Stitch Therapy, for sure

Well, we had a bit of a scare this past weekend and ended up in the ER Friday night and the hospital 90 minutes away all day Saturday. Everything is fine now, but I was too worried to be able to focus on schoolwork. No "higher mental" functions when you're focused on remaining calm, being there for your spouse, and helping your teen learn to deal positively with a scary crisis. (Poor girl had to go straight to her flight back to college 800 miles away without getting to see Dad come home 97% fine.)

Fortunately, I was able to grab some handwork to work on in the hospital - really soothing, isn't it? Especially when the project is a special project for an immediate family member and you're stitching Mommy Love into every step. Got most of the yo-yo's sewn onto Marissa's Moment. I was going to do that step after the quilting was done, but as I've been machine blanketing the leaves on, I've been getting fun flashes of free-motion inspiration. So, I decided I could go ahead and put the yo-yo's on now while it's easier to do.

My girl really, REALLY wanted the backside of the yo-yo's to show instead of their "bellybuttons," so I obliged. (It *is* her quilt, after all!) I went ahead and poked a little puff of fiberfil into each one before stitching it down. Very cool effect that should be even neater when I do the quilting.

Now I'm back home and shoving through my behind-schedule coursework so I can bind Dad's Wagon Wheels West quilt and do the free-motion names around the edges. Patty did a SUPER FANTASTIC job of long-arming all those wagons and hand carts for me in each block. She also quilting the sashing and ditchwork, as well as the outer border. I picked it up from her a few days ago - can't believe how quickly she finished when its frame turn came up! I hope to entirely finish Dad's quilt before April, but things are nasty with schoolwork and the third kiddo's Spring Break comes in another week, which means she'll need Mommy time. (And Mom will need that connection time, too!)   :)