and I had the Accuquilt GO! Cleopatra's Fan die, so I could use that, too.  So, after dessert, I went home and did more research.  Cleopatra's Fan Die makes a 12" square.  The quilt needs to be lap size and use as many of the SKUs as possible.  How can I accomplish all those ideas?  EQ8 was used for some basic planning, and I did lots of research on Egyptian symbols.  A Cartouche is actually a name plate, so the symbols on it are Ancient Alphabet symbols.  I couldn't think of words or names I wanted to put on the quilt, but then I saw the Ankh, Eye of Horus, and the cat shape.  I found a blog with 40 symbols and also searched Coloring Pages.  That's what I decided to use.  I had to play with adjusting the size of the printouts, to make sure they would fit an 8 by 12" rectangle, since I wanted to use 6.  (The math works for the rows).  

So, first was Eye of Horus, and I cut a rectangle of fabric from the collection, after cutting 6 background rectangles that were oversized (Embroidery and Applique usually cause the fabric to shrink, so make the background oversized to trim down later).  I didn't have paper backed fusible web, and an old bottle of Roxanne's Glue Baste It was too thick to use.  I won it and a large roll of cotton based stabilizer in a guild give-away (most items were donated by people who were no longer quilting, so I don't know how old it was.)  I did have Elmer's School Glue in a stick, and that was used on some of the pieces, but I did find a package of Misty Fuse, and my Silicone pressing mat.  Freezer paper worked as the perfect way to transfer the design and use it for cutting out the shapes.  It's great because you apply to the right side of the fabric, no need to worry about reversing the designs.

I placed my print-out under the freezer paper, used a Micron pen to trace the edges, put Misty Fuse on the back of the fabric, and then ironed the shiny side of freezer paper on the better side of the fabric.  

My note:  Batiks are hand done, so there is a side that gets the wax, and the way it's dried in the sun can also impact the design.  I pick my favorite, since it's actually hard to tell, but I like the little extra swirls and bubbles.  But if I forget, you can't tell.  

Anyway, time to take the background fabric, and press it in half and half again to find the center lines.  Find the center of the cut out shapes, and align them.  Iron the shapes to the background, and pick thread and the stitching design, and get a piece of tear-away stabilizer for the back.  For this one, I tried an applique stitch on my Janome Horizon 9450 that looks similar to thread painting.  It's a zig-zag, but with random looking edges.  I did test it out on a scrap with stabilizer and the number of layers, and actual thread so I could decide if the size worked.  Then I worked on getting the edges done.  Not bad.  Let's try something different on the next.  

Another design I found was a Column of different colors with gold lines across.  I opted to use similar colors of the Geometrica collection, and the gold colored thread for the lines.  

So, I cut strips about 1" wide of the fabrics, added some Misty Fuse to the back,  and taped the background fabric to the printout.  I figured I would just attempt to make the shapes free hand.  I tried the Thread Painting for the sides of the Column.  It was fun!  I used the clear foot on my machine and centered the needle, put the length of stitch to 1.8 and just stitched a few, hit the reverse, went back and forth along the edges of the Column.  This was fun! 

You really do need to try it.  I didn't worry if I went into the background or too far into the shape, but just had fun.  After that, I changed the blue 50wt bobbin to gold, and changed to the golden yellow spool.  I again tested out the zig zag size for the satin stitch, to mimic the lines on the colored Column I had found.  I did not go for perfection in any of these, just wanted to try a new technique and play.  I figured the actual Egyptian symbols are old and worn, and carved in stone, so they're not perfect, so I don't have to be, either.  

The Ankh was similar, but only one fabric needed.  I used a satin stitch to accent a design that was on the printout I used, and didn't want to add the feather parts, but the edge is thread painting. 

Next up was the cat and dog.  For the cat, the image had a scarf around the neck, and shading in the forward ear.  I again traced the small eye ball, the scarf/collar and the ear on freezer paper, and the cat body.  I picked some fabrics from the collection to make the cat, added Misty Fuse (except for the eyeball, that was just a dab of Elmer's glue stick, since it was sooooo tiny).  

This one was Thread Painting for the edges, in colors that worked with the fabrics (4 thread changes) and then I added an embroidery stitch that looked like the ball fringe on the scarf's edge.  I made sure to stitch the accent lines for the paws and ears.  And I used a Micron pen to add the Egyptian details to the eye area.  

What color fabric to use for the dog?  I have to go with gold, like my Heather.  

Again, the edge threadwork was fun!  A little Micron pen work on the eye, after stitching down the small triangle shape.  

Finally I picked a Lotus design that I loved. I added Misty Fuse to the fabrics, traced the design on freezer paper and then tried to get them lined up where I wanted before pressing.  (Not perfect, but again, doesn't have to be.)

For this one, I wanted the edges to have a little more oomph, so I used a satin stitch in 2 different thread colors.  

After the Cleopatra's Fan blocks were done, I cut 6 1/2" strips of all the remaining fabrics, and cut 3-4 60* triangles out of them.  What's an Egypt theme quilt without Pyramids??  Plus, that means I used all 20 SKUs in this top!  

After adding a small border of Egg White, I added a 4" border of Ravine to finish off the top.  I used Hobb's Heirloom 80/20 Bleached batting, and a grey wide back I had, and loaded the quilt on my Handi-Quilter Amara with Pro-Stitcher (Vanna the long arm) and used Aurifil Dove 40-3 to quilt it.  I picked the African Storm panto from Urban Elementz.  Egypt is on the African continent, right?? 

For the binding, I opted to use scraps from the blue/Ravine toned collection fabrics.  I cut enough sections to go around the quilt, then cut them in half, so they could look more scrappy.  

It's done!  

It measures about 58 by 61" and I'm happy that the applique part is soft and not stiff, even with the layers of fabric in some areas.  I'm really happy I decided to "walk like an Egyptian".  You sang that, right?? lol

So today is the last day of the hop, and your last chance to win fabric from Island Batik.  Go here to enter and to find the link to the last 3 weeks of quilts.  Also, please check out Pamela and Renee's posts.    And remember to look for your favorite new collections in shops.  Leave a comment below to enter to win fabric from me.  US only, please unless you want to help cover shipping.  Thanks for stopping by! 

• Pamela Boatright, PamelaQuilts
• Renee Atkinson, Pink Tulip Quilting

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

A final note!  As a Missouri Star Affiliate, you can use the link on the left to make your purchases.  This weekend is the 16th Anniversary Bash, and there are wonderful deals.  You won't get the additional 20% discount because the prices are so good, but I will still get a commission.  Thanks for shopping with me! 

Maryellen

Marvelous Minis!

 

Welcome to my Minis!  

I am so excited to share these.  

Yes, there are 2 (so far??) AND it's with 13 days to spare!! 

Normally I'm a "wait until the last minute" but this month I got started a little early. 

First up is the Diamond.  

Pattern is the Round stone from Gemology by Andrea Tsang Jackson.

I've made a similar quilt before, for my aunt and uncle.  Diamond is the traditional gift for 60th Wedding Anniversary.

This one is for Karen and Paul, my wonderful neighbors and friends.  And psudo parents growing up.  They moved into the neighborhood when I was 6, and their daughter became my best friend, and we just celebrated a big birthday together.  Still friends.  She was 4, and we did so much together, but Karen treated me like a member of the family.  She inspired me to read more, brought me to get my first library card, inspired crafting, took me to the beach and pool with them, and taught me to bake.  They were great friends with my parents, too, and really helped when I needed a little support with my mom's Alzheimer's journey.  I've helped them when I could, now that my parents are gone.  So, I wanted to do something to celebrate them, but technically it's a year late, they're married 61 years now.  

I used Aurifil 50wt in white to piece it, and a variety of Island Batik basics, including Frosting  (the flower print border because they have a wonderful garden).  Gray, Dark Gray and White solids and another Neutral were used to help it look 3-D.  The book has a number of shapes of stones, and a variety of colors, and lists certain shades for each gem.  This one called for 5 shades. The foundation piecing patterns are also available to resize as you need.  This one finished at about 18" square, perfect for a wall hanging.  I added their name and date in the border with my Janome 550 Embroidery machine, and used Aurifil 40wt thread in a darker grey.  Backing is White, with Gray binding, and I used the Double Hearts Border panto that came with my Handi-Quilter Amara and Pro-Stitcher, again with Aurifil 40-3 thread in white. 

(I hid their last name)

This was the teaser I posted on Instagram and many were wondering what it would become.  

A Diamond!!  I think it came out so pretty, and I gave it to Karen tonight.  She was so excited and said it was awesome.  She does check out my projects each month, and I'm thrilled to give her something that I made.  I hope they celebrate many more years together. 

The second Mini finished this month celebrates one of my favorite things!  

Ice Cream. 

One of the guild members did a Zoom sew along using this pattern, called Dancing Ice Cream Cones.

We're doing a few Door Decor type projects this year, and this was her suggestion for summer.  The cones are foundation paper pieced and then you can adapt the ice cream to suit your favorite, with applique.  I searched Google for coloring book ice cream and saw the Custard style, and wanted to use it.  One of my favorite treats is chocolate soft serve with chocolate sprinkles.  I picked Vanilla for the alternates.  Others who worked on their blocks used fun prints that show a variety of flavors, and scoop size and number.  For the applique, I backed each Custard with fusible web, and marked the placement with a wash out blue marker.  Then I used Aurifil 50wt in brown and white to satin stitch the edges and give a little detail to the layers of a soft serve.  I may add some embroidery in multi-color thread to the white, to mimic sprinkles.  This was backed with white, as I quilted both of these at the same time.  I used cream Aurifil 40-3 on this, and a scrap of Hobb's 80-20 batting, and the panto is Candy, which also came with my Pro-stitcher.  I was looking for an ice cream theme, but the ones on Pro-Stitcher were block style, with cones, sundaes and shakes, but they wouldn't join without adapting.  It seemed like this was a good option without spending more to purchase a panto, since the project was a mini.  This one finishes at 21.5" square.  I used some of the gold Local Motion from my signature line for the border.  The browns and tan background are all Basics from Island Batik.  Of course, I used a Schmetz needle in both the Janome 550 and 9450, and the Oliso Pro iron did a great job of pressing everything.  

I wanted to add a phrase to this, so embroidered (brown 40 wt Aurifil) Life is Sweet if you Eat Ice Cream Daily.  It was a challenge to come up with something fun, but I liked this one. 

The backing shows some of the candy, but there is something that looks like an ice cream pop.  

If I have time, after working on a few customer projects, I may do 2 more minis.  I have requests for a Christmas theme and a Autumn theme.  

Please check out the other Island Batik Ambassadors who are sharing Marvelous Minis this month.  I hope you're inspired by them.  

AND Please stop by my Instagram post with the information about my Missouri Star template give away!  As an Affiliate, I was offered these to share with someone who comments on my post and also follows Missouri Star.  

https://www.instagram.com/marymackmademine

Here's the link for my page, just check for this photo.  Comments here will not count, you must comment on that photo to get a chance to win.  Thanks!  Oh, if you want to comment on my minis, that's welcome here, lol  

2024 Island Batik Ambassadors

 Brenda Alburl ~ Songbird Designs

Renee Atkinson ~ Pink Tulip Quilting

Megan Best ~ BestQuilter

Pamela Boatright ~ PamelaQuilts

Susan Deshensky ~ Lady Blue Quilts Studio

Brittany Fisher ~ Bobbin with Brittany

Preeti Harris ~ Sew Preeti Quilts

Mania Hatziioannidi ~ Mania for quilts

Jane Hauprich ~ Stitch by Stitch Custom Quilting

Kim Jamieson-Hirst ~ Chatterbox Quilts

Victoria Johnson ~ Forever Quilting for You

Connie Kauffman ~ Kauffman Designs

Connie Kresin Campbell ~ Freemotion by the River

Emily Leachman ~ The Darling Dogwood

Denise Looney ~ A Quiltery

Leah Malasky ~ Quilted Delights

Maryellen McAuliffe ~ Mary Mack Made Mine

Lisa Pickering ~ Lisa’s Quilting Passion

Sarah Pitcher ~ Pitcher’s Boutique

Lana Russel ~ Lana Quilts

Julia Schweri ~ Inflorescence Designs

Gail Sheppard ~ Quilting Gail

Carol Stanek ~ Stitch with Color

Sandra Starley ~ Textile Time Travels

Jennifer Thomas ~ Curlicue Creations

Suzy Webster ~ Websterquilt

Island Batik Unboxing July 2024

 It's Christmas in July for the Island Batik Ambassadors, and this month, we're showing you what Island Batik has sent us for the next 6 months worth of challenges.  Go grab your favorite iced beverage (we're in a heatwave) and check out my video!  

I love the fabric and collections I received, and can't wait to make the projects.  

Here are some quick shots of the 48 pounds (according to UPS) that were sent to me.  And the challenges are great.  August is a mini, September is an applique quilt with Aurifil Thread and the collection shown.  October is the By Annie bag.  November is another hop.  Lots of great chances to inspire you and for you to get your hands on gorgeous collections.  Check your favorite shop, or use my code for a 20% discount off a purchase over $50 at Missouri Star Quilts.  

Twilight strips, plus 2 yds of a gold and brown, Bodacious Blacks strips, Glorious Greens 10" Stack, and 2 packs of Stashbuilder rolls, 5" strips by width of fabric, with 4 strips per roll.  That's about 18 yards of fabric. 

The background is Moo Milk, 6 yards, Top is Black, White and Grey solids, 4 yards each, and the rest are Foundations, Basics, and Solids.  Another 24 yards.  

This is Geometrica for September.  20 half yard cuts, plus 2 yards light (Egg white) and dark (Persimmon).  Another 14 yards, plus 5 shades of Aurifil 40wt to coordinate.  

By Annie Bag, the Round Trip Duffle, plus fabric, Soft and Stable, mesh, interfacing, zippers, buckles and clasps, and the plastic base and pattern.  It's about 6 yards of fabric, plus the rest.  Wow!  So generous. 

Did you add it up?  It's over 60 yards of fabric, plus thread, batting and more! 

Thermore in Queen, Tuscany Silk in Lap, Tuscany cotton, Black queen, and Fusible queen.  Great batting to make the projects on the list.  Again, very generous.  

Thanks to Hobb's, Aurifil thread, By Annie patterns, Studio 180 Designs, Oliso irons, and Schmetz needles.  I'm so grateful that I get to do what I love with gorgeous supplies provided by wonderful companies!  

Please check out the rest of the ambassadors to see what they got.  Lots of pretty quilts and bags will be coming soon!  

Thanks for stopping by. 

Maryellen

A Multitude of Finishes.

Hi.  I have a few quilts done, and wanted to share about them.  It's been a while since I had so many at one time, and I know there are more to go, but I needed to get some off my "plate", so once the machine was set up for binding, I decided to keep binding.  

First, I finished my Sleep in Heavenly Peace donation quilt, the June Islnd Batik Ambassador challenge.  I added a label with that info, as well as washing instructions, to the back, and it's ready to ship.  These photos are over the deck rail, because I broke my clothesline trying to hang this one up.  Add another item to purchase for the to-do list.  

I used the Studio 180* 4 patch square up tool, and Squiggles, Dots and Lines, by Deb Tucker for Island Batik strip pack.  I made a ton of 4 patch units, added sashing and I love how it looks.  It measures about 68x80", so it should give some child a comfortable sleep.  I used a red wine wide back I have in my shop, and the panto is Whisper, by Mycreativestitches.

That set me off on doing more binding.  I have a Janome Horizon 9450, which has a special walking foot, and a single hole plate that you use together.  Once that's on the machine, if I have other stuff to bind, I usually try to do it.  If I'm set up for piecing, with the 1/4" foot with guide and standard plate I tend to keep piecing.  

Anyway, I used a great matching wine color thread for the binding, which I machine stitch to the front, then make sure the bobbin matches the border (or most of the border, if pieced) and stitch the binding to the back of the quilt, and sew in the label along the way.  

Quilt #2 was sitting in a pile, and the binding was already made.  So, change the thread to golden yellow, and get that done.  This was a tossed 9 patch quilt (pattern by Quilt in a Day)  I started about a year ago, during a sew day for charity quilts.  I made an error when cutting, though, and set it aside until I could decide how to fix it.  I finished the top earlier this year, and did the quilting, but never got it bound, until this week.  Fabric is an older 5" collection by Island Batik, with a fun multi-color border called Spikes Birthday, that I sell in my shop.  

This was taken before quilting.  The one I took tonight was too dark, but it's now done.  I used a white wide back for this and the next quilt, getting both quilted on one back, with the same Aurifil 40-3 Marrakesh variegated thread.  2 charity quilts, one backing, and no extra thread changes.  That's efficient when doing charity work.  

Panto is Dancing Flowers. Binding is made from Spikes Birthday, too.  It's a fun, bright quilt and measures about 52" square.  My guild has a few charities that love to get quilts, so this will make someone happy. 

#3 is this one.  It's a top that someone made and donated to the Evening Star guild and I volunteered to finish it.  I've had it for a while, but it's done.  

This is a smaller one, about 37 by 47" and the colorful fabrics have all sorts of fun prints, including robots.  That inspired me to use Robot Road for the panto.  I made the pantos large on both, so the quilts would be really snuggly.  This one has striped binding, which was donated, as well.  

But wait, there's more! 

#4 is another top that was donated.  This one came with backing, batting and fabric for binding, so I just needed to quilt it and do the binding.  

I used a bronze colored thread, again 40-3 by Aurifil, and the Malachite panto.  

These 3 will be going to Evening Star at the next meeting. 

And #5.  

I made this in January, as a door decor for February.  I got it quilted on Sunday while I was waiting for someone (stuck in traffic) to come pick up a chair.  Quick story, I ordered new recliners.  One wasn't working, so they sent a replacement and told me to keep the other.  A local charity that fixes/rehabs homes for needy people suggested another, who would be able to fix the chair and give it to someone who needs a lift/recliner.  So, rather than waste time, I threw this on the Handi-Quilter Amara, put in the Double Hearts border panto, some pale pink Aurifil 40-3, and it was done in no time.  

Pattern is Made with Love, free from Fat Quarter Shop.  Mine measures 17 1/2 by 33", and was made with scraps of pinks from Island Batik.  I added a hanging sleeve, because I have a hanger I plan to use on the door.  I plan to make other seasonal quilts.  This may hang for a little bit, though, lol.  It's too cute to put away.  

And #6.  Yes, 6 newly complete quilts, all done since Friday.  I said I was on a roll, lol

I need to get a better photo of this open, but it was too dark outside.  It's a duplicate of a quilt I made last year, Geese in a Row.  I submitted it to Island Batik for their Fall catalog, and it was accepted.  I had to make it again, for the catalog, and didn't get the binding done before photos.  So, now it's done, and will be added to my Etsy shop.  It uses the Brilliant Blues 10" Stack collection, part of the Basics, and solid Grey for the accent, plus some shades of blue for the setting rows.  If you want the pattern, let me know.  I highly recommend the Wing Clipper tool from Studio 180 for this.  Quilted with Aurifil 40-3, in a variegated blue, using West Wind panto from Mycreativestitches.  The original didn't have Island Batik on the back, so they asked me to make a second, in case a shop wanted the patterns and trunk show. 

This is the original. 

All 6 have labels, too.  I'm thrilled I got so much off my UFO list, and hope to start something new Wednesday.  I'm getting ready for another cornea transplant next week so I think that's why I NEEDED to get something done.   I have keratoconus, and it's especially bad in my left eye.  I had a transplant about 12 years ago, and it lasted for a while, but the stress of taking care of my mom, with Alzheimer's, caused it to need a partial replacement.  That was done in September of 2021, but my eye never cleared.  I guess I rejected the donated part.  It took me a while to find another group of doctors that accept my insurance, and then to get an appointment for surgery.  I'm hoping this second full transplant will allow me to see again, from my left eye.  Right now it's like looking through a curtain.  I can see colors and some shapes, if the lighting is good, but nothing clearly.  I'm grateful that my right eye works pretty well with the RGP contact lens I have. (20/30)  I'm also hoping it lasts about 10-12 years.  Just say a prayer that it works, please.  I appreciate it!  I'm not sure what will happen if it doesn't, but I've gotten used to being half blind.  It would be really sweet if I could see to thread a needle.  Right now?? Not usually.  It's more of a luck thing.  

Thanks for reading, and I hope you get some quilts done, too.  It's a great feeling to celebrate.  

5 large and one small!  Yay, me! 

Yes, the UFO pile is still big, with more to quilt, and maybe some small stuff to bind, but the binding is not made, lol   I had the binding already sewn, pressed and tagged with the name of the top for these.  

Maryellen