I’ve also been dealing with other health issues too. I was having some blurry vision so I had to get glasses for reading and being on the computer. I’ve had a lump in my left breast since May. I was told then it was nothing to worry about. I had an ultrasound of it back in August and was told it was just a cyst. Since then another one has formed and they’ve both gotten quite big and painful. I had another ultrasound about two weeks ago and have to have them biopsied this coming Friday morning. Then I woke up a few days ago with a sore and slightly swollen right index finger that’s been driving me insane.

It seems like I can’t get one problem fixed before another one pops up. It’s taking it’s toll, that’s for sure.

Usually I sew to help take my mind off of things that are bothering me, but I just haven’t had the time or motivation to do so. It feels as though I spend all of my time either scheduling doctors appointments or at them. It’s no fun when pretty much the only time you leave your apartment is to go see another doctor.

That is all for now. Maybe I’ll write more later or tomorrow.

I’ll make another post this weekend, with probably the photos of the project I started  a couple of weeks ago for my grandparents anniversary later this month. I haven’t finished it yet. Kinda stumped at to what to do with it next.

I might venture out to Micheal’s craft store tomorrow evening with my boyfriend if I’m still feeling good. They’re having a sale until Wednesday and having ribbon priced at 5 spools for $1. I’m going to be using ribbon as the ties on my baby bibs. If they still have some by the time I get there, I’ll be able to get quite a bit ribbon for practically nothing! So, that’s good.

That’s all for now. Just wanted to say that I’m still alive.

In other news, one of my Aunts (Ants?) called me the other night to tell me about a surprise dinner/party she’s going to have at her house on the 21st of November to celebrate my Grandparent’s 60th wedding anniversary. So, that has me thinking of making something for them. I am thinking maybe a pillow, a small wall hanging, a table runner, or something along those lines. Maybe doing some hand embroidering of hearts and/or flowers. Maybe putting a saying on there like “60 years of love”, “Happily ever after”, “All you need is love”, “Forever and always” etc. You get the idea. Or do you? Do you have any ideas or suggestions? I always need help making decisions. LOL! I was looking online earlier today to get some ideas/inspiration/motivation. I want to be able to do all or at least most of it by hand, since I’m still sick and have been needing to be in my bedroom, hooked up to my ventilator/oxygen so much lately. (For those that don’t know, I usually only use my vent and oxygen to sleep and/or lay down. When not sick, I am able to breathe fine without them both throughout the day, but when sick, I need to use them more often.)

My “craft room” is in our spare bedroom and there is no way for me to be in there, while using the vent, to use the sewing machine. I unhooked from my vent for a little while earlier tonight and went in my craft room for a few minutes. I wanted  to look through all of my fabric to pick out the fabrics and materials I’m thinking of using. I’ve had this round pillow form for like two years now that I’ve been wanting to make a cover for, but just haven’t yet. I could use that if I do in fact decide to make them a pillow. I don’t know if I do want to make a round pillow though. I’m thinking more along the lines of a heart shaped pillow or a stuffed heart decoration to hang on the wall, from their fire place mantel, a door knob or something. My boyfriend will be gone all day tomorrow (as he is most Saturday’s) to go to his RC (Remote Control Car) races, so this is most likely what I’ll be working on all day, while I am home alone and have nothing else to do.

Oh! I made my 6th sale on Etsy the other day. A guy from Canada bought the queen sized quilt that my mother had made for me to sell. He bought it for his fiancee. I have to ship that out within the next week. I got the box ready for it earlier tonight. Sort of. I need my boyfriend to buy some packing tape sometime this weekend. I’ll most likely get it all packed up this weekend and then ask either my boyfriend to bring it to the post office for me on his lunch break on Monday or ask my “cleaning lady” to take it there for me when she comes on Monday. She’s a “Personal Care Person” or “Aid”. I don’t know what they are called officially. She comes once a week to help me with things that I can’t do, like run errands, do the laundry, clean the bathroom or vaccuum.

More good news. I had applied for a grant from the Harry Gregg Foundation back in August to get money to help me purchase a portable, electric wheelchair and I found out the other day that I was approved for the money! I contacted the company(1-800-wheelchairs) that I am ordering the wheelchair from and they are going to send me an invoice. I then have to send the invoice to the people at the Harry Gregg Foundation and they will send the payment to 1-800-wheelchairs. Shortly after that I will have my very own portable wheelchair! Then I will be able to go out and not have to be pushed around in a manual wheelchair anymore! I’ve been with my boyfriend for almost four years now and I think we have only been out shopping and/or to dinner and such a handful of times without him needing to push me around everywhere! I can’t wait to have my independence back!

I think that is all for now. I wasn’t planning to make such a long post tonight, but look at me rambling on and on!

More another day! Take care!

Love Jessica Always.

So, last week we drove down to CT and we had such a great time. We stayed two nights at the MGM Grand Hotel, right there connected to the casino. Every single thing about the entire place was amazing. We had a suite on the 18th floor that was just absolutely beautiful!

A waterfall behind the check-in counter.

A water fountain in the lobby of the hotel.

Our bedroom area.

Our view.

The living area of our suite.

Living room.

Bathroom.

Jacuzzi tub.

We had dinner reservations both nights that we were there and the food was so good. Neither one of us had ever been to such a nice place or had food that tasted so great.

So, that’s what we were up to last week. And this week I’m sick, like I mentioned and don’t feel up to doing anything except sleeping and trying to get better.

I’ll post another update soon, that will hopefully be more positive, when I’m feeling better and motivated to get back to work on my baby bibs. I’m also thinking of a new quilt that I want to start soon. I’ll tell you more about that in my next post.

More another day.

Love Jessica Always

It seems like a really great thing and something that I want to be a part of. A way to find (”meet”) other quilters and bloggers and a way to get more people to my blog and Etsy shop.

The quilt I’ve decided to “enter” doesn’t really have a story that I can tell yet. I chose it, though, because it is the one baby/lap quilt that I’ve made so far that I am the most proud of.

Being a disabled quilter, in a wheelchair (I have Muscular Dystrophy), I am physically incapable of cutting fabric with a rotary cutter. I just simply don’t have a way to do it or enough strength to put the amount of pressure on it that it requires. Because of that fact, I have to have someone cut my fabric for me. Or do it myself by hand, with scissors. As all quilters know, using a rotary cutter makes cutting fabric much easier, faster, allows you to cut multiple layers at one time, cut a very straight, even line and have a nice, smooth edge after. Cutting by scissors is kind of difficult, takes a long time and doesn’t guarantee a clean, straight cut.

When I got the idea for this quilt, I decided I didn’t want to wait around for someone to cut my fabric for me. I was in a quilting mood and didn’t want it to pass me by. So far I don’t follow any patterns. My quilts have always started with an idea in my head, stemming from a fabric color and I draw the pattern or design out on paper with markers that I think will best showcase the fabrics. With this quilt, I had purchased some pre-cut, white squares with pink, purple and yellow polka dots off of eBay. It just so happened that I had some pink, purple and yellow fabric in my fabric collection that matched the polka dots perfectly. One day, while sitting in my bedroom watching TV, I cut more solid white squares and all the pink, purple and yellow strips. It was a lot of work and took me a while, but I did it myself and that was all that mattered to me. Some people don’t consider a quilt a quilt unless it’s “quilted” or has binding as a border. I know this quilt is kind of simple and plain compared to some more talented, experienced quilters work, but I like it. I don’t know how to do actual “quilting” and don’t have the machine for that.  I use ties with embroidering floss at each corner instead. I do love the quilted look and hope to learn how to do that some time in the near future.

Growing up disabled, I never liked having to depend on others for things. I have always prided myself on being independent and I try to do whatever I can with the least amount of help possible. I do realize though, that there are some things I just can’t do. But if I can, I will.

I love quilting and making things. I make baby and lap sized quilts, mainly because I can’t physically handle sewing anything larger than that. But I also love the thought of making things for babies.

Making quilts makes me realize that there is something in this world that I can do, and be good at. Just because you are disabled doesn’t mean you should let that keep you from doing what you love, even if it means you have to have a little help now and then. Just do what you can, try your best and be proud. While making this quilt, I was disappointed in my cutting job, was worried that the strips weren’t even, that it would make the sewing difficult and the corners not match up. I wanted to give up a couple of times, but I did the best I could and sewed very carefully and it came out fine! It’s now one of my favorites.

One day I hope that whoever either buys this quilt from me, or whoever I give or donate it to, will appreciate all the work and dedication that was put into this quilt and be grateful that it’s theirs. I’m sure they will create their very own story for it.

(Although, as other quilters probably know, it is difficult to choose one favorite out of all the quilts you’ve made. I fall in love with all of my quilts. Please check out my Etsy shop for more beautiful quilts and thank you for stopping by!)

My step sister, Ashley (www.fernanimals.etsy.com), had given me a bunch of baby fabrics last year and I fell in love them so much, I didn’t want to use them. Or waste them. So they’ve been sitting in my storage cabinet all this time. But since my quilts haven’t been selling, I didn’t want to use the fabrics on more quilts that won’t sell. I was thinking of other things to make and remembered the pattern for the bib.

Like I said, I started cutting the fabrics yesterday. And cut some more today. I was thinking of making them double sided, with a different fabric on each side, so it would be like having two bibs for the price of one. That way if the baby was to stain one side, you could just flip it around and use the other until it’s either worn out from washing, or stained too. I don’t have any children and don’t know anything about baby products but it seems like a good idea to me. At first I thought of using snaps for closure, but I don’t know how to apply those and was thinking ribbon would work better, so that it could be tied as tight or as loose as it needs to be. A snap and/or velcro would make it so it wouldn’t be adjustable at all. A coordinating ribbon will work, I think. I’ll try it and see and post photos of course along the way.

I also took new photos of my pot holders yesterday, on a little table by the window in my living room. Those will be to put them up for sale in my Etsy shop. I haven’t gotten around to uploading them onto my laptop yet though. I’ll do that sometime within the next few days. I have a doctors appointment tomorrow afternoon, so it most likely won’t be then. Probably Saturday, since I’ll be home alone all day while my boyfriend goes to his RC racing at the hobby store.

Well, I think that’s all I have to say for now. Just wanted to update everyone on what I’m working on right now. I got called “productive” by a fellow Etsy team member yesterday on Facebook. That made me laugh. I don’t feel productive very often. I think I’m lazy and wish I was way more motivated than I am!

Please leave me some comments  and  suggestions for the baby bibs or anything else you think I should make! Thanks!

More another day.

Love Jessica Always

In the bag was a small piece of dark green felt. I have been wanting to start using felt to make different versions of my stuffed bears and bunnies, as well as start making new things like pillows and other various stuffed animals but haven’t yet. I made a fish shaped cat toy with that piece of felt and now I really want to start using it even more than I did before. It’s so easy to cut by hand (I am not physically able to use a rotary cutter, due to being disabled) and is pretty easy to sew and very easy to stuff. It’s so soft and holds a form really well once stuffed. I really like the way the toy came out. I like the way all of my toys come out, but there’s something about the felt that just makes it different. I’m disappointed that there was only that small piece of it in the bag and that I only had enough to make one toy out of it.

I think felt is pretty cheap to buy, but I guess I have to look into it more and find out.

If anyone reading this has any felt that they no longer need or want, I’d be more than happy to take it off of your hands as well.

I’ll post photos of the new toys and finished pot holders either tomorrow or Friday. I know I’m definitely taking photos of everything before Saturday, so I will make sure to post them here. And then I’ll take photos of my table, all set up for the craft show on Saturday and post those here too either  Saturday night or Sunday.

I have to go make dinner now, so… more another day. Take care.

Love Jessica Always.

I love fabric so much, so most of the time I have a hard time deciding what to do with it, because I don’t want to waste it by having the finished project turn out ugly or looking like crap.

I’m contemplating whether or not to do a craft show next month. I have to call the lady tomorrow to see about it.

So, that’s what I’m up to now.

More another day.

Love Jessica Always.

I made my very first quilt in my tenth grade Home Economics class. By then I was more in touch with my girly side so I chose different shades of purple fabrics with varying flowery prints and made it in an Around The World pattern. I still have it to this day.

After that I kind of lost interest in quilting. I was more into hanging out with friends and chasing boys. And still not willing to learn how to do any of the crafts my mother was doing.

In 2001, after I graduated high school, and a two month hospital stay, I suddenly wanted to make another quilt. So, I did. This time choosing pink and white fabrics. After that I made a black and dark blue quilt and gave it to my brother Jason that Christmas. Then once again, I lost interest.

My mother moved to MN in 2002 and I went to live with my father. I tried college for a couple of years, but that wasn’t for me. In 2006 I met my boyfriend Corey and six months later we moved into this apartment together. About a year and half ago I started getting the creative itch again and wanted to get back into sewing to give me something to do while Corey was at work. I didn’t have a sewing machine though. I mentioned it to my grandmother and two aunts, who also sew, and one day while at my grandparents house my great Aunt surprised me by giving me her spare sewing machine. Soon after that I found a woman on Craigslist that was selling all of her fabric for a dollar a yard. I couldn’t pass that opportunity up. I explained to Corey how good a deal that was and he brought me to her house one day where we spent a couple of hours going through piles of fabric. We ended up buying sixty dollars worth.

Now all I needed was a desk to put the sewing machine on. We found one not too long after that and my craft room was finally set up. I started sewing but was quickly frustrated with the machine giving me trouble every time I tried using it. Last year, noticing my frustration, Corey bought me a brand new sewing machine of my own. Finally I was able to sit down and successfully sew a quilt. I started making baby/lap sized quilts and pot holders. Later on I started making stuffed bunnies, bears and cat toys. All of which are in my Etsy shop right now @ www.lovejessicaalways.etsy.com

Love Jessica Always