Latest Project

I know it's been a while since I posted, and there's stuff to say, but right now I just want to post a couple pictures of my latest project.  It's going to be a blanket to cover our fireplace and make it a gentler bump for David when he's exploring.

I started with these materials:

 Here's the top:

 Here's a close up of the quilting in progress.  The middle seam hasn't been done yet - it will be the same pattern, but with green thread.

I finally finished the quilting today.  I need to cut the binding and sew it on.  Not sure when I'll get it done, but I'm excited it's almost there.

I'll try to post another time how I made the design - I think it's pretty easy. 

David and his iPad

Since we got the iPad for David, I've been following this blog:  http://babieswithipads.blogspot.com/  It's been my go-to source for information on using an iPad therapeutically.  She recently asked for stories and pictures about kids using their iPads.  So I wrote up some thoughts about how we're using the iPad with David and how I feel about it right now:

 My son David is four years old. He’s got no syndrome the doctors can name, but he has a bone disease and developmental delays that have him operating at about a one year old level. He can babble and make a few signs. He’s got seizure disorder and finding the right amount of the right med to control it has been very frustrating lately. So I used to be able to say he could sit, crawl, and pull to a kneel, but we don’t see much of that any more. Now he sits with support and rolls. Here’s a look at how he uses the iPad.


We use the iAssist app to let David choose from a field of four choices. He chooses between 3 songs and a “stop” icon. (He’s never picked stop. David is a music machine.) We’ve set up a field of four that lets David pick between stand, clap hands, make monkey noises, and stop. iAssist isn’t the best app in the world, but I can’t bring myself to buy ProLoQuo2Go when I’m not sure what level he can use it at right now.

We use the many musical apps to teach “When I touch this, things happen”. His favorites are Elmo’s Monster Maker, Itsy Bitsy Spider, Look Baby! and Sparkabilities.

David really likes the iPad and the sound of it has him searching to find it. This has prompted several other uses for the iPad. We use it as bait to get him to move. We use it as a distraction in medical situations. David tolerates a blood draw with much less fuss when he’s playing the iPad at the same time. He’ll wait patiently in a waiting room with the iPad. During a weeklong hospital stay the iPad was an incredible distraction and entertainment. When the nurses needed to access his IV, I’d hold the iPad on the other side of the bed and he’d play with it without seeming to notice the nurses messing with his other arm.

Which brings me to another use for the iPad, though not therapeutic. I used the iPad when he was asleep in the hospital. I checked email and kept everyone up to date with short blog posts. I checked the news and weather. I just relaxed with games. We also have found our elementary school aged kids get a lot of use from it. Spelldown Spelling Bee has ended complaints about practicing spelling words and we use it to study vocabulary for tests, too. There are tons of basic math programs, but Pop Math and Math Ninja are two favorites for learning math facts.

We’re working to get David’s iPad into his public school preschool class room and we’re meeting some resistance. Every thing is moving slower than molasses. We bought the iPad and are willing to sign papers to let them use it at school. The therapists directly working with David seem interested, but higher up the food chain they are hesitating. I think it has to do with fears that if this device is proven good for David that they’ll be expected to buy one for him or another child. And they already have an inventory of AAC devices, one of which is working well for him.

My biggest frustration is in feeling alone in using the iPad with David. I’m coming to realize the answer to this is probably to hire a private therapist to work with us on it. I feel like there’s so much potential that we’re not using. I see the way David moves his arm or his hand and I think it’s significant, but I’d like a professional opinion on what we might do to help him use it better. I just imagine that someone with a head full of OT and communication ideas would watch him use the iPad and see infinite ways it could be used in therapy and to communicate. Or maybe they’d watch him and say we’re over-reaching for where he is right now. I doubt that, but I don’t know. I was hoping the school therapists would be that source of ideas, but I think their hands are tied.

And while I was busy writing that up, I left the iPad propped up next to David.  I could hear him playing with it in the next room.  Tony called me in.  I took another picture. He's been sitting for 15 minutes playing with the iPad.  Sitting.  We haven't seen him do this in about 8 weeks.  So, yeah, I'm a fan of the iPad!

Finished Quilt!

I just realized that I never posted pictures of my (long finished) quilt.  So here goes.

 Above is a picture where you can see the backing fall leaves material and you can also see a bit of the stitch in the ditch type quilting I did.

This one shows off the cool stitching I used to tack down the binding.  You can't see it in the picture on the front, but you can on the back.

After I finished the fall quilt, I tried some free motion quilting with a blanket just made of two pieces of flannel.  You can see it below.

 The close up shows another cool stitching the binding down choice, along with my first attempts at free motion.  It was much more fun than it was pretty, but I'm up for another try!

 Just another detailed look.

I've put my good sewing machine away while I help the girls make curtains for their rooms.  This is turning out to require a lot more patience than I have.  I'll get some pictures of those projects next time we work on them.

While I Wasn't Quilting...

So, it's absolutely killing me that my quilt is sitting half finished.  Maybe this week I'll get to it.  Here's what I've been up to:

This is Gladys' room (with walkin closet) and dresser.  Before, with pale purple walls (white in the closet).

and after with "Gem Turquoise on the walls and closet, slightly darker shade on the dresser.

Even though it went quicker than I thought, it still kept me from quilting.  Gladys' birthday is Wednesday, and I'd told her long ago that her room was next on my list to paint and she picked her colors.  So, now it's done!

I've gotten her new sheets (light turquoise) for her birthday and would like to get matching curtains, too.  I've looked for curtains and I'm just not finding exactly what I want.  So now I'm thinking about making them.  Crazy.  And it would keep me from my quilt.  Hmmm.  What to do.

Day 5 - The Top is Done

Hassani was busy at soccer today, and let's face it, that means I had time to sew.  I got the blocks pieced together.  You can see it in the picture above, along with the possible border materials.  That's right, I changed my mind.  Once I had it pieced together and held the leaves material next to it, I decided that the combo would be way to busy.  Since I'm trying hard to avoid the "Autumn Threw Up" feel with this quilt, I did a quick rearrange and recalculate.  The excel spreadsheet I'd used to plan the orginal pattern came in very handy.  I used to see what sizes of borders I could make with the existing material. I considered a couple differnt combos and settled on a near-solid-red border on the inside:

Then next border is made of the red patterned material.  I got it cut and sewed on, but ran out of time before I could iron and take a picture.  So, the quilt top is done - picture coming soon.  I also cut and ironed the binding, which is the same near-solid-red material.  Next up, the quilt back.  It will either be all all leaves, or perhaps leaves with a strip of colors from the front.  So many possibilities!

However, there's a competing project on the horizon... Gladys' room is up to be painted this week and may interrupt the quilt for a few days.

Day 4 - Late Night

After everyone else went to bed, I stayed up and did some sewing!  I got all the rows pieced and then started sewing them to each other.  So here is the quilt top, about 3/4 done.

Day 4 - A Couple More Rows

I've got the 4 different rows in the quilt laid out.  They just repeat for the rest of the quilt.  I also got all the rest of the first rows laid out - these are the ones the spacing was messed up on, so I tried to sew them a little tighter.  I'm hoping to get more time tonight and see how far I can get.