Old News is Still Good News

Well, at least I'm hoping it is! We are a few days into 2020 and I am not a huge one for making resolutions but I am big on setting some goals when New Years time rolls around. It is a logical starting place for reviewing and resetting and planning what I want to accomplish in the coming year. Wait, that sounds kind of like a resolution, doesn't it? Ah, but for the reviewing...

When I look back at 2019, I've got to admit it was a good year for me. Perhaps one of the biggest things that happened is I had two surgeries to have hip replacements. One in January and one in June. I had no cartilage left at either hip, being bone-on-bone. I couldn't stand up straight and walking was getting unbearable. It is a gradual change, accompanied by a lot of denial, that happens with arthritis. It is hereditary for me so I was very familiar with seeing my mother and sister go through it. But it is still scary to face surgery and change yourself. 

See that hip with the bone smashed up against it? (pic on the left) That is the NO cartilage pic. There were lots of bone spurs. Ouch. And lots of arthritis. More ouch. The pic on the right shows my fabulous bionic hips now! It is hard to express exactly how life-altering or "giving my life back to me" this has been.

As a quilter, before the replacements, I couldn't stand much to even cut fabric at my cutting table. It was hard to manage a suitcase and getting through an airport to go to Quilt Market. My dear husband came to spring market to manage the bags and put up my quilts in my booth. I would not accept offers to travel to teach- it was just too painful. I didn't even want to walk through a grocery store. I had planned to go to Quiltcon as an attendee in February, thinking I'd be better after the first hip, but I had to cancel when I didn't have travel clearance from my doctor yet. After both surgeries and physical therapy, I was thrilled to go to Quilt Market in the fall and be able to STAND STRAIGHT and walk like a normal person. I even danced at the Moda Fabrics customer appreciation party! I feel so fortunate to live in a time where we have the knowledge, experience and ability to improve our lives through medicine and surgery this way. It is hard to fully express how much this has improved my life.

If 2019 was the year of me getting my hips (and life) back, then 2020 needs to be about continued learning about joints and what types of daily behaviors, diets, and practices can help to extend the life of the rest of the cartilage in my body. After eating WHATEVER I wanted, WHENEVER I wanted, over the holidays (which was everything, all the time) I'm back to more structure, eating better and moving/walking more.

2019 was also a fun year for fabric for me, with more blooming color in the house! Painted Meadow debuted at the Spring Market in Kansas City, Thatched was released over the summer, and Abby Rose was my fall Market colletion (for release in early 2020). I haven't shown much of Abby Rose here but will do it in the next couple of posts! I'm very excited for Thatched since I can blend the colors of the basics line into new collections or just go for quilts that are color studies based on the slightly textural solids. 

In 2019 I played along/sewed along in three online sew alongs- 100 Blocks 100 Days presented by Gnome Angel and Skyberries, Bowtie Flower Quilt with Quilters Candy, and Moda Blockheads 2. I attempted to do the Meadowland Quilt sew along from Then Came June but I didn't get too far. She's doing it again this year so maybe I can jump in and try to make some progress on that WIP.

Speaking of SEW ALONGS... in just 11 days MODA BLOCKHEADS 3 starts! Come join the facebook group and get a link on Wednesdays to the blog of the weekly designer, or check out the Moda Cutting Table blog at https://my.modafabrics.com/tags/blockheads on Fridays. One block a week, lots of community, lots of fun. I'm a designer contributing 3 block designs this year so I'm extra excited!

That's all the 2019 big stuff I can think of now. Stay tuned as I'm sure more will pop into my head! 
Happy 2020 and hoping you have lots of sewing fun in the year ahead.