The past few weeks have been a real transition phase for me
and I have had a hard time writing about it as my ability to function
independently continues to slither away.
I have now officially been
declared ‘disabled’ by the United States government. While this means some physical assistance and
a steady, if poverty level, income, I am overwhelmed by the finality of the
label.
I am grateful for the fact that this benefit does exist, but
it is tough to adjust to. Even after six
years, I am still relatively shell shocked by the whole chronic illness thing.
One very exciting development that occurred, however, is an
opportunity I was given to write for the National MS Society Blog. My first post, which I considered pretty
simple and matter-of-fact, was so well received that at one point I was
literally reading the comments with my mouth hanging open, I was so
flabbergasted by the response. With over
500 “likes” on the MS Society Facebook page and over 120 comments, I am humbled
at the impact my words have had on readers, who apparently really related to my
post on “The Five Worst Things I Have Done Since Being Diagnosed with MS” . I’ll be contributing to the blog once a
month.
Otherwise, trying to keep from being too wretched, I have
been doing a lot of sewing, experimenting with projects and techniques I had
never tried before.
I made fabric texture books for each of my youngest
grandchildren.
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| Maddy's was first, so it is the the one I worked the kinks out on. Also, it was well played with before I remembered to take pictures. |
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| I haven't sent this yet, so don't tell him. :) |
I finished two memory quilts for a dear friend using squares
cut from her late father’s shirts. I am
working on a third on for her brother and pillow shams to match for her nieces.
I am learning to make little things out of wool by needle
felting. This is a process that requires
stabbing a clump of wool three hundred kabillion times over and over with a
long barbed needle and shaping it into…something. I am proud to say I only stabbed myself
once. Ok, twice. Alright, alright it was really four times,
but I only drew blood once.
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| The first one I did. Got a little acromegaly going on, but I was just following the pattern. |
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| Just finished this little bunny. |
I learned how to make fabric yo-yos, little circles of scrap
material that you then fashion into objects no one would want in a million
years quaint crafts, such as table covers or toddler toys. I chose to make a little caterpillar for my
grandchildren because it was one of the few patterns that did not require about
one thousand little circles, just a mere one hundred each.
I also did a lot of embroidery, am experimenting with
watercolor quilting (using graduated colored squares for effects), made aprons
for my girls and my granddaughter (Paris-themed for the new bride who
honeymooned in Paris and cupcake fabric for mommy and granddaughter, as mommy
is a cupcake aficionado) and I’m making new curtains for my bedroom. I’ll post pictures next time. I also have joined a new site called Craftsy,
where people post pictures of their projects.
It is fun to see what other people are making. There is an incredible amount of talent out
there!! You can find my page here.
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