Redwork Baskets

Last week I put together a donation quilt top from some beautiful redwork embroidery blocks by Evelyn (Evie) in California.  You may recall she also embroidered the animal themed blocks in this quilt.  Her work is meticulous! 

This time it was 12 basket blocks that I worked with, each one a little different, but all very beautifully done.  

I'm still trying to use my stash whenever possible, and sometimes that leads to interesting fabric combinations.  I went back and forth between some of the options I was considering, but hopefully I've done her blocks justice in the end.

I wanted to make this lap quilt size, so I needed to add as wide a border as I could eke out of that outer red print fabric.  With a little creativity, I was able to cut an 8-inch border.  The top measures around 49x59, which seems like a good size.

As far as the quilting goes, that will have to wait until my hand is a bit further along in its recovery.  Or I may send it off to be quilted and donated.  We'll see.

I'm four weeks out from surgery as of tomorrow.  I'm supposed to start squeezing exercises, beginning with a sponge and progressing to a stress ball.

The bruising on the tip of the finger is almost gone.  The scar is healing, but still a little scabby especially at the crease of the joint.  The finger still tends to swell during the day, so I wrap it when it gets too sausage-y.  The therapist gave me a sample of a support tube (think compression stocking type thing) for the swelling, but it doesn't fit well so I just use the stretchy wrap.  

I can make a loose fist, and I'm typing this post with all 10 fingers, so there continues to be steady progress.  Hopefully by next month, I'll be able to squeeze the brakes on my bike so I can go for a ride!