Map quilt finished - everything else on hold for a while!

I bought a printed world map panel about five years ago (after Grace was born). Jonathan was always fascinated with maps as a child and I thought it would be nice to make a map quilt for his first child. Soon after buying the panel, I sandwiched the panel/batting/backing and basted it. I had every intention of machine quilting it, but never got around to it. I have since come to realize that I can't machine quilt with my old Brother sewing machine. Last fall I pulled out the quilt and began hand quilting it. After I finished quilting the panel, I realized that it just didn't look right without a border. So I bought material in bright primary colors and finally decided on this. To make it easier to make the border fit, I started at the corners and adjusted it to fit at the center strip. Each center strip is a solid piece with the dark red letters appliqued on with a blanket stitch. I chose a simple geometric print in primary colors for the border backing and to bind the quilt. The panel is quilted along the longitude and latitude lines. The border diamonds are quilted in the ditch. The direction blocks are quilted with a stippled design. The quilt was finally finished in May of 2007 for Grace's fifth birthday.

Right after I finished the quilt, Troy and I were in an automobile accident. A seventeen year-old, just out of school for summer vacation, turned directly in front of us at a traffic light near our home. It jammed Troy's left hand and left if bruised and swollen for a week or two, and he got a scrape on forehead. I fared a lot worse. My left kneecap was broken, I got a cut above my left eye that required 3 stitches, and my right shoulder was broken. That break was in the ball part of the joint (distal humerus). I was in the hospital for 3 days. The doctor put the left leg in a brace and the right arm was immobilized. When I visited the orthopedist 10 days later, more xrays showed that several pieces in the shoulder break were displaced. So I had to have surgery. It was scheduled as out-patient and my surgery was one of the last ones of the day. I was barely awake and the nerve block on my arm and shoulder were still in effect when I was "shoved" out of the hospital. The doctor had put in a plate and eleven screws, so needless to say, when the feeling came back the pain was horrendous. No one in the house was able to sleep that night and early the next morning I called the doctor on call. He was familiar with the case since he was in the operating room during my surgery. He told me to go straight to the hospital, they would be waiting to admit me. I was hooked up to a demerol pump for the next two days until the paid subsided enough to make it bearable.

It has now been 5 weeks since the accident and I only have another week in the leg brace. It will be good to get rid of that hot thing! Am not sure what's in store as far as recovery time on the shoulder.

Needless to say, there will not be much quilting getting done until I regain more mobility in my arm.

Five Good Things:

1) Good health - blood pressure is now under control. I consider the injuries just temporary inconviences.

2) A wonderful husband - he's been an absolute angel during this ordeal. Thank heavens he's an adequate cook, and a very good housecleaner!

3) Pillow therapy - what my oldest sister calls the nest that I have to make for myself in bed each night to TRY to get comfortable.

4) The one night of uninterupted sleep that I've gotten since the accident.

5) The five pounds that I've apparently lost so far during my recovery period. I'm trying to keep from gaining it back.