Forever Quilting 4 You

Hey quilting friends! Welcome back!!! It’s been a month or so since I last posted a blog. I’d like to share with you the life changing journey I’ve been on since my last post.

Let’s start with reminiscing about Christmas Day last year, which you might remember (see my January 2025 blog). I was scheduled to have bariatric surgery on December 30, 2024. After 14 months of preparation for the surgery – which consisted of multiple doctor visits every month with specialists for every part of my body and every critical organ, the ones responsible for keeping all of us alive – I was looking forward to getting the surgery done and behind me. Unfortunately, my body had different plans that day. Actually, I was more excited about being knocked out for the surgery. I know this sounds crazy, but I love surgery – it’s the best sleep I ever have!

Referring back to my January 2025 blog, remember how on Christmas day while watching TV I had that sharp pain in my lower left abdomen which was determined (by the virtual doctor aka telehealth appt) to be a UTI and a ruptured ovarian cyst? Well, what I didn’t mention in January is that because of those two things my surgery was postponed to January 30^th. As if the postponement of my surgery wasn’t enough, about a week or so before January 30^th, I got another UTI; can you believe that? I certainly didn’t want to postpone the surgery yet again. With the help from the great medical team I had, I recovered and was healthy enough to go forward with surgery on January 30^th!

Since I had to check in for surgery bright and early the morning of my surgery, my sissy slept over the night before, we set our alarms, got up and made it to the hospital on time, ready to go. As they were prepping me for surgery, I was so excited about meeting the anesthesiologist – I was so ready to slip into a sweet, sweet, slumber; as I was sleeping the doctor did what needed to get done. After surgery the doctor checked in on me and told me that the surgery went well. I asked him what he did with the part of my stomach that he cut out. I was bummed when he told me he threw it away, I wanted to see it! When I told my sissy about this she was like “What the heck???!!! Are you serious?!” LOL!!!

After surgery I was expecting I’d be in a lot of pain, but there wasn’t much. The only pain I had was from having to get rid of the gas they pumped into my stomach to perform the surgery … ugh!!! Once the pain from that was gone, I was ready to start moving around. I was off and running the halls (in slo-mo) holding on to my makeshift cane – the IV pole. Lap after lap I finally met my goals and was released to go home. My sissy told me she was quite impressed by the “routine” I had established – I’d be asleep, I’d wake up to go potty, get out of bed (very slowly), grab my IV pole, make a pitstop in the bathroom, then hit the hall to do my lap, get back to the room, sit down on the bed, line up 6 plastic shot glasses on the bedside table (1 ounce each), fill them up with my flavored water, chug them down, then lay down and go back to sleep… and repeat.

My sissy stayed with me in the hospital after surgery way past the end of visiting hours; we made fast friends with the gals caring for me – every time they came into the room, sissy and I would be talking about silly stuff and they’d crack up, it was a laugh-fest! We thought that might have been why they didn’t make sissy leave when visiting hours were over. Sister eventually went back to my house and came back the next morning, when she presented me with a bright, blingy gold star, saying it was for doing so well, that I was a great patient!

Once I was released to go home, I remember getting in the wheelchair to head to the car and the next thing I knew we were home and my sissy was getting me out of the car. She walked me into the house and straight to my bedroom, where I gently climbed into my own bed … boy did that feel good! Sissy later told me that as soon as my head hit the pillow I was out!!!

The next few weeks were kind of a blur, but I remember reflecting on what led up to my decision to proceed with bariatric surgery. My eating habits were so out of control, I was eating whatever and whenever I wanted. I remember exactly when I started thinking seriously about having the surgery. It was at my annual physical. My doctor was aware that I have a 40 y/o daughter with cerebral palsy who depends on me for her survival. Without mincing words, my doctor told me “If you don’t do something about your weight you won’t be around long enough to take care of your daughter.” Hearing that was a wakeup call and a game changer for me. The thought of not being here to take care of my daughter, leaving her alone to fend for herself without me, weighed heavily on my heart and mind. That’s when I decided to have the surgery. I decided that I needed to do whatever it would take to be here for her, to take care of her for as long as possible, and to continue giving her the tools to be as independent as she can be when I’m gone.

Deciding to have this surgery was not an “easy way out.” It is a lifetime commitment! My entire life has changed. I’ve had to change how and what I eat choosing healthier options, figuring out what I can and can’t drink, and having to take enough vitamins on a daily basis to choke a horse. Someone recently asked me “how much more weight do you think you would have gained if you hadn’t had the surgery?” I didn’t really want to think about it nor did I want to find out. Instead, I’m thankful that my doctor cared enough about me and my daughter to document my medical record stating that bariatric surgery for me was not elective but was medically necessary to sustain life… and then she wrote a referral to a bariatric surgeon and left it up to me to make the decision. 

Today is April 5, 2025, and I’m down 43 pounds. I no longer crave sugar, and at first some of my favorite foods tasted nasty, but this has changed over time as I figured out the limits to what I can and can’t eat. I now eat more protein and fresh vegetables than I ever have, and I can’t remember how long it’s been since I’ve felt this good; I love it!

I’ve asked myself why I waited so long to have this surgery. Up until the moment my doctor told me if I didn’t do something soon, I wasn’t going to be here to take care of my daughter, I thought I was doing just fine; I suppose subconsciously I thought I was invincible.

As a quilter I was sewing every day, sometimes in the middle of the night when I couldn’t sleep and sometimes sewing 12 hours a day. This surgery changed that. Recovery was rough because I wasn’t feeling good, so I stopped sewing; I ended up not sewing for two months. But I had a huge project to complete before a quickly approaching deadline, so I started sewing again, a little at a time. But I still wasn’t feeling well and was making a lot of mistakes. I decided to put the project – the new version of Catch Me by Jacqueline de Jonge of BeColourful in the Netherlands – aside so I could rest until I felt better. As the days ticked by, I was beginning to wonder if I would get my project done in time for my class in June. When I finally started feeling better, I began sewing again and I haven’t stopped since!

Catch Me by Jacqueline de Jonge of BeColourful, revised pattern in the new Blush fabric line from Anthology.

My project is now pieced and ready to start part of the assembly. Carol Stanek and I are on a mission to get as much done before we head to Tennessee in June for the 5-day class with Jacqueline, which is when we’ll find out how this monster of a quilt goes together! When we started this project, we sorted the quilt pattern into 6 chapters, then following the instructions we tackled each chapter one at a time. This has been a huge undertaking spending hundreds of hours cutting and sewing, but Carol and I are determined to get everything done before we head to Tennessee. Catch Me is a level 7 pattern, which is the hardest level on Jacquelines scale of difficulty, and to think that I’m making two… what was I thinking? But then again, this is not out of character for me.

Catch Me, original color way that I am also making.

Now that everything is pieced it’s time to start removing the papers and putting some of the sections together. While we are in Tennessee we will finish assembling the entire quilt. It would be accurate to say that this project and preparation has been a bit stressful, but I love it because paper piecing is my favorite method of quilting to use, so I’m up to the challenge!

I’ve included some pictures of what the process has been like. I hope you enjoy them and I look forward to seeing you all in a class later this year.

My binder of pieced units.

All pieced units are complete now to take off the papers.

How I organized the 29 different fabrics for Catch Me.

So, what did I learn in the past few months?

Taking care of myself is very important, allowing me to be around to provide the best care for my daughter

Not making a deadline because I don’t feel good is ok, I will catch up (here comes those 12-hour days)

Being creative is how I express myself and I’ve truly missed it

Feeling good is amazing and I can’t wait to see what life throws at me next

Until next time, what is on your sewing table today?

Victoria aka Tori