Fabrics for 3 dresses, some free fabric samples, and an Update on my brother.

 

First of all, this is the fabric and these are the antique linen hand-appliqued napkins that I am using for the commissioned dress.  This fabric is a fine 100% cotton pique that I bought in Knoxville at Gina's Bernina store.  I haven't shopped there in a long time, so long in fact that they are in a new location, and I didn't know they had moved.  They have wonderful fabrics there.  Most are pretty but pricey.  That's one reason I haven't shopped there often.  But, this time, I didn't need a lot of yardage and this piece is 54 inches wide!  It is the perfect color match to the napkins, so I didn't feel I had a choice.  I have the pleated panel back smocked and I'm going to construct the dress before I actually do the smocking.  I've never done that before so we'll see how it goes.  I think it will be fine.                         

Next, these are the fabrics that I am going to use to make coordinated dresses for our granddaughter who isn't born yet and her big sis.  I am using the fabric on the left with the larger polkadots for big sis, who will be three in August.  This will be one of her birthday gifts.  I'm using the small polkadotted fabric for her little sis who will be born soon.  Their mom wanted fabric that didn't look so summery or springy but that was still light weight since they live in the desert out in Arizona. I'm going to use the two black and white dotted fabrics for bias binding, piping, maybe a little ruffle, etc....... I haven't decided exactly how I'll use them, but I think they will be good accent fabrics for the other two and will help in the coordination of the two.  I also have pleated back smocked panels ready for these two dresses, as well.  I figured that if I can get them all three constructed that I can do the hand-smocking while sitting with my mom, with my brother , or while on an airplane.  So, that's why I'm going ahead with the construction.                                               

 

This is half of a pile of upholstery samples that were given to me recently.  My husband and sister laughed at me for taking them, but what do they know?  I've already made a small shoulder tote for my friend for her birthday.  She likes to keep her hands free and doesn't like to have a big bag, so I made her a tote that is just big enough for her cell phone, her glasses, and maybe some identification and $$$.  I used three coordinating samples in blue and gold. I forgot to take a photo of it before I gave it to her.  She loved it, though.  Actually, I may just make myself one, too.  I can make all kinds of cool totes and who knows what else from these.  So, just laugh all you want dear husband and sister.  You may just be the recipient of a gift made from some of these!  Ha!

An update on my brother:

They opened up his incision from his hip replacement, yesterday.  They drained, believe it or not, 4 liters of YUK from the site!!!! They irrigated it and inserted two drains.  He will be in the hospital at least through the weekend.  Those poor nurses!!!  My brother is a dear, sweet, compassionate, but extremely impatient person!!!   This morning a man who is a consultant for infectious diseases came to see him.  He told my brother that they would send him home with an IV port of some somewhere?  I think Home Health folks will come to his house to administer this for him and to check him out.

  I had a feeling they would do this, because he will need these antibiotics for weeks.  Then, once the infection is gone, whenever that is?, they will go back in and redo this procedure, this time putting in a permanent prosthesis. I sure hope this takes care of the staph.  It can be a really nasty germ from all I hear.

When they were preparing him for the surgery, yesterday, his wife and their neighbor were in the pre-surgery holding room with him.  He told the nurses that both of these ladies were his wives because he was a polygamist!!!  Hilarious.  He also told the nurses that his wives had been drinking beer all morning!  I have never seen my sister-in-law take a drink of any kind.  Of course, they knew that it was the drugs talking!  Coming out of surgery, he said that he had dreamed that he was in a movie playing the character of a coach with Meg Ryan.  He thought the surgery was a part of the movie.  He said quite a few funny things.  He called me last night to apologize if he said anything vulgar!  He didn't, but he wasn't sure.  I should have told him that he did so I would have something to blackmail him with later.

It's time to sew a little before going to feed Mother lunch.