Monday, February 26, 2007

Allergic to Fabric - Oh No

Continuing the photo theme of cats with fabric, here's Habibi. For whatever reason he never sleeps on fabric, which is just as well cuz the little ones do and they shed plenty. No, I didn't just go to the fabric store, this was a previous spree. Why are true and royal blue, aqua and turquoise so hard to find this season? Lots of orange and lime green and pink.

I have nasty allergies. Every year I have to change my antihistimine medication because it stops working for me. Well, I obviously didn't get it taken care of early enough and my allergies attacked me yesterday. I was minding my own business rotary cutting away, and I realized that I was feeling worse and worse and worse. I worried enough about it that I went over to the UrgentCare at 6:00pm on a Sunday. I got a doc who loves meds: now I'm on not just two for my allergies, but three (four if I can actually find Nasalcrom anywhere). Better living through chemistry. Hmmm, we'll see how this goes - gonna take awhile to know for sure. I have to be able to play with fabric, I just haveta, but I'm going to hold off for several days.

At least I can still quilt on Hot Crazy Love (I'm halfway up the left border). Maybe it's just cutting it that makes the fabric spores go up my nose, or maybe it's that I used cold water to wash the last couple batches of fabric instead of warm. I won't make that mistake again.

My sweetie is good (tho far away), my cats are good (little Pokey is still coming in to sleep with me and Lily at night) and I'm doing better.

12 comments:

Sweet P said...

There's a lot to be said for better living through chemistry. I hope you don't have wait too long to play with fabric again.

SuBee said...

OK - Everybody stay calm! A possible allergy to fabric can be treated, and Tonya will be OK. It just means prewashing all the chemicals out, and hopefully that will take care of it. That or more drugs! LOL - seriously, I hope that's not so, and you feel better real soon.

Quilts And Pieces said...

Tonya, hope your feeling better soon and hope it was just the dust from cutting!

Hanne said...

Ouch !
I hope you feel better very soon and that the alleriges are passing.
I wash all my fabrics in warm water with a mild detergent, to get all the chemicals and stuff out and my nose is not stuffed and my face not itching when sewing anymore. I can feel it sometimes when I am in a quilt shop or if I am in the same room as quilters ironing unwashed fabrics.
It can also be that your allergy reaction is enhanced by all you have been going through lately. Your body is tired and throwing reactions in all directions maybe?
Anyway - very speedy recovery to you!

Clare said...

When you think about all the "fluff" that collects in the machine when we are stitching away, it is just possible that this is a reaction to the fabric dust created by cutting. Alex starts sneezing when I'm cutting.

Bon courage.

Unknown said...

Hope the drugs help. Allergies can make you pretty miserable. But fabric allergies? Now that's a bad hand to be dealt...

Lois R. said...

Sorry to hear about the allergies. Warm water next time, okay?

Habibi looks like an electric cat with that cord sticking out of his back. When you plug him in, what does he do? Hee hee.

quiltpixie said...

May the chemicals work quickly and effectively! I love the the muticolour wavey fabric in your photo. Are you cutting it in long strips of colour or across the strips?

Cher said...

thanks for the bright fabrics fix! I recognized a few I own as well-what a drawback to have your allergies go into overdrive - while cutting fabric. At least you can quilt until the meds do their magic. how annoying though to put off that joy of cutting into new fabric.

Candy Schultz said...

I love those fabrics. I have some of them myself. You know every year there is actually a committee which decides what colors are going to be used for that year. Perhaps those particular colors did not make the cut.

Hope the allergies clear up fast.

YankeeQuilter said...

As I recall haven't you always had a hard time finding those colors?! I think a lot of it is the dust that gets on the fabric while it sits on the shelf...hope it clears up quickly.

Fiona said...

Hi Tonya - great to see you posting regularly again. I would have commented sooner but there is a fault with your feed on my bloglines list so I only just 'found' your posts. Commiserations about the allergies - they're no fun. I long to make rag rugs, but the burlap has a most unfortunate effect on my nose and eyes and it's just too uncomfortable to continue.