I need ideas please....

One of the friends I sew with came down suddenly with Guillain-Barr=E9 Syndrome and has been hospitalized. She went to the doctor this morning with a tingly, weak foot and now she's on watch for respiratory failure from paralysis.

This woman has had so much stress in her life you can't imagine and I won't go into. But, things were looking better and she and I were signed up to take a class together over the next three Mondays in which we made a really pretty little wall hanging with hearts and lace and other types of embellishments. I am taking the class because she asked me to.

So what can I come up with to help my friend not go crazy while waiting in the hospital over the next three weeks to see if she's going to have to be on a respirator? She can still use her hands right now, although apparently the weakness is climbing up her legs rapidly.

I am going to the library to find fun things to read to her in little snippets, but what kind of little hand projects can I find for her.... things that can be done in a couple hours. Maybe something with a few beads or ribbons..... she really loves frilly.

Any ideas would be appreciated. This is the gal I made the angel quilt for but it's still not quilted. I'm heading to the quilt shop now to reserve the long arm. It's a big thing and I don't think there's anyway I can do it quickly on my machine, especially with the little Pfaff in the shop cause of trauma from last weekend. Poor little thing, I broke seven needles during the course of that day.

Hoping for ideas, Sunny

Reply to
Sunny
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Has your friend ever done any of the plastic canvas projects? They work up fairly quickly using knitting yarn, worked with a long stitch---over 2 or 3 of the canvas holes. There are books with various projects & instructions. HTH Barbara in Florida

Reply to
Bobbie Sews More

I don't have any bright ideas about hand projects, but what about getting her some books on tape/CD to keep her occupied while she waits?

Reply to
Sandy

Yo-yo's! You could cut a bunch of circles for her. They work up quickly and she could start a summer throw or even a table runner.

Judy from Mass

Reply to
judyanna

Crochet work? Use up scraps of yarn. Loom knitting? English paper piecing? Yo-yos?

G> One of the friends I sew with came down suddenly with Guillain-Barr=E9

Reply to
gaw93031

Oh thank you! Wonderful ideas. I will see her husband tomorrow, I hope. He's a fiber technician and drives all over the Northwest states working on fiber projects for a cell phone company. As a result he's not going to be able to be with her all the time. She's going to need her friends. Tomorrow when I see her I'm going to take a book or two on tape and a little project I have. One day at a time.

Sunny

Reply to
onetexsun

How about some of Janet Evanovich's 'Stephanie Plum' books in audio. Very entertaining and I've yet to meet anyone who has read them and didn't like them. I've spent way too much time in hospitals and I know sometimes it's hard to do or even concentrate on hand work if you aren't feeling well or buzzed on meds. "Hospital TV" usually pretty much sucks while you're just laying there and still conscious. Also you always feel worse late at night for some reason and there aren't any nice visitors around for distraction. She could plop in a tape and put on the headphone/ear piece and lay back and have a big smile, a good chuckle or even a belly laugh......it's the best medicine you know. It's also a scientific fact that humor and laughter promotes healing, lowers blood pressure and reduces pain. It's all good. They have the first three books of the Stephanie Plum series on one tape at Half.com for a VERY reasonable price. It would be a nice way to start the collection.

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Reply to
Val

Loom looper potholders, you can use pretty colors of cotton loops. I don't know about her but I never have enough of the stupid things because people are forever losing them, or washing them, or whatever it is they do with them.

Bead looming Fast and easy. You can make a beaded fringe instead of going through the tedious process of burying the weft threads. It works even faster with those gemstone chips you can buy by the yard. You get some pretty nifty looking stuff with those too.

Ribbon embroidery or candlewicking. Either one can be as simple or complex as you please.

Native American ribbon embroidery. You can do this on fabric with fabric ribbons, or on leather with fabric ribbons, or whachamacallit-the boondoggle stuff you make lanyards with at summer camp, or almost any flexible flat stuff on a ground you can sew on. It is all back stitches and the whole trick in in twisting or plaiting the ribbons or whatever you use.

Books by Katie McAlister. I guess technically they are in the romance genre. However they are hard to read out loud because you keep laughing. Yes they have sex scenes. However even the sex scenes are funny instead of being so boring you skip them, or so hot you are struck by a keen desire to, uh...clean the lint filter? Yeah that's the ticket! Being bored in the hospital sucks wide, and developing a burning need to clean the lint filter in such a circumstance is not much better.

NightMist

Reply to
NightMist

How about getting her a blank book to make a fabric book cover with felt ,lace beads etc to decorate it. You can cut out to size, remembering the fold overs at each end and about 1/2" top and bottom to sew the seam allowance. They are very satisfying and easy to put down when she is not feeling up to it. They can be made with fabric , wadding too! HTH

Reply to
Estelle Gallagher

Great idea Estelle. I made one of those for someone - had forgotten all about it - it was very much liked by the recipient! . In message , Estelle Gallagher writes

Reply to
Patti

Barbara's idea of plastic canvas is a good one. I would suggest something like coasters -- you can get ready made shapes at most any craft store. Just make sure you include cotton fiber -- the acrylic stuff won't absorb liquid the way a natural fiber would :-). Another idea -- especially since she likes frilly -- is to get her stuff to do Silk Ribbon Embroidery. It's VERY quick and can be made really frilly. A finished design would be just right for using as an appliqué on a finished garment or quilt or something like that. I have a few other ideas but don't want to use up too much space here. Please e-mail me, OK? CatWom7711 at aol dot com CiaoMeow >^;;^<

PAX, Tia Mary >^;;^< (RCTQ Queen of Kitties) Angels can't show their wings on earth but nothing was ever said about their whiskers! Visit my Photo albums at

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Tia Mary

Reply to
Dr.Smith

Piggybacking here. Also consider that if she's not feeling great, she might not be that motivated to work on any little project. So don't overwhelm her with things to do. When I was laid up with my leg, even though my hands were able, I still didn't want to do much. Even reading seemed like work.

Reply to
KJ

I saw my friend today, she's in Critical Care and just miserable as can be. I took her some quilt magazines and a couple lighthearted books and asked what she would like. She wants anything on earth to keep her mind and hands busy. I love the ideas you folks have given me. I've never been crafty and don't do anything that isn't quilt related so it's been good to read and get some notions of what other people enjoy. I'll be heading to Craft Warehouse (Michael's little sister) for some kind of happy and colorful kit.

Thanks, Sunny

Reply to
onetexsun

It's good to know that she wants and needs busy work. I don't have any other suggestions, you've had some good ones.

Reply to
KJ

I don't know a lot about that condition, but it might be an idea to find out first whether stressing her arms and hands by holding sewing work might make it flare up in the upper body.

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