Photosensitivity

I don't talk about it much, because it isn't much fun to talk about and it always sounds as if I'm whining. The thing is, I have a chronic headache, as in a 15 year long headache, 24/7/365. When I first got it, I could barely function, but I've learned how to make myself function on all but the worst days. My worst days are usually in summer, and this summer is no exception. I get horribly photosensitive, (my kids call me Vampira on days like these) and I end up wearing sunglasses even in the house, like I'm doing now. 

We had some unexpected, but very welcome company for the weekend, and I appreciated the distraction. Monday was a bad day headache-wise, and I pretty much spent all day in my bedroom where I can block all the light. 

The thing about any chronic pain is you get used to it and can do things through a lot of it. When I have a non-functional day it's a REALLY bad day. I've hosted 70 people while seeing auras around everything, I can be dealing with horrible nausea and still cook dinner for my family, I can need to close all the blinds in the house and wear sunglasses to deal with the photosensitivity, and still get some stuff done. Some days though, are not days I can function through. None of my coping strategies work and I'm just down until it eases up a bit. This week has had it's share of bad days. 

I may not have gotten much done, but in short stints, I did get a little bit done. 

Last week, before things got bad, I finished assembling a quilt top. 

I really like this one, and I would have made it larger had I not run out of three of the fabrics I used. 

I finished putting a quilt on the design wall.

I had already pulled down the first four rows when I took this photo, but I think it still shows more than my last post. Assembling this quilt is a no brainer type of activity, so good to do while my headache is raging. I'm sewing up the nine patches I matched up a couple weeks ago as leaders/enders while I assemble each row. 

Sometimes nine patches made with novelty fabrics come out pretty funny! Anyone have a guess as to whose eyes those are?

I'm glad I decided to just crosshatch on the UFO I'm quilting. I'm not feeling well enough to do anything more complicated than that. After multiple small sessions I finally finished the lines in one direction. No matter how much I want to get things done, if 15 minutes of doing something is all I can handle right now, that's how much I do. I need to mark the first line in the other direction before I can start quilting that, but I know I'm done for today. 

I had hoped to  be almost finished cutting the four colors of flannel I need for the rag quilts I'm making, but instead, I've only finished cutting one color.

When I realized I hadn't bought enough lavender, I ordered more of the same color, but obviously the dye lots were different, because you can see the color change about 1/3 of the way down. Unfortunately, I had to buy more dark purple too, and I have the same problem, the dye lots aren't the same and there is a bit of a color difference. The lavender is for the center layer of the rag quilt, so I don't think it will be very noticeable in the fringe. The dark purple I have yet to cut will be the backing, and it may very well be noticeable, but I'm just going to have to make it work. With how slow I'm working, until this bad spell breaks, I'll only be working in short stints. Good thing I've learned that any progress is progress, and I'll take what I can get. I had hoped to have all the flannel cut by the end of this week, but now if I have one more color cut it will be a huge win. 

Here's a couple pics of my unexpected company, they were a joy and a nice distraction.