I am in desperate need of a some organization… I have not posted anything for the last couple of weeks because I was not organized enough to get the photos up and posted. I have about 5 quilts finished and photographed but I have not been able to get them sorted and corrected so that I can post.
So here comes the admission… I am not quite myself at the moment… and actually have not been for a little while. You see it seems the knock to my head a the end of 2016 did a little more damage than originally thought. I have not been able to read properly for a little while… my eyes and brain are not communicating the way they should be. It means that blogging has been a much more of a task than it used to be… and I have been reluctant to do it.
The quilting though has been surprisingly easier than my Neuro-optometist thought it would be. There is a lot to be said for muscle memory. It seems all those years of mindlessly sewing has helped me continue working during this fun phase… though some of my paper piecing stitches have not followed the lines the way they should…
After keeping this under my belt of the last 6 months I thought I should come clean about the struggle. I am seeing a large number of people with the word “neuro” in front of their title and things are getting better…slowly. So I ask for your patience as I try and find a rhythm as my brain heals.
All that being said I do have a quilt to share this week… and it is one I LOVE…
This quilt is another beauty that came out of a PMQG Charity Sew Day. It took tons of brightly colored solid scraps as well as some cream/white scraps – I spent a lot of time with my Accuquilt cutter cutting 5 inch squares for this one!
The solids worked so nicely and I have become a bit of a solid fan for charity quilts…. though I do miss the novelty fun that comes from using prints…
The quilting on this piece is beyond amazing. One of our talented long armers, Cindy Lund had a field day… each star is quilted with a different pattern and the sashing is free motioned. The quilting really does make this quilt so much more special.
I mean it is beyond anything I had imagined when I handed the quilt over… I am always in awe of the work of our amazing long arm quilters… they do such an amazing job… and it is a job that I am not particularly fond of, which makes me even more grateful for their time and talents.
As this is quite a large quilt I used a nice piece of wideback for the backing. The backing was donated by Elizabeth Hartman and is part of her widleback collection for Robert Kaufman. I have a been so grateful for the wide back donation we got from Elizabeth… it has saved me piecing backs for so many of the larger quilts.
To finish the quilt off I made the unusual decision to bind in white… because the sashing was not added around the outside of the quilt a darker binding would have made the quilt a little imbalanced I think.
This beauty is labeled up and headed to Camp Erin. We have a wonderful collection of quilts going to this cause this year. I was thrilled to run across the documentary “One Last Hug” on HBO last month, which is about Camp Erin… it is always nice to know more about where the quilt are going and who they are helping.
Quilt Details:
Quilt Block: Traditional block known as African star or pinwheel star
Block size: 12 inch
Fabric: Solid scraps with Kona white and Snow background.
Finished Size: 54″ x 68″
WOMBAT QUILTS 
Oh my word, what you’ve been quietly coping with in the background… I hope the neuro-everybodies are able to do something to help or at least manage the issue. Thank you so much for lining things up enough to share this really gorgeous quilt with us, I do appreciate the effort it must have taken. So worth it!
Our bodies are complicated and amazing things, right? Thank you for sharing about your healing process and the patience it requires. Glad that you can continue to sew! Your quilt is beautiful. Those bright colors just pop and your longarm friends did an amazing job on the quilting!
This quilt is so beautiful! Thank you for sharing your journey. I wish you healing.
Good luck with your healing. I’m glad that you can do some sewing at least!
This quilt is JOYFUL in it’s color and quilting. Sorry that you are frustrated by your recovery, but know that we are supportive of the process. So take your time with blogging. We can wait. We want you healthy and happy.
Good luck with your healing! Another gorgeous quilt! The colors are so bright and cheery!
Your quilt is gorgeous. It is the quilt that may convince me to make my first all solid fabric quilt. So sorry to hear about your health challenge. As a senior, neural health is frequently on my mind. We are very much at the mercy of our bodies. I hope for the return of good health for you.
Greetings,
I understand your plight as I am dealing with a brain injury from 16 years ago and seeing some real deficits now. I am working with functional neurology and Neuro-Integration Systems work, both fascinating and helpful. I am learning about the brain’s functions and what happens in an injury. Perhaps one of the reasons that sewing still works for us is the tactile aspect of handling the fabric and the pure joy we experience (most of the time) while quilting. When they say its a no brainier…this is what they mean!!
Take heart and hang in there…..we have brain plasticity on our side.
It`s just fantastic!
Sorry to hear about the struggles and worries. But glad to hear things are gradually improving and sewing has been possible. The quilt is a stunner.
Hi from Pennsylvania,
Our guild makes quilts for Camp Erin too. It is meaningful to be able to give the tangible comfort of a quilt to children experiencing grief and loss.
I am recovering from a very major back surgery which took place last fall, and still seeing Neuro people as well as therapists to try to get nerves muscles and brain all in sync again. Thank you for being open about your struggle. There are many of us on the long road to recovery from some physical event. Sew on and hang in there. I love seeing your work.
Your brain is an amazing organ in that it can rewire itself. It takes a bit of time but it does it. Loving your quilt and your good cause.
This quilt is so lovely; now I want to make it! Though perhaps a bit smaller version. I hadn’t heard of Camp Erin, but I will look it up today. ❤
Thank you for sharing your situation! I will be praying for you.
The quilt is fabulous! I love the colors, design, and quilting!
Awww, I’m so sorry for your trouble. That being said, I still need to become a charity so that I can get one of your amazing quilts! I lost my mom this month, she was 94. She was in a lot of pain those past few months, and it was bitter sweet, but it’s kind of a blessing. This morning, a friend texted me, and told me that her 71 year old father had succumbed to the cancer that he had been battling since September. Your bright and beautiful quilt put some cheer in my day. Thanks!
Linda I am so sorry for your loss. Even though 95 is a good innings it is hard to say good bye. Was your mom a quilted?
Actually, she started quilting when she was about 70. She had always wanted to. Growing up in Georgia, with no electricity, and various elderly relatives, she remembered that after dinner, they pulled the frame out of the ceiling after dinner, and quilted. I inherited one of the quilts, a New York beauty. I wish that I could figure out how to post a picture. It’s simply hand stitched. I also got a tatted bed spread. They were made by my great aunt Mattie’s, a spinster. I also have some of her “widow’s weeds.” Her fiancee was killed in WWI, and she never married. I never had the pleasure of meeting this remarkable seamstress.
Oh those quilts are so precious. I love that your mum started quilting at 70. I started at 30 and thought I was a late bloomer. It reminds us all that you are never to late to learn something new.
All of your quilts are wonderful. I have made quilts for Camp Erin too and I love how you make each charity quilt special. Most important thing to do is take care of yourself. I’ll be waiting here for your next post. As always it will be appreciated, whenever it appears.
Thanks Neena. I am hoping to get some posts pre-scheduled so I can get ahead of stuff.
Feel better! Slow and steady!
I like slow and steady. It is my new pace.
Very sorry you are needing to be side tracked from doing more of what you love. So glad though that you have lots of ‘neuro’ people to help you to your recovery. Sending good wishes. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks June. I never knew there were so many neuro people in the world.
You do such beautiful work! Thank you for your blog – but please don’t let it take too much out of you! Best wishes for your journey forward!!
Thanks. I will find a balance that means I am still sharing but not stress out my brain too much.
It was good to see your post! I do hope that you feel better soon and improve with each day! Please know that your quilting friends are cheering you on! Beautiful quilt – so fun and cheerful!
I am so sorry to learn about your health issues. It’s especially difficult when you don’t feel right but you still look the same so people don’t realize that something is going on. I hope all the neuro-people will be able to help you get back to feeling like yourself.
The quilt is absolutely wonderful. I love how bright and happy it feels. The recipient is truly lucky!
The quilt is so bright and cheerful. Positive thoughts heading your way that you will soon be feeling 100% better.
Beautiful quilt, Cath! I love the pattern and all the colors, but, like you said, the quilting is amazing. I am so sorry to hear about your injury, and the slow healing process. My sister suffered a head injury almost five years ago, and still sees multiple “neuro-expensivists” as her case-worker calls them. Like you, she struggles with reading and computer work. Fortunately, she can still quilt, which, not only, provides a creative outlet, but also therapy for her brain. It’s been a long road, but she’s making progress. As Quilting Tangent said, slow and steady. One hurdle at a time.
Sending love and prayers for healing and wholeness! I am the Momma of a young woman who had a stroke at 23. (She is now 27 and doing so well) The neurology team told us that we would deal with acute symptoms for more than a year. . . and could (possibly) see some lingering issues for life. Take time and take care! I am so inspired by you and hope that you find your new normal and feel comfortable in your own skin soon!
Thanks Melissa and it is great that your daughter is doing well. It is a strange, slow path when the brain is injured. You never know what to expect.
A beautiful quilt of colour. I wish you well on your road to recovery. Have you heard of Brain Gym? I used it with children during my career as a teacher and think it is a good thing. It’s a series of exercises and I do a few before I sew. It can help with coordination and writing. I live in England. Don’t know if they have it in America. Clare
Thanks for the information. I am going to try and find more about The Brain gym.. There seems to be US based branches.
Sorry to hear about your struggles following your injury. Wonderful that you are still able to create such wonderful quilts – thank goodness. This one is an absolute stunner. Wishing you all the best with your recovery. Hugs xxx
Thanks Anne. All those years of quilting have served me well and while some other things vacated my brain, quilting information stayed. I am very lucky as it is the quilting that is keeping me sane!
Hugs xxx
I’ve struggled with my own Neuro issues since 2015 so I totally sympathize! I really hope the road to recovery is swift and smooth! Great quilt! I adore solid fabrics and could sew exclusively with just solids quite happily! That being said I do have to stop myself buying great prints because I love the look of them but don’t sew much with them!
A stunning quilt and right up my alley, as they say. I’m going to make this so thanks. Prayers for your neuro issues. Hope all is well soon.
This is a fun and easy quilt – lots of HSTs.
Oh gracious! I’m so sorry for your struggle, and sincerely hope all the “neuro”-types are helpful to your recovery. I LOVE seeing the quilts you post (so much inspiration and fun ideas to try!) but good heavens – take care of YOU first 😀
Julie G
So sorry to hear of your neuro troubles and hope they will be a thing of the past sooner rather than later. This quilt is beautiful and quite a testimony to the power of brights with white and masterful quilting.
Glad to see you’re back! Beautiful quilt. I’m so sorry you’re struggling.
Thanks Rebecca. I am hoping things become less of a struggle soon.
Hey there Cath!
It was great seeing you at Quilt Market! You looked happy and rested! Hope to see you make a Quilt of Valor for us sometime!
Faith I just found your card and I need to get you the box of fabric. I will email this week.
Your quilt is so cheerful. Thank you for sharing your talent and inspiring many of us to reach higher and push through. May your neuro problem be temporary and the specialists provide you with the care and tools you need to continue your calling. Peace.
Thanks so much. I am hopeful that things will get back to some sort of normal soon.
I know that life might become a struggle when you compare yourself to others – in this case ones quilting progress or times of posting on IG, blogland… Even without an injury there might be something called life getting in the way of all your wishes and plans.
So please, don’t put too much pressure on yourself because you are not posting “regularly enough”. Most important is that you get better & enjoy your life as much as possible!
Wishing for a fast recovery and lot of helping and friendly hands on the way!
PS Your work as usual is very inspiring, beautifully photographed and so kind. xo
This quilt might convert me to become a solid fabric fan!
I am sure that all the neuro specialists are lovely people, but I am sure you are wishing that you do not have to see so much of them.
Do not put pressure on yourself! Do things because you enjoy them, not because you have to, especially when you are not feeling 100%.
Wow, thanks for sharing. Don’t stress yourself on blogging. We all really enjoy your posts & can glean your talents by your photos. You are an amazing artist. I’m so glad you can share your lovely quilts & progress with us all. Hang in there – I’m always excited when I see “Wombat Quilts” pop up in my email!
This quilt is beautiful – such vivid colors and it cheers me up and makes me happier to look at it. The quilting done by Cindy Lund is outstanding, especially that she did a different pattern for each star. It really enhances the look of the quilt.
So sorry to hear about the lingering effects of your 2016 injury. How did you get hurt? I was ill once and the medicines I had to take left me unable to read, write, type on the computer or even watch TV. It was terribly boring. An additional misery on top of pain and illness. So glad you can still sew. And you produce such masterpieces. Best wishes for a complete recovery, as soon as possible. But don’t try to push too hard – slow and steady is better over the long run. Thank you for sharing what is going on in your life. I love your blog.
Better late than never. Greetings from Calgary,Canada. I just noticed this post (love your quilts btw) and saw you had some kind of knock to the head. Speaking from experience, I would guess your Head is not sitting on your C1 (top vertebrae) correctly and until you get that resolved don’t expect to make a full recovery. I have had injuries (2 car accidents) and had it not been for my NUCCA practitioner I would not be well today. I have no investment in this practice, I just speak from experience. You live far away so I have no idea who to recommend as a chiro, but most of them don’t practice NUCCA and if you can find a good one that does your life can change dramatically.
All the best,
Heather