Quilted Pillow...

Last Sunday I whipped up this pillow to put between my knees when I sleep to relieve the stress on my back and left hip while sleeping.  My chiropractor recommended that I use a pillow for my left hip pain that has been waking me up at night.  I found that a pillow helped, but I didn't like all the room in the bed that a full-sized bed pillow took up.  I decided to take some extra quilt blocks that I had laying around and then add a piece of fabric to the back.  I then took the scraps of polyester batting that I trim off when squaring up quilts and used them to stuff the pillow.  

It turned out great!  It is as long as a bed pillow but is about 1/2 the width so it doesn't take up much room, since we only have a queen-sized bed. 

I actually did this LAST Sunday, but forgot to blog about it.  My bad.  :)

Yesterday I went to our local Loose Ends Fiber Arts monthly meeting.  We are a group of people who enjoy working with fiber and with our hands.  We have knitters, crocheters, spinners, weavers, and yes, quilters!  We bring projects to work on and to share.  We share ideas and information...and then we have a pot-luck lunch and share food, too!

While I was at the meeting, unfortunately, my lower back started hurting for no apparent reason, so I had to leave early.  

It seems I've had a flare-up of my back issues.  I've been on heavy duty pain medications since yesterday's meeting and unable to stand or walk for more than a few seconds at a time.  The only comfortable positions are sitting down, or lying on my back (which is unusual because usually lying on my back hurts my back.  Go figure.)  Therefore, today has been spent sitting and quilting or cruising the internet for lack of being able to do anything else.  :(

I'm going to call my chiropractor first thing in the morning and get into his office as soon as possible.  I hope he is able to correct whatever is going on and hopefully get me back upright soon!

Loretta

A Saturday with the Ladies...

Quote for the Day:

" A glass pitcher, a wicker basket, a tunic of coarse cotton cloth. 

Their beauty is inseparable from their function. Handicrafts belong to a world existing before the separation of the useful and the beautiful."

~Octavio Paz 

When I get the chance, I like to spend some time on the third Saturday of every month with a group here in Grafton called LEFA (Loose Ends Fiber Addicts).  It is a gathering of people, all women at this point, who are interested in crafts and hobbies that use "fiber", ie, crocheting, knitting, spinning, weaving, quilting, etc.  

It is a loosely organized group in that there are no "officers"  and no "dues",though we do have a Facebook page!   You can visit it here:  LEFA

We meet in the banquet hall of one of the local churches and basically exchange ideas, information and fun stories!  :)  We all bring something to work on while visiting, and if you have a completed project to share, you bring that, too!    I usually bring something to hand quilt on, but others may be crocheting or knitting, and there are a couple of ladies that bring their portable spinning wheels!

In the last picture, Susan is seen using a hand-operated carding machine.  I don't know all of the correct nomenclature, but basically she feeds washed wool into the machine while turning the crank and it cards the wool into batts that she can then spin into yarn.   Today she was carding alpaca wool from alpacas that one of the other ladies raises!   



On a different note, I wanted to share a recipe for crockpot pumpkin oatmeal that Susana and I came up with when they were visiting.  

Crockpot Pumpkin Oatmeal

2 cups milk

2 cups water

2 cups steel cut oatmeal

4 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons butter 

1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree

2 teaspoons cinnamon 

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon EACH of nutmeg, cloves & allpsice

Grease crockpot THOROUGHLY!  Place all ingredients into crockpot and stir till mixed.  Cook on low for 7-8 hours.

That's it!

We had leftovers so I put it in the fridge and have been heating up individual servings since Wednesday morning, when we originally served it.

 I had to add a bit of sugar to it just before eating, but my sister added maple syrup as her sweetener!  :)  Get creative with it!  It is DELICIOUS!!!

Loretta