Never Do This, Please

In my cutter quilt stash I have two pieces of an old crazy quilt made with heavy fabrics, including a fair amount of wool. They're not exceptional enough to preserve as they are, and I'd like to make them into something else; possibly a journal cover. The only problem is that they're both smelly and maybe soiled.

I decided to do what you should never do with a crazy quilt you want to preserve, especially one with wool patchwork: I soaked the smaller piece in cold water and a little bit of mild detergent, and gently pressed on it a few times (versus scrunching or wringing the piece.) The water turned brown, which meant it was soiled. Then I dried it flat on a towel. This could have ruined it by causing wool shrinkage, dye migration, fabric shattering, etc., and I was prepared for all that.

Here's the smaller piece after washing it, next to the bigger unwashed piece for comparison:

The piece wasn't damaged at all, which means I got very lucky. The smell is gone, and the piece is clean, which was what I wanted. Now I'll do the same with the bigger piece.

Let me repeat what I said before, though: never do this with a crazy quilt you wish to preserve. Ever.

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Stuff

After finding this Caron one pound skein of lovely peach yarn in my thrifted lot I raided my stash for two cakes of Mandala in Pegasus, which matches it perfectly. For practice and hand therapy I'm going to make another Worth Street Afghan with this free pattern , but this time I'll use the yarn that was recommended for it plus the one pound skein. I'm not quite ready to do the vintage/recycled linen quilt I had planned (still a bit too nervous about the idea), so I'm going to use some color therapy and make a quilt from these thrifted green fat quarters. I considered doing another Yellow Brick road patchwork pattern, but I might go with a split rail fence like this one.

Journal Find

This is a page from my 2010 poetry journal. My handwriting isn't the best, so I'll transcribe it: If my heart survives to tell all the secrets kept inside it will be an abalone shell in which the beauty did reside. But I think I will always be lost to the tides that rage in me . . . humbling and polishing . . . I don't write many self-portrait poems, but this one isn't too embarrassing. A bit overly dramatic, but the girl I was eleven years ago went through some tough times. I'm in a much more peaceful place today.

The Numbers

Back in March my diabetes doctor changed my medication and encouraged me to alter my diet and exercise more in order to bring down my A1C, which at the time tested out at a dismal 8.3 (normal is 5.8.) So for the next two months I dealt with the increased meds, stuck to my decidedly grim diet and added a lot more walking to my exercise regime. P.S., it's never fun to be a diabetic, but over the last couple of months I've really tried to keep a good attitude about it. Attitude isn't everything, but it helps a lot when you have to make significant changes while battling a disease like this. Yesterday I performed a home A1C test, and I'm currently at 6.5. That's pretty amazing results, even for me. If I can get it down another half point before I see the doctor in July I'd be over the moon, but I feel like I've already done great. Image credit: Image by Daniele Liberatori from Pixabay

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