FEBRUARY 15, 2016
One year ago this past weekend, I was just on way my home from a second trip to emergency. Three days before, dinner was in the oven and almost ready. The kids were scattered throughout the house and the dog was in the backyard. It was -23°C with the wind chill outside – a good day to be cozied up inside. I pulled on my boots and put on my coat to run out and bring the dog inside. He’s a Tibetan Terrier. He loves winter. Nobody heard me go outside. I passed my cellphone on the counter as I went out.
He is definitely a snow dog!
It happened so fast. Black ice and whop. I thought I would never forget the sound of my head hitting the frozen flagstone patio stones. It is fading. No hat, no mitts. I don’t think I was outside for long and I was able to manage to make my way back into the house, calling for the kids as I collapsed on the kitchen floor.
Diagnosis: Complex concussion.
The next three weeks were spent in bed, in a dark room, watching paint dry. No screen time. No reading. No music. Few visitors. You get the picture. Total rest. And then the slow climb back.
At two months intensive therapies started. I am so grateful to all the research that has been done on concussion recovery in the last two years. I got to benefit. I am truly indebted to my physiotherapist for her passion on the subject of concussion recovery. At six months the doctors told me I had exceeded all expectations.
At the end of June I took the subway for the first time since I fell. By July I was walking 5 miles a day. In August I tried sewing again, with tears streaming down my face because I could do it without wanting to throw up! And I taught my first class again. You gals in Grand Rapids were awesome! And I got to watch a half hour of TV.
String Piecing Tell All class in full swing!
In September I got my licence back. In October I drove two hours to a speaking engagement. I took the scenic route home to enjoy the view.
And at the end of October I took my first plane (and ferry) trip to take a Gwen Marston class with friends.
Intently reflecting on the progress of our quilts. Chocolate chip cookies from the cookie jar helped a lot!
In November I went back to a more regular program at the gym. On December 9th I was discharged from the outpatient Traumatic Brain Injury Clinic and I took on a new interior design client and I took another plane trip, this time to Austin.
And January saw me teaching in Kentucky. What an amazing group of women.
And February … I am enjoying extended screen time to be able to compose something like this blog post.
It’s been a journey.
So one year later, I am celebrating! Celebrating good health and recovery. Celebrating silver linings … I have learned to pace myself (a solid life skill to have). I finally took that formal meditation class I had on my bucket list. I am celebrating and am incredibly grateful for family, friends and colleagues who were beyond supportive … those who made phone calls on my behalf, the ghost writers of letters, emails, and blog posts, the readers and proofers of copy for magazine and quilt projects that were on the docket, and those who posted on Instagram and Facebook for me (and for Siri for dictation) … for the friends who brought meals … for my walking team, who went with me on my daily walks, first just halfway up the block and back and then in the end for miles … and for those who were my drivers to my many appointments. I am thankful for the understanding of the guilds and groups whose events I had committed to and had to cancel.
I missed out on things, sure, but it was what it was. I was doing what I needed to do. There is one thing though that happened during all that time that I missed: the launch of my first fabric line, Modern Country. It has been very well received, even if I missed out on being more involved in the launch of it. The folks at Windham were just so incredibly awesome and understanding. Still I have to give a shout-out now to the fabric and and later this week I will share some of the quilts made from it, just because I am so thrilled with the line.
And I am so glad to be back! And I am grateful. So very, very grateful.
And our dog remains ever faithful. By my side.
Last year I fell just one week before I was to be heading to Quiltcon in Austin.
We were shooting my #helloquiltcon photo for the Instagram campaign. Is he photobombing my photo or am I photobombing his selfie?!
But I am going this year!
This year’s selfie for #helloquiltcon on Instagram and buttons for the button swap.
Will I see you there?
DECEMBER 25, 2015
Tree of Life Medallion Pattern, made by Hannah Elizabeth Hamblin Delano, Ferrisburgh, Vermont, cotton, 92″ x 88″. Collection of the Shelburne Museum.
This quilt is very reminiscent of Bill Volckening’s quilt from Day 8, and of other quilts, like palampores, from the late 18th and early 19th century.
This joyful composition is bright and cheery, light and energetic. With the direction and placement of the flowers on the inner border, the design bursts jubilantly outward. And the outer grapevine border is charming and the perfect finish for the rest of the quilt. I love how the vines do not connect and turn the corners at the top. Very liberated!
Thank you for joining me this year!
Merry Christmas
and
Happy New Year!
I wish you
and your loved ones
all the best.
Be sure to follow me on Instagram (where the party is these days!) or on Facebook.
See you there!
DECEMBER 24, 2015
Live Oak Tree, probably made by Mrs. Hickman, Scullville, New Jersey, c. 1880-1890, 67″ x 83″. Identified during the New Jersey Quilt Project.
This quilt has long been a favourite of mine. An unusual pattern, the maker’s expert use of colour and design has this quilt bursting forth with energy. It reminds me of a fall display of colours.
Pieced and appliquéd, it is said that the border is more recent than the main top of the quilt. This quilt has long been a favourite of mine. I might just have to add a block with this tree design to my sampler quilt! Small pieces of course!
DECEMBER 23, 2015
Tree of Life, made by Mary Jane Jackson Mason, Cedar Creek, Texas, l880. From Briscoe Center for American History, University of Texas at Austin, Texas Sesquicentennial Quilt Association, Texas Quilt Search. Published in The Quilt Index.
From the curatorial notes: “Quilt reflects superb needlework. Florals are appliqued with a perfectly even small buttonhole stitch. This “Tree of Life” design may be an original one. It mixes cherries, a pear, perhaps, or grapes, and contains both leaves and a root ball. Fine embroidery connects the fruit, leaves, and tree root ball to the tree trunk. Karey Bresenhan speculates that the quiltmaker may have had Czech roots, which are common in parts of Texas.”
This quilt has a striking colour combination and is a lovely variation on the red and green quilts of the period. The brown in this quilt was originally brown and not a fugitive green faded to brown. What a unique, bold example of American folk art. Bravo for originality!
DECEMBER 22, 2015
Pine Tree (aka Tree of Paradise), maker unknown, West Virginia, c. 1880, cotton, 79″ x 90″. Collection Stella Rubin.
A carefully thought out and meticulously executed example of the Pine Tree pattern, this quilt is truly a masterpiece. I love how she has taken the “leaves” of the trees and used them in the cornerstones of the sashing. If you look closely, each of the cornerstones carefully mirrors it’s opposing mate in the design, with the centre one being unique and holding that bit of red right in the middle. Exquisite! The bold, dynamic border is, as Stella says, the “ultimate frame.”
And it can be yours. Find all the details on Stella’s website here.
