Six More Blocks Down, Four to Go

Yesterday I was too busy running around to get any sewing done.  I saw the doctor about my knee.  She is asking for another MRI.  The last one I had was nearly seven years ago, and so I suppose it's time.  She and her assistant were discussing surgery a little too enthusiastically for my comfort level, and my plan is to avoid surgery at all costs.  I've already had one knee surgery that did not help at all.  We shall see what the MRI shows before anything else happens.  Of course, that will require a preauthorization, and so it might be some time off.

Before I go on with today's Mother Goose blocks, I wanted to acknowledge that several of you were very diplomatic in pointing out the error in the embroidery from my last post about this quilt.  Here is the image that those of you with sharp eyes were looking at.

You noticed that the "R" is "Piper's" is missing its down stroke.  This is very amusing to me because I first came into possession of these blocks in 1979.  I used it with two babies.  I repaired the embroidery on Tom's shoes just last year, and I have never noticed that before.  Obviously, I am not as sharp-eyed as you!

Here's what I have to say about this:  First, the embroidery for these quilt blocks was done by my mother when she was a teenager.  That would have been in the 1930's.  I have linked to the story of this quilt before, but with new readers, some of you may not know its background.  (Here is the link to my blog post about the history of this quilt.)  My mother was the most loving and generous person I have ever known.  She passed away in 1997.  I so wish she would have lived long enough to see what I am doing with this quilt.  In fact, she passed away before I started quilting, and I often wish she were around so that I could make a quilt for her.  She did so much for me.

If you had known my mother, you would have loved her.  Everyone who knew my mother loved her, and despite what my therapist said once, I am not idolizing her.  (I checked in with Mike about this, and he agrees with me.)  It is true that everyone loved her.  She was easy to love.  It might be idolizing her to say that she was a saint, although I don't think so.  Saint possibly; human, most definitely.  And so, as I've told a few of you, the error in the embroidery will stay as an honor to my mother's humanity.  There may be other errors in the embroidery, but I haven't seen them.  If I do, they too will stay.

So here's what I did today.  The first block I quilted was Polly Put the Kettle On.  And may I say, this must be Mother Goose's least creative rhyme:

Polly put the kettle on,
Polly put the kettle on,
Polly put the kettle on,
We'll all have tea.

Sukey take it off again,
Sukey take it off again,
Sukey take it off again,
They've all gone away.


Here is the block:

I quilted some steam coming from the kettle (since I figure she's already heated it up).  Then I quilted steaming tea kettles

and steaming cups of tea.

Next was Jack Be Nimble.  He was pretty easy.

I filled in his space with candle flames.

This next one was unfamiliar to me:  Bye Baby Bunting.

Bye, baby Bunting,

Daddy’s gone a-hunting,

Gone to get a rabbit skin

To wrap the baby Bunting in.

Uh Oh.  They didn't give me much to work with.  Here's the block.

I've said many times that I am terrible at drawing, and this one was going to require that I draw something.  (Gulp.)  So I did a rabbit and rabbit footprints, and it turned out not half bad.  Can you see the rabbit in the corner?  (Or maybe it's a Cabbit, as my friend Sue would think.)

Then came Mother Hubbard and her poor dog.

For this one, I did bones and paw prints.

Simple Simon was next.  Do you know this rhyme?  I knew it had something to do with a pie man, but I wasn't sure why he was fishing in a bucket.

Simple Simon met a pieman,

Going to the fair;

Says Simple Simon to the pieman,

Let me taste your ware.

Says the pieman to Simple Simon,

Show me first your penny;

Says Simple Simon to the pieman,

Indeed I have not any.

Simple Simon went a-fishing,

For to catch a whale;

All the water he had got,

Was in his mother's pail.

Simple Simon went to look

If plums grew on a thistle;

He pricked his fingers very much,

Which made poor Simon whistle.

For him, I did steaming pies.  They might look a little like crowns, but I'm hoping context will help.

Finally, Little Miss Muffet.

For hers, I did a spider web covering the whole block.  It's asymmetrical, and so I'm thinking it must have been a black widow spider.  They make very messy webs.

With four blocks left, it was tempting to go on, but I decided to stop for the day.  I should be able to finish up the blocks tomorrow, and then I'll need to quilt the sashing and the border.  I'm hoping that won't take too long.

Tomorrow, I'm going for another Curves workout.  And that reminds me that I met up with my Curves coach for my weekly check-in yesterday.  I lost another pound, which makes a total of 4 1/2 pounds lost after 3 weeks on the diet.  I'm pretty stoked about that.  Anyway, after that I need to go to the grocery store, but I should be home early enough to finish up the last of these blocks.  I'm getting excited to see it all finished.

How did your Wednesday go?  I was home all day today, and it was divine.  Don't forget to check in tomorrow.  It's my day to post in the It's All About Me blog hop!

Have you been hopping the past couple of days?  Everybody is doing such a good job.  Lots of clever people out there.