Saturday, June 18, 2011

I'm Back and a neat hooded jacket sewn last spring

Hi everybody.    Back from Johns Hopkins Medical Center where I spent an entire day last week undergoing tests and examinations in their Neurology Department.    I referred myself to JH in May since I was told by local doctor the end of March that I did not need to be seen again until the end of July.   JH told me that the reason I was seen so soon is the seriousness of my condition given that the GBS was active again and quickly destroying my nerves.   Without going into details, they performed much more extensive and sophisticated tests than I have had during my 11 month battle with GBS.   I only had to  be there that one day.    After all the tests results are in,  they will convene a board of highly experienced specialists who will discuss my case, and determine a plan and course of treatment to make me well since this is reversible with the right treatment and timely intervention.   This will take a few weeks, then they will contact me.     They want to make it easiest for me, so depending on what they recommend,  they said that I may be able to get the treatments at facilities in Asheville rather than driving up there.     I feel like I have stabilized for the time being, so unless I get worse quickly,  I wait.  

Visited Michael's Fabrics

My husband and I stayed in the Johns Hopkins University area, north of the medical complex.   The evening before we left, we visited Michael at Michael's Fabrics, an easy drive north on Falls Road.     We had a nice visit and I bought some of the new Italian fabrics he had just received.    More on those later.  

Hooded Jacket from November 2007 Burda Style Magazine

I wanted to share this interesting hooded jacket I sewed up last spring  in french terry as a wearable muslin to test Burda Style #126 from the November 2007 issue.   After reading reviews on Pattern Review, I was intrigued by the one piece pattern,  excluding the sleeves.    I looked through my Burda Magazines but was missing this issue.    My friend in Massachusetts, Denise M,  kindly located it and had the friend she gave it to send/loan it to me.    That was during a time that I was not doing well but,  pacing myself and taking my time,  I traced it and sewed up a size I thought would work -  hard to determine the fit with a one-piece pattern like this.   The photo in the magazine article showed it as semi-fitted, so I used size 42 for my test since I wanted to wear this over sweaters.   The 42 is way too big, especially in the shoulders,  but gave me the info I needed to determine the correct size.
Shoulder seam runs under the hood across the back

I pressed it out yesterday and gave it to my son's girlfriend to give to her mother.    Here are some photos.   The jacket front is not asymmetrical but looks that way hanging on a size six mannequin.


3 comments:

  1. good morning, Teri! and welcome back. It certainly sounds as if you made an exceedingly wise decision to get to Johns Hopkins. I will remember your comments if another of my friends ever gets GB (two people where I used to work got it a few years ago).

    I also wanted to tell you how much I always enjoy your blog. It seems that anything you make makes me want to run out and get that pattern immediately and make one too! Yours was one of the very first sewing blogs I read and I remember commenting to friends that "there are people out there who love to sew as much as I do... and you should see the amazing things they make!!!"

    So thanks for sharing... all of it.

    Kathie
    Upstate NY

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  2. Welcome back Terri. It sounds like you had a good visit to Johns Hopkins and I hope they have constructive treatments for you.

    The yellow jacket is very bright and cheerful and will lighten the mood on any day.

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  3. Glad to get the update, Terri, and to know the JH visit went so well. I admire your strength and determination through these difficult times. I do believe that attitude has so much to do with dealing with adversity of any type. Look forward to hearing what good things JH will be able to do to help you overcome this condition.

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