Healing up...

Yesterday, I actually sat down to the sewing machine and did some sewing whilst having a zoom chat with a number of sewing buddies who all used to be part of the now-defunct Stitcher's Guild (Dragon Lady, I do hope you are doing ok...).

That was the first sewing of any kind that I've done since I whacked my right pinky finger on the mandoline on July 2.  Unfortunately, I can't share what it was because of the nature of the thing.  Sometimes things have to be...secrets.

I will talk about it...eventually, lol.

Actually, quite a lot of my sewing over the next  2- 3 months will be of the 'I can't talk about it on my blog'  ilk.  It will all make sense at the end.

I will take pictures, lol.

But...what I *can* talk about is costuming.  We did a first pass at sorting through the costumes...at least, getting like items all on a rack together instead of spread out over all the racks willy-nilly, which is how they were done.  We are, I am told, getting some additional industrial z-racks so we can refine the sorting somewhat once those come in and are assembled.

Then, perhaps, we can do some sort of inventory and see what we actually have now...which will give us a better idea of what we will need in the future.

I wish I had better organizational skills.  Maybe this will force me to learn some, lol.

On another note, the Great British Sewing Bee finale was last week.  Was anyone watching?  We had a discussion about it on the zoom call this morning and lamented that the quality of sewing just isn't up there ...due mostly to the ridiculous time restraints.  But, also, earlier in the series when the choice was between a fantastic vision/ design that isn't fantastically sewn and a well-sewn but less adventurous design that wasn't quite finished, the not went to the design and the person who had executed well but bitten off more than she could chew in the time allotted went home, I found myself wondering if they were looking for 'Britain's best amateur sewer' or 'Britain's best amateur designer'. I think that subtle shift happened when May Martin (a sewing educator) stepped down as one of the judges and Esme Young ( a fashion designer) took her place. In the final pattern challenge of this series, Patrick emphasized 'We have given you PLENTY  of time' to sew a pair of very fiddly opera gloves.  Looking at how everyone faired...I'd say they gave them plenty of time to sew it perfectly but no extra time to go back and fix mistakes that are likely to be made by someone who's never tackled something like opera gloves.  Of course, the winner of that challenge was the one person who had actually made gloves before.  The other two made mistakes they didn't have time to fix, which was sad.  I am not sure the best skilled sewer is one who never makes mistakes...or one who has the determination and wherewithal to undo and correct a mistake.

 I know  I am never the first type but hopefully the second, lol.

Back to Work

 ...an update of sorts.  I returned to my normal work hours last week so I guess I'm almost restored, lol.

My hip continues to improve; I've been released from physical therapy as they said I had improved enough.  I'm supposed to keep walking and do some strengthening exercises about three times a week.

Um.  yeah, sure...meant to do that...

But I am walking.  I've hit 7K steps pretty regularly and have even made it up to 10 k once or twice.  I'm at 8K right now and am planning to do some laps around the house to get up to 10 before I head to bed tonight.

The foot is still swelling slightly...more if I don't wear the compression socks.  At my post op visit a couple of weeks ago, I told the surgeon what was going on with my foot, and commented that it felt like a bad sprain.  I actually sprained that ankle really bad back in 2001, and it was very similar both in how it felt and how it was restricted.  He got kind of a funny look on his face and said, 'You know, sprains don't  really ever go away...in the course of the surgery we clamped your foot in a big boot-like stirrup and manipulated it pretty aggressively.  It's entirely possible we have aggravated that old injury.'

Well that would explain a LOT, lol.

But I can put on shoes and socks unassisted again, so that's a gain.   I feel like I'm about where I was a year ago, before the situation began to deteriorate at a faster pace.  I should continue to improve, so long as I keep moving, lol.

The finger is still bandaged.  It's extremely tender and I keep it bundled more to insulate it against bumps than to bandage the wound.  It is closing but it's slow.  And I'm making much use of the backspace as I'm posting because...9 finger typing...

On a whole 'nuther topic...We have gotten a dedicated room at church for costuming; a crew actually began the process of sorting and organizing the costumes last week; I'm going to stay late a couple of nights this week to do some as well. I'm told we'll need Bible costumes and some Dickens costumes for the Christmas production this year...not sure what else. Maybe we can get a jump on it and get some things created ahead of time; I'm thinking men's Bible costume vests/over coats, for sure. We seem to have developed a real shortage there... 

Not sure how well I can wrangle hangers with a bummed hand but we'll see....

...and the klutz is at it again...

 Got a mandoline (the slicer, not the instrument, lol) around Christmas last year; finally pulled it out to slice cucumbers for salad on Tuesday.

It was a fairly large cucumber, and I thought, 'My hand is a good 3" above that blade, I'll whittle it down a bit and then use the guard."

Stupid.  Stupid. Stupid.

I did fine for about the first dozen passes, then something happened...still don't know what....and the cuke twisted and threw my pinkie finger right down on the blade.

Y'all.  I was still on aspirin to avoid clots, post surgery.  That thing bled and bled and bled...we went to urgent care, where I went when I stupidly cut my index finger last year, but when I told them I was on aspirin they said I had to go to the ER.

So off we went...to the pricier (and closer) of the two hospitals.  It wasn't stitchable, so they put a compression bandage on it but it was still bleeding profusely after about a half hour (at this point I'd been squeezing my pinkie for about an hour and a half to two hours; my left hand was cramping) so they put some stuff on it to help the blood coagulate, wrapped it up tightly and told me to leave it for 48 hours. 'If it's still bleeding when you change the bandage, come back.'

It hurts worse than last year's injury.  Probably because my finger was twisting as it hit the blade.  I actually went looking for my post surgery pain meds  middle of the night on Tuesday, it hurt that badly.  But I had stashed them so well (didn't actually take them after surgery; it was never that bad) I couldn't find them.  I took an ice pack back to bed and managed to get back to sleep.

Well, not going into gross detail but the non-stick dressing completely adhered to the booboo so when we tried to take it off on Thursday...it pulled on the injury and it started bleeding again.

So we went back.  Following directions.  Was SO excited to go to the ER in the evening on July 4th, but they were surprisingly not busy, at least while we were there.

A soak in a sterile saline bath and the old dressing came free with minimal bleeding so I got bandaged back up and sent home with instructions to change it after another 48 hours.

Just changed the bandage again and that puppy is still oozing when disturbed. And it still hurts, although not so badly as earlier in the week.

Stupid. Stupid.  Been saying that a lot.

So much for getting back in the sewing room.

Sigh.

I am going to get myself some of those chain-mail gloves, lol.