Stitching Your Way Out of a Cold

Frogs in the swamp

Having tried antihistamines, chicken noodle soup, and other assorted remedies, I finally resorted to a new strategy the last time I had a cold: stitching my way out. Since I was already bundled up under my ongoing crazy quilt, the idea of creating a new crazy quilt patch seemed obvious. For materials I dug into the bottomless $5 bag from last year's Oakland Museum White Elephant Sale. This is the fourth or fifth project I've managed to eke out from the same bargain bag of assorted sewing paraphernalia I scored during the last frantic hour of the sale.

The total patch

I used some white cotton collars and a few crochet pieces and added a few linen scraps from my fabric remnants. Feeling stuffy, muddled, and moist, I chose the theme of a swamp. I turned the collars into lily pads, securing them with Japanese sashiko stitching, and embroidered an assortment of frogs. Finally I stitched the entire swampy mess onto the quilt.

Commemorating the date of the cold

Stitched to the crazy quilt