My stitching has been interrupted! It is not from a lack of mojo or of projects. The villain is a nasty, itchy, case of poison ivy! Ugh! The first Friday in April is work day at AppleJack's family cemetery. Snakes, chiggers, ticks and poison ivy awake in early spring and the family chooses an early date hoping these creatures have not awaken. Yes, I wear long sleeves, long pants, gloves, and a hat hoping I have enough protective covering. The culprit was a nasty poison ivy vine which had wrapped itself around a dogwood tree. My stitching hand and forearm are covered in a nasty rash which could last up to three weeks!
I am hopping on my medical soap box for a moment. For those of you who work in the medical field, I thank you for your hard work, long hours and dedication to helping others. My annual physical with my primary care physician was Tuesday. The visit is routine and always begins the same: How are you? Do you have any complaints? "Yes, I am well and I have a nasty rash from poison ivy." The doctors response: "I thought it was to early in the season for poison ivy, I can refer you to a dermatologist." Excuse me, you are my primary care physician and instead of treating me for poison ivy the best you can do is refer me to a specialist? Perhaps it is time for an evaluation. My apologies to the medical professionals and off my soap box.
Heat makes the rash and itching worse so sitting under a stitch light is not working for me at this time. While coping (or being a grumpy, miserable patient) with poison ivy, I have been reading. Nashville has a wonderful bookstore called Parnassus. Parnassus has several book clubs and I am expanding my reading selection. Am currently reading Zane Grey's classic novel called Riders of the Purple Sage. My father loved Zane Grey novels and would be surprised to see me reading a classic western novel.
Delia Owens came to Parnassus for a reading and book signing. If you haven't read her book, Where the Crawdads Sing, I found it to be an enjoyable page turner read.
While blog reading one day I found this quilt at A Sentimental Quilter and thought it would be a great way to use my charm packs.
Oven the years, I have accumulated quite an assortment of charm packs. Charm packs offer an assortment of color ways and designs. Am very confident there are enough for a full size/queen size quilt.
French General fabrics--I love them! I found these fabrics in my stash while looking for the charm packs and thought these fabrics would work nicely for a project bag or Bitsy Bob.
Digging in my fiber stash I found Weeks Dye Works Deep Sea which I think will work for my saltbox house. (Apologies for the poor photo)
So, while I suffer in not so silence with this miserable poison ivy rash, reading and digging in stash will have to help me pass the time until I can return to stitching, punching, hooking, and quilting.
While blog reading one day I found this quilt at A Sentimental Quilter and thought it would be a great way to use my charm packs.
Oven the years, I have accumulated quite an assortment of charm packs. Charm packs offer an assortment of color ways and designs. Am very confident there are enough for a full size/queen size quilt.
French General fabrics--I love them! I found these fabrics in my stash while looking for the charm packs and thought these fabrics would work nicely for a project bag or Bitsy Bob.
Digging in my fiber stash I found Weeks Dye Works Deep Sea which I think will work for my saltbox house. (Apologies for the poor photo)
So, while I suffer in not so silence with this miserable poison ivy rash, reading and digging in stash will have to help me pass the time until I can return to stitching, punching, hooking, and quilting.
I enjoy your blog. I have thought about learning punch needle but with all my other hobbies, I best hold off a while! I can always enjoy your work!
ReplyDeleteI am so sorry you have poison ivy, how awful, I hope it clears extremely soon.
ReplyDeleteLove the Charm Packs, I buy them and use for small ornament backs, I should try and make a quilt someday, you have inspired me with the beauty of the colors above.
I love punch needle have not done any for so long.
I am a reader, you have a great choice to choose from.
Catherine
I am sorry you are dealing with the rash and itchiness from poison ivy. Hope it releases its grasp from you soon! What a neat quilt idea for your charm packs! Reading and playing in your stash sounds good to me. Have a restful Sunday!
ReplyDeleteI hope that rash goes away real soon for you. I am on a book reading 'sabbatical' too but not from any problem. I just took the week off. I am reading the last Outlander book in preparation for the new one to come out this Fall. So I thought I would get ahead a little. Have fun with those charm packs!
ReplyDeleteOh, so sorry about the poison ivy! Sounds miserable.
ReplyDeleteEvery now and then I get on a book reading binge, and can't put them down long enough to stitch anything.
I have actually made that pattern as a mini quilt with the mini charms, but I love the idea of using the full-size charms and making a bed quilt with them. I have stacks of charms that could use a good home--now if I just had the time. :)
Eeek!!! Poison ivy!!! I so know your suffering. I am overly sensitive to it, and as a child, my mother said I could catch it by just looking at it. My sister once picked some and brought it in the house.... I was covered head to toe in the awful rash....between my fingers was the worse though. For a while, I had a series of shots every year, but think I must have gradually developed a bit of a tolerance as I have not had a bad case in many years. I, too, love to read...unfortunately, when I read, I do nothing else....I’m a bit obsessive so have to put myself on reading “sabbaticals” at times. Will check that “Where the Crawdads Sing” book out though as the title intrigues me. Absolutely adore those red French General fabrics! ~Robin~
ReplyDeleteSorry about the poison ivy and the fact that your primary doc didn't feel capable or is so restricted that they couldn't offer you any help or suggestions. It's a sad commentary. Anyway, glad you're enjoying your time doing some other things for a few weeks. Love the charm quilt idea.
ReplyDeleteegads ! that sounds horrific Betty. I don't do enough "outside" stuff to have ever gotten any of the poison oak or ivy itchies. I know they can be very debilitating for some people. I hope you kick it fast. I have the opposite problem with my PCP - he tries to treat everything and like with the never ending infected cyst in my back last summer - he let it drag on for months before I finally just booked an appt. myself with my mom's dermo. The quilt is lovely. I collect charm packs too. I thought about you with the Temecula Quilts - Quirky Little Quilts QAL and other things she's doing. I bet you already have that book. enjoy your stash perusing. get well quick ! Mel
ReplyDeleteOk Betty your poison ivy specialist has arrived.....Go right now to drug store and buy tecnu this is a cleanser that you apply to your skin after you have been exposed or think you have in your case every time you garden. While it won't help with your rash at this point it will prevent future ones. As for relief for rash in progress I get in shower and run as hot water as I can stand on the areas with rash. At the very first it will make it itchier but after a minute or so it will provide relief for 5 or so hours just about enough time to get home from work and back into another hot shower. I know these things because I am a poison ivy magnet I believe I got it three times in one summer befor I discovered tecnu. Good luck so you can get back to the important things like stitching.
ReplyDeleteOh dear, I have also been harassed with the evil ivy. I don't think it really grows out hear but we do have lots of poison oak. I read Where the Crawdads Sing too. I liked but not loved it. I sure hope you are much better soon. That will be a wonderful little quilt!
ReplyDeleteSo -- have you heard of Zanfel??? Get you to the drug store and buy it! It's not cheap, but OMG, it works so well! It should get rid of the poison ivy faster for you. it has always worked for us. I keep a tube in the house just in case -- it doesn't expire for a years. Seriously, don't suffer! It works the best of anything we've tried!
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