"Label Me" Quilt

I have been saving labels from clothing for years now.   They are from shirts, jeans, dresses, and ties.  I have often thought they would make a nice quilt, using them like the old cigar silks were used.  It took the announcement of this quilt contest to finally push me to make the quilt.  Their theme is “New from Old” and the inspiration statement spoke of my use of the labels as the cigar silks had been used:

Imagine antique quilt blocks, trims, color palettes, and stitches translated and transformed by state-of-the-art sewing machines, vibrant modern fabrics, and new techniques by the innovative quiltmakers of today.

I used a fusible stabilizer to arrange the labels, hold them in place for stitching, and to align the vertical strips.  The labels are used in form the  “coins” while I used silk ribbons from bow ties for the vertical black strips.  The quilt is machine pieced and quilted.  It is 16 in square.

Here is a closer photo to show some of the labels in better detail.

It is a quilt I’m not sure I want to give up, so as a trial run I have put it up for sale on Etsy. If it doesn’t sale by the contest’s entry date, then I will enter it in the contest.

Sampler Quilt in Blue, Green, and White

This sampler quilt began as a way to do something with three of the blocks I had made over the years for various projects and not used. Those three blocks are (#2, #8, #11). More recently were the left over autograph blocks which I used in 9-patch blocks #5, #10, and #12.

Blocks #1 and #9 are rail fence blocks using up strips of blue fabrics. Blocks #2, #6, and #7 are Ohio star blocks with working pockets as the centers. Blocks #4 and #11 are shoo fly blocks.

The quilt is 51 in X 65.5 in. It is machine pieced and quilted. I have given it to a friend’s mother.

I used a navy blue fabric for the back and the sashing. I decided (still not sure if it was a bold move or dumb as minor mistakes show up easily) to use a light gray thread in the bobbin so the quilting would show on the back. The next two photos show the front block and the corresponding back.

I love to recycle pockets into quilts. The Ohio star block is a nice one for showing off the pocket. I had to tie the center of the pocket area so the pocket would still function.

This back photo shows the quilting of #11 block.

Shout Outs

Updated 3/2017-- photos and all links (except to my own posts) removed as many no longer active. and it was easier than checking each one.

Nuts for Healthcare is this week's host of Grand Rounds. You can read this week’s “Broadway” edition here.

I’m excited to be hosting Grand Rounds this week and feel refreshed to read all the submissions and stories that came my way. Health care has always been a deep, personal passion of mine, as I continue to be both a student and voice in the various ways that the field is taking shape today.
Another passion of mine is the music and fanfare, dramaturgy and razzle-dazzle of Broadway theatre. …
And then I thought: why not make this edition of Grand Rounds an intersection of my two favorite things? So let me raise the curtains

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Medgadget discussed the Lancet article on Scientists Grow Skin Tissue in Preclinical Study. Their discussion includes the Lancet podcast discussing the research with two of the study authors, Marc Peschanski MD and Dr Christine Baldeschi PhD.

A team of researchers from France and Spain managed to grow complete human skin epidermis from skin-derived stem cells on laboratory mice. The finding could lead to the rapid production of one's own skin patches for people with burns and other severe skin problems.

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Chris, Life in the Fast Lane, wrote about A Philosophical Death with a video of Simon Critchley’s lecture. Good listening!

When pondering death I sometimes wonder how the great philosophers faced death, and what we the living might learn from them…

We need wonder no more.

Listen to ‘From Cow Dung to Poison: A History of Philosopher’s Deaths’, an excerpt of a longer talk by Simon Critchley titled ‘To Philosophize is to Learn How to Die‘ (hat tip to Berto: Philosophy Monkey).

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H/T to @amednews for the following tweet/link (above photo credit):

RT @PSeditor RT @HospitalSafety: Advice about allowed holiday decorations in hospitals http://bit.ly/Q4mhJ

The article gives these tips for safe holiday decorating in hospitals/offices:

There are certainly simple things you can do:

• No “gift-wrapping” of corridor doors
• No hanging ornaments or other stuff from sprinkler heads
• Limited amounts of lighting (one or two strings, UL approved, etc.)
• No fresh-cut live stuff
• Nothing that obstructs egress

And as a reminder, you can download a free holiday decoration monitoring checklist at the Hospital Safety Center.

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Check out @headmirror's radio essay -- The Christmas Letter: WUWM: Lake Effect - Thursday December 3, 2009

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It’s time to vote for the winner in the US Healthcare Reform Photoshop Contest. Winner will receive an 8Meg iPod Touch.

Okay, the entries for the 2009 US Health Care Reform Photoshop Contest are in and it's time to vote! The idea was to create a single picture using your snark, your wit, your creativity to encapsulate your feelings about the US Health Care Reform efforts underway in a single photograph.

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Isn’t this dog sweater adorable? cal patch shared a tutorial on “ How to Make a Recycled Dog Sweater” over at CraftStylish (photo credit)

Refashioning old or thrifted sweaters into dog sweaters is easy and fun. You'll be amazed at how even the ugliest sweater can take on a whole new look as canine couture! Case in point: this vest. I picked it up at the thrift store because the details in the knit are adorable, but this style would flatter no human! My little Gertie, on the other hand, will look smashing in it.

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There is no guest listed for the Dr Anonymous’ show this week, but don’t let that keep you from joining us. The show is Thursday night, 9 pm EST.

Another Scrappy Baby Quilt

As with last week’s quilt, this one was made to use up some of my over-flowing scrap boxes. It is machine pieced and quilted. It is 38 in X 42 in.

Check out the fun things to find: dog, fox, cheetah, horses, bee, flowers.
Here you can see more bugs, a zebra, carolers, hot peppers, and some great colors.
The back fabric is a soft flannel.

Scrappy Baby Quilt

I  accumulate a lot of fabric scraps over time as I have trouble throwing them away.  Over the past few months I have been trying to use some of them up.  This baby quilt is 36 in X 36 in.  It is machine pieced and quilted. 

You may recognize some of the fabric from previous quilts (here, here, here, here -- to point out a few)
I found these Cabbage Patch doll panels at a garage sell years ago.  I decided to use them for the back of this quilt.

Unused Prescription Medications

Updated 3/2017-- photos and all links (except to my own posts) removed as many no longer active. and it was easier than checking each one. 

As regular readers of my blog know recently my family lost my mother (May) and my sister lost her husband (March).  Both times we were left with many unused prescription drugs at their respective homes.  What do you do with these?  What do you do with ones you or a family member have left when switched to another drug?

This topic was also brought up on twitter recently by  lesmorgan.

• Handling a family request to donate dialysis meds after a death. Is it correct that Kaiser pharmacy has no post-death return policy?
• @rlbates thanks for the comment. that's the usual answer, but some institutional systems do have giveback programs, unsure on Kaiser.
• http://www.dhss.mo.gov/Drug... DHSS FAQ on medication donations in Missouri. Regulations vary by state.
• http://bit.ly/aeAfv California law on recycling meds after SB 798
• http://www.ciwmb.ca.gov/HHW... California medical waste disposal location finder. Handy!
• @striving4more My understanding is that laws vary by state, I'm updating my own FAQ on the issue now.
• @striving4more Best general advice is to ask the pharmacy that dispensed the meds to advise on prevailing law, which also varies by med.

I tried to take my brother-in-law’s to the pharmacist downstairs in the building my office is in.  They were not allowed to take them for recycling.  Their advise to me and to others who ask was to empty the pills into a plastic bags with cat litter, then throw that bag into your regular trash.  I did the bag/cat litter thing, but put my into my “medical waste” trash at the office.  I don’t like the thought of those drugs ending up in my drinking water, but I also find the waste sad.  I wish there were a way to donate them to charity clinics legally.  It’s much easier to donate or “recycle” the unused prescription drugs when someone dies in a nursing home or hospice.  It’s almost impossible if the drugs have made it into someone’s home cabinets.  Most states are similar to California and make no recommendations on the ones that I wanted to donate or recycle (the ones at the departed’s home).

SUMMARY

California Senate Bill 798, signed into law by Governor Schwarzenegger in September 2005, authorizes a county to establish a program to collect unused prescription medications from nursing homes, wholesalers, and manufacturers and redistribute them to low-income, uninsured people. (A copy of the law is attached. )

Here is a post I did early in my blogging days, May 2007 – Unused Medicines.

As I have begun to find more ways to recycle and conserve waste in my home and office, I have found that it is no longer acceptable to “flush medication” down the drain. I was taught in medical school (graduated in 1982) to educate patients to dispose of out-of-date medications (old Tylenol, aspirin, cough syrups, etc) and unused prescription (either couldn’t take them due to side effects or failed to take all of the antibiotics or HBP medication was switched) by flushing them down the toilet. That is no longer a good idea. But the information out there is not clear as to the new guidelines.

I found that the Senior Care Service website still tells our elderly and their care givers to flush the out-of-date or unused medication. I found little help at my own state’s Cooperative Extension Agency’s website on medication disposal, but it is very helpful for other household chemicals.

The two best sites I found were the American Pharmacy Association and the White House Drug Policy. Both of these give clear instructions [ Federal Guidelines ]

Repairing Rusty’s Dog Bed

My dog Rusty likes to “scratch” or dig at his bed before he lays down. The fabric eventually gave and developed a hole. The egg crate mattress inside is still in good condition.

I tried to find a replacement cover in the local pet stores, but had no success. So I bought some “lambskin” type fabric and sewed it to the upper part of the cover. This simple fix keep the functioning zipper in place and “resurfaced” the cover.

Here’s a picture of the happy dog.

Spring & Gardening

Updated 3/2017-- all links removed as many are no longer active and it's easier than checking each one.

I don't have the right kind of soil for a garden. Too many crystal rocks. Still I love spring and the flowers it brings. Here's a picture of one of my clematis plants. It's a Ramona.

TBTAM seems to have a rooftop garden and Dr Smak has some lovely flowers. If you are one of those gardeners who grow from seeds, then you may want to check out this post on "How to Make Newspaper Seedling Pots" (photo from her post). Head on over to Patricia's website (a wonderful Arkansas quilter/teacher) if you are interested. The post has lots of photos that make the instructions very clear. Great way to recycle and be green.

And if you just need some inspiration check out the website for the Chelsea Garden Show. Wow!!! They have even shared some detailed planting plans from some of this year's garden designers. Makes me want to have several truck loads of good soil hauled into my yard. Maybe in the next few years I'll do it.

QOV wartime-shopping bags

 Updated 3/2017-- photos and all links (except to my own posts) removed as many no longer active.

As mentioned before in this blog, I belong to this group of quilters, QOV. I can not say this better than Catherine. So here are her words:

"Here is a picture of my groceries from food shopping this morning in our improved all purpose QOV wartime-shopping bags. These polyproplyene mesh bags are kind to the environment while being very strong and sturdy. They hold a ton of groceries (imagine how many fat quarters that would be!) and you don't have to worry about plastic bags breaking or more importantly cluttering up our landfills and countryside. These bags are identical to the grocery bags sold at Whole Foods Market except for the color and our logo.
I figure 4 bags are what most families would need to carry all their groceries. To show you how much I believe in these bags, I am offering them at a rate you won't believe. You can buy 4 for $29.99 which includes free shipping!
Show your support for our combat wounded while being green."--Catherine Roberts, QOVF

Hair of the Dog

Updated 3/2017-- all links (except to my own posts) removed as many no longer active.

It will have been 4 years on May 30th since LadyBug was euthanized. She had osteosarcoma of the left maxilla. And no that isn't a cigar in her mouth. It's a rolled up rawhide treat. LadyBug was half-Rottweiler and half-Pyrenees. She was nearly 8 years old when she died. She was a charmer! She would sit with her hunches on the sofa and her front legs on the floor. She is missed.

The origins of the phrase "hair of the dog" seem to go back to "the Romans and many ancient peoples before them believed that like cures like. They would bind the hairs of a dog that had bitten someone to that very person's wound to make it heal better EVEN of the dog was rabid." It then morphed into referring to handover cures (no "hair" included in these).

Another use for the hair of your dog is to make something from it. Depending on your own dogs breed (and the Pyrenees is perfect), your dog may have wonderfully full, soft hair. Years ago while walking through 'Books-a-Million', a book caught my eye. The book was "Knitting with Dog Hair" by Kendall Crolius. It described the steps needed (comb and keep the hair in a dry paper bag until you have enough, spin into yard, and then knit). VIP Fibers provides the service of preparing the hair after you collect it. I saved the hair from LadyBug and my two labradors, GirlFriend and Columbo (who died in November 2003 from an abdominal cancer at age 11). I have a lace shawl from their hair. It feels like mohair.

Unused Medicine

Updated 3/2017-- photos and all links (except to my own posts) removed as many no longer active.

As I have begun to find more ways to recycle and conserve waste in my home and office, I have found that it is no longer acceptable to “flush medication” down the drain. I was taught in medical school (graduated in 1982) to educate patients to dispose of out-of-date medications (old Tylenol, aspirin, cough syrups, etc) and unused prescription (either couldn’t take them due to side effects or failed to take all of the antibiotics or HBP medication was switched) by flushing them down the toilet. That is no longer a good idea. But the information out there is not clear as to the new guidelines.

I found that the Senior Care Service website still tells our elderly and their care givers to flush the out-of-date or unused medication. I found little help at my own state’s Cooperative Extension Agency’s website on medication disposal, but it is very helpful for other household chemicals.

The two best sites I found were the American Pharmacy Association and the White House Drug Policy. Both of these give clear instructions.