They have found me a Donor in the States

Well, it seems that life was on the back burner until Thursday afternoon. My specialist sat at his computer typing away as I went through all the appointments with ENT, Infectious Diseases and the Periodontist and present ailments and then turned to me with a smile and said, 'we have found you a donor in the States.'

Yep, it all starts in February. 

Craft camp look back - The Retreat Woodend

A couple of weeks ago - The Perle 8 girls set out for Craft Camp Winter - at the lovely The Retreat - Woodend. My health improved enough for me to get on with finishing the hand quilting of this lovely quilt for Big Niece who is now 15. 

A quilt for Big Niece - she chose most of the fabrics.

A quilt for big niece pieced last Winter camp and hand quilted with Perle 8 and binding attached this camp.
I will finish this in the next couple of weeks and post to Sydney.

Details of quilting projects by my lovely friends Lisa, Louise and Shannon.

Fantastic food was served at all meals including this Christmas Trifle made by Michelle.

and a guest appearance from Miss Lola. 

Go West - Body Parts visits

Today on my fortnightly day off from work I finally got around to dropping off a bag of woollen cardigans to Gaye from Body Parts. I have always loved her work and have a pair of 'wrist warmers' and a scarf. I could not see all that wool go to waste. I drove to West Melbourne to the Riverside Studios and we had a lovely chat about recycling and teaching.

More drops at oppy shops and libraries and then back to some gardening. Spring bulbs are starting to appear and tiny hooped daffodils are staring to appear. The garden will have to be as low maintenance as much as possible and very little will now be spent on it.

I have plenty of seeds and I will have enough to keep me and the new expensive blender (when I have saved for it) going for a while. If I can't eat then can I justify a 'Green Smoothie'. Even the soil can be a hazard and all veg has to be thoroughly washed.

Trying to make savings here and there. Setting up the utilities accounts to be paid from the bank.  Kind friends offering help (thanks heaps Bec). Dealing with a gum infection that has gone on for 6 weeks. Coughing all night. Crying at odd times. Thinking about pyjamas for hospital. The old daggy ones will have to be ditched.

I used to make decisions pretty quickly now I am faced with this situation. Do I drop Foxtel - who tell me I can keep my account with free to air for $10 a month and upgrade when I want to. Do I switch to a new Antenna and aerial point. The company just called and offered me a discount because of my illness - they had been discussing me in the office. They are all related to teachers and family who have been struck with cancer. Will people always be so kind?

I am armed with a list of medications and questions for my lady GP tonight. She will get a fright. One thing I decided against was professional counselling. I am OK for now. When I read that Medicare was only offered to the unemployed and low wage earners at a cancer specialist psychologist,  I laughed. Yeah right. I work hard and if I were unemployed and on the pension, I would get big discounts. Perhaps I just need HRT.

I think you should have a Bone Marrow transplant

The last post I made to this blog has some chilling words that I wrote. I had just spent a week in hospital with a nasty infection and I spent the week sewing. I did not realize how ill I actually was. As a Chronic leukemia patient it was only the fourth time I had been in hospital.

The last 16 months have brought constant infections, heaps of antibiotics and 6 weeks of gum infection. Last month visiting my Specialist he had mentioned removing my spleen. Then in the school holidays he told me he had been discussing my case with an American colleague and they both thought agreed that a Bone Marrow transplant was the best solution.

 Years of G-CSF injections, antibiotics, intravenous antibiotics and Zovirax. Each time in hospital (4) , thinking I was unlucky but lucky not to be as sick as the other patients. Thinking I lose hair but not in clumps and I am never going back to RMH. How wrong could I be.

Now I am off Cyclosporine and have started oral Chemo (Methotrexate) yet another first. I think it has triggered early Menopause. I am seeing my lady GP tomorrow evening, so I will ask if my next blood test can confirm that. What else would cause me to have night sweats in winter. I will be sticking my head in the freezer at work. If I am still teaching in December, I have a brand new air conditioner in my food tech class. I will stand underneath it or in Orange bay with the other.

Now, I have to wait until 1st August to meet with a Bone Marrow support group and see my Specialist. I also will wait to tell my sister who is traveling overseas with her husband and children. I hope she will be my donor. They will not return until early August. The last thing I want do is ruin her trip.

Liberty fabric hospital stay at RMH

Term 2 has been a long one.

A week to go before the school holidays. I have plenty of sewing to do and tidying to do. Also a week in Canberra to watch Big Niece play in the Kanga Cup. Little Niece and my sister might also turn up at the end of the week.

I will take my sewing machine, so we can spend some time sewing together at night.

In the middle of the term, I spent a week in Royal Melbourne Hospital and spent most of the week sewing my Liberty Stars fabric quilt. Normally I might finish one block in a week.
14 finished in under a week.

I had better get on and finish the quilt now.
Although I have been an Out Patient since 1995, I have never been
an In patient and I am planning not to be admitted ever again.

Lesson learnt. Pack lots of sewing, night gowns and coffee in a plastic jar.
Paper piecing easier to do with an AV drip than knitting or crochet.

Liberty fabric Rose Star block party

Liberty of London Fabric - Rose Star Block Party

Yes, I should be getting ready to go back to school next week. Normally, after Australia Day on the 26th January, state school teachers in Australia are back at their desks getting ready for classes after our summer holidays (pupil free time).

In my down time I have been spending a bit too much time 'surfing' for Liberty Fabric projects. 

The little pile of fabric has grown. Yes, I had a short vacation in Sydney and a longer 'staycation' at home in Melbourne.  

Then I came across Selfsewn's Rose Star block tutorial. from the Sumerfete blog.

Could I attempt this block and join in. 

After drafting and cutting out my set of paper pieces for English piecing,  I settled on  a 2 inch hexagon as my template and then I, set about choosing fabrics from Liberty of London. I love pink and red at the moment. 

We are quite lucky in Melbourne to have several retailers who sell Liberty Fabrics. I think I have visited them all, including Calico and Ivy in Sydney.

I changed the final design from this colour combination. 

This piece was finished in a couple of days and will eventually become a cushion.

Still not sure what colour background I should use?

I found this project super fast because I have used Sewline paper glue sticks from Sue Daley and Busy Fingers Patchwork. Other retailers also sell the glue sticks and refills.

More Liberty fabric experiments in the school holidays. Destined to become a quilt.

Most of my English piecing projects are created this way. You can buy directly from Busy fingers patchwork  or Amitie in Gardenvale. Amitie also have a super range of Liberty Fabrics. 

I also highly recommend these Milliners Needles in Size 10. 

Liberty hexagons - Sunday snippets

Liberty Fabric Hexagons - Framed. 

Close up - paper piecing 1/2 inch size. Finished and hung in place.

WIP - Deborah's winter quilt. Top Paper piecing - started 6 years ago and recently completed.

Flanel backing, spotty binding and cotton/wool wadding. Ready to quilt.

WIP - One of 6 Liberty Fabric Stars, I have completed. I have purchased more fabric to go with it. 

I usually work on this project on Thursday night at Perle 8's or Brown Owl's  Southside. 

Sunflowers in the garden.

Yet another finger infection. On the mend but it slows me down big time. 

Now cleaning for the Lunar New Year. Well, my father was born in Shanghai. He celebrated three New Years - Western, Chinese and Jewish. 

Families all over the world are cleaning up in preparation for a fresh start for the New Year.