Routine

I need a schedule in Life otherwise I would probably feel as though I never got anything done. I write lists for the joy of crossing things off them.  My day is currently very regimented around Nella’s meal times, even though she is refusing just about all food again. I think a hospital admission for medical stability will be inevitable and probably soon. I have to think positively and hope this could be helpful - maybe it will be shorter term rather than months of nothing really improving in the Young Person’s Unit...

My day starts with taking Nessie for a pee, letting the hens out, making a cup of tea and taking it back to bed to check the News. After breakfast I try to spend a little time in my workshop. We take Nessie for her daily walk and I try to “study” some German. I have decided that language learning apps are all well and good but I need to write things down and also do some revision. The trouble with Duolingo was that it was very centred around racing through the lessons in order to be at the top of a league table. 

I have become unhealthily obsessed with the Nintendo “Animal Crossing” Switch game. My island now has a 4-star rating but the animated residents have apparently complained that there are too many trees. I need all the fruit-bearing trees to pay for the exorbitant charges for infrastructure. I cannot believe I can lose so much time planting virtual flowers, building a Zen garden and creating a museum complex. The truth is that Nella cannot really do much in her malnourished, hypothermic state apart from reading and crochet. I could do some sort of hand-sewing exercise, I suppose, but in my computer world it feels like I am interacting with other “people”. We humans are far too obsessed with Productivity and the guilt associated with a lack of being Useful.

At any rate, I got a big quilt and 2 mini ones done for a customer. She always provides Quilter’s Dream wool batting / wadding which is light and lofty. 

This week I invested in 2 new sofas! I had one that was second-hand, derelict and uncomfortable and the other was slightly less derelict and not much more comfortable. I did not want expensive new sofas that the pets might ruin and I hate to buy new furniture where vintage is an alternative so I sourced 2 red leather Chesterfields. I suppose you could say they have a zero-carbon footprint since they were local, delivered almost immediately and made in 1972. Unfortunately, they are completely covered up by quilts and blankets to protect them from Nessie and the cats but at least all users are impressed that they are far comfier and have nice wide arms and backs for perching! I need a schedule in Life otherwise I would probably feel as though I never got anything done. I write lists for the joy of crossing things off them.  My day is currently very regimented around Nella’s meal times, even though she is refusing just about all food again. I think a hospital admission for medical stability will be inevitable and probably soon. I have to think positively and hope this could be helpful - maybe it will be shorter term rather than months of nothing really improving in the Young Person’s Unit...

My day starts with taking Nessie for a pee, letting the hens out, making a cup of tea and taking it back to bed to check the News. After breakfast I try to spend a little time in my workshop. We take Nessie for her daily walk and I try to “study” some German. I have decided that language learning apps are all well and good but I need to write things down and also do some revision. The trouble with Duolingo was that it was very centred around racing through the lessons in order to be at the top of a league table. 

I have become unhealthily obsessed with the Nintendo “Animal Crossing” Switch game. My island now has a 4-star rating but the animated residents have apparently complained that there are too many trees. I need all the fruit-bearing trees to pay for the exorbitant charges for infrastructure. I cannot believe I can lose so much time planting virtual flowers, building a Zen garden and creating a museum complex. The truth is that Nella cannot really do much in her malnourished, hypothermic state apart from reading and crochet. I could do some sort of hand-sewing exercise, I suppose, but in my computer world it feels like I am interacting with other “people”. We humans are far too obsessed with Productivity and the guilt associated with a lack of being Useful.

At any rate, I got a big quilt and 2 mini ones done for a customer. She always provides Quilter’s Dream wool batting / wadding which is light and lofty. 

This week I invested in 2 new sofas! I had one that was second-hand, derelict and uncomfortable and the other was slightly less derelict and not much more comfortable. I did not want expensive new sofas that the pets might ruin and I hate to buy new furniture where vintage is an alternative so I sourced 2 red leather Chesterfields. I suppose you could say they have a zero-carbon footprint since they were local, delivered almost immediately and made in 1972. Unfortunately, they are completely covered up by quilts and blankets to protect them from Nessie and the cats but at least all users are impressed that they are far comfier and have nice wide arms and backs for perching!

As You Like It - Done!

 I finally committed to getting the FOQ sampler, “as You Like It”, done from start to finish. I did nothing else in my workshop all week, just working for a maximum of a couple of hours at a time. Obviously, a teaching workshop is only 2-3 hours long but I think a finished sample should show what the piece can evolve into, hopefully inspiring the student to add more to the basics at home. 

I had a vague plan in my head that the sample should include twin needle, echo quilting, rulers and couching but I was not working from a pattern. I just plonked down some main motifs and elaborated from there. I jotted down thread and tension settings so I can write up a handout later. 

Honestly, there is a far more in that one class than would normally be covered in a half day class but the piece is small and it is really just a taster of what the machine can be used for. When I run classes I show students how to use the tools, run a few techniques by them then set an exercise in working on the quilting. I have always believed in pupils learning and becoming more confident from doing and experimenting.

I used a vintage linen pillowcase on top of an old practice piece so the reverse is a hilarious mess. I tried to incorporate some of the original vintage crocheted lace but it must have been made to fit then sewn on by hand.  By the time I had quilted the old pillowcase and trimmed it the old lace was too big so I had to fiddle about at the corners to get it to fit. I wish I had stuffed it with a feather pillow form for the photos as it looks a bit lumpy and although the afternoon shadows look arty, they are not great for a class catalogue. 

At any rate, it is done - I am relieved and found that I enjoyed it once I got going. The next thing to do after catching up with customer quilts is to be brave and have a go at the Wiksten Haori jacket...

Dem Bones

 

Two snowflake quilts were my commissions for the week. I can only really be in the workshop for a short bursts so it was quite satisfying to get those done. I finally forced myself to work on the FOQ sampler. It is a bit of a mish-mash as I have been making it up as I go along. The idea is that it can allow students to try out different techniques including, twin needle, echo feet, rulers and couching. The problem is that this is a lot to cover in a 3 hour class and I realised that the piece should not be too big to allow time for it to be almost completed. I chose a vintage linen pillowcase as the size but this does not allow much working room. I am at the stage where I hate the project. Hopefully, it will grow on me by the time I start filling in the gaps - I will have to get on with it now that I have started;) 

The language learning app, Busuu, allows me to take certified tests every now and again. I did quite well the first time but failed the advanced beginner test because I had no idea of the correct use of the different ways of using words for “because”. I felt it was a bit unfair because the grammar book and dictionary did not explain any of the app’s variations. I also struggle with correct word endings and the endless versions of “the” - der, die, das, den, dem... I will just have to do some serious revision before I try to retake it!

Nella was officially discharged from hospital on Tuesday, and she was also offered a place at Nescol to do HND Fashion/Textiles. This should have been a time of celebration but instead, it was a moment for self-destructive anorexia to step in and cause her to start restricting food again. There have been tears and warnings but despite knowing that refusing to eat will lead her straight back to hospital, she just cannot make herself eat enough to stay on track. I dread the impact that a second admission might have on her mental state and have tried every reasoned argument but she says that I come across as angry and scary. I just want her to be able to be home for as long as it is safe for her to do so.

Bluecat Pepper, is showing her age at 17 - she has lost a lot of weight, is constantly hungry despite being wormed and often pukes after eating. She has always done that, being a cat who bolts her food and she is also incredibly neurotic. I have set up a feeding station near her basket on the windowsill so she does not have to dash past Nessie.

As Nella’s carer, I received my first dose of the Covid vaccine! It was all very straightforward and I cannot comprehend why some healthy people would choose to refuse it. She is actually the only member of the family who won’t be vaccinated by the summer as she is under 18. Bizarrely, despite having a suppressed immune system due to anorexia, she is not consider to be particularly vulnerable to Covid since she is not obese - I see that as yet another example of The Establishment being obsessed by the wrong sort of health message.

The Same Everyday

 Like most people must be finding in early 2021, I have got used to every day being pretty much the same. I have a rigid routine based around Nella’s meal-times and appointments. I also fit in a short dogwalk, a maximum of 2 hours in my workshop, some German practice, basic chores, looking forward to whatever arrives in the Post, working on a jigsaw, and now - Animal Crossing. The biggest excitement of the week was receiving my Covid vaccination appointment. This is a little ahead of schedule for my age group since I am in the category of unpaid Carer. 

The little quilt that was just meant to be “a quick bit of stitch-in-the-ditch” also received some ruler work and background radiating lines. I wish I had a gadget for accurate line placement but I just worked out it out semi roughly by marking out evenly spaced points. 

It was great to finally get to a small baby quilt that Q-matic could do without much brain-power on my part, except for working out how small to stitch the hexagon pattern so it would look like honeycomb. I have a handful of all-over quilts to do next but STILL have not got cracking with my FOQ sampler which probably won’t actually take that long once I get started;) 

Nella is due to have a meeting this week to consider releasing her from hospital since she has now been at home for a few weeks. It is quite a scary prospect - she is not eating anywhere near enough but at least she is eating a bit. Under her ongoing mental health act detention she could be readmitted at any time, if it is deemed necessary but if there is no longer a bed available in Dundee then she would have to go to Edinburgh or Glasgow. Maybe that could be a spur to keep managing at home, but knowing the fickle nature of this illness, when some days she struggles with food so badly that she is prepared to stop eating altogether, we will just have to wait and see.