Sew and LIVE chaotically!! ~ An AMAZING #MeMadeMay Day 7!

Since August, I've been working to get better and stronger!  For about a month or so, I've been running 2 miles, or doing '2 miles' in 20 minutes on the elliptical, with core work (70 sit-ups, push-ups and light weights) 6 days a week.  This week I kicked it up to 3 miles on the elliptical in 30 minutes!!!  No, I don't always feel like it.  Yes, my knees, ankles, and hips hurt - as do some older battle wounds.  But they hurt just as much if I don't exercise!  And today? Today was a day of celebration in SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO many ways!!!  Roo and I made it back to Barre!  An exercise class that we had been rocking out weekly for about 6 months prior to my debacle!

We did it!  And - we did it pretty dang well!!  Plus, there are THREE Me-Mades in this pic!  The CROSSING OUT CANCER TWICE tee I'm wearing was made for me by my sister, Carla!  Isn't it awesome?  I love it!  Plus, I made Roo's exercise top!  Check out the fun back below!  But the third make leaves those in the dust!!!  I made that beautiful creature and today is her birthday!!!  She is one of the most dynamic, brilliant, vivid, loving, truly ALIVE humans I have ever met.  My life has been blessed to witness her blossom into the amazing woman she is today!

A party in the back!

Isn't she lovely?  Her life is an unending source of support and encouragement to all she touches ~ from the children she teaches, to her friends and family.  She has been one of my best cheerleaders and a real support to my recuperation more than once!!! 

While fighting for your life, hoping for your future, and dealing with the shit that cancer dishes out is never easy - you learn you are stronger than you think you are! Sadly, I cannot give deserved credit for the emblem below as I don't know the creator, but I love it! 

My method?  My motto?   "...I'ma keep running, cause a winner don't quit on themselves!" ~ Beyonce and Kendrick Lamar - Freedom

Thanks to all of you who have encouraged my efforts, given me strength when mine waned, and never doubted me.  Roo - I owe so very much to YOU!!!  Happy, happy birthday, sweetie.  I love you ever so! I know the coming year is going to be as beautiful as you are!  You are today and always, my best MeMadeMay! ~ mommy/les

Sew Chaotically! ~ Celeste Archer! The start of a springtime top making roll!

In 2017 I was thrilled to make my second trip to Paris and that visit included fabric shopping!!!  I found this beautiful blue cotton print at the cutest little shop, Frou-Frou.  When I spied the label ~ well ~ 'Oiseaux Celeste' (Bird Celeste) had to come home with me!  I knew then it would make a lovely springtime Grainline Archer, previously made here and here.  And finally, she is done!

The drafting of Grainline's patterns works perfectly for me whether it is the Morris Blazer, Alder shirt dress or the Archer.  I made a straight 8 with no adjustments.  Isn't the fabric lovely?  It lived up to all my expectations and was a pleasure to work with!

I love the collar on both the Archer and Alder.  Though I have tried Grainline's method I have better luck with "alternative method" by Closet Case Patterns.  Give it a try if you haven't!

I used this cute cuff detail this time.

For this special make, I made an adjustment to my label!  Pretty guts!!!

And continuing my PSA's for melanoma awareness month...

Great strides have been made in melanoma treatment through the work of forward thinking researchers, the dedicated amazing hearts and lives of incredible ratties, and the dear ones who see them through!  But, we have a long way to go!  Protect the skin you're in!

Sew and live chaotically!  ~ les

Sew Chaotically! ~ Me Mades for May X's 3!

For #MMM2019 Day 5, I'm ticking all the boxes!  Refashioning a previous make.  Putting my umpteenth Morris blazer to good use, AND rocking an awesome Roo and Bentie MADE t-shirt!

I made this dress a couple of years ago when I first really started sewing.  It wasn't constructed terribly well.  Something was always 'off' about the back AND I made it from quilting cotton, so it was a bit stiff.  Despite getting compliments on it when I wore it, I didn't reach for it very often.  So ~ I decided it would make a great little play skirt.  I whacked it in half.  Attached a contoured waist band from a pattern I made for myself (resource and story of its creation here).  BAM!!!  

Perfection!!  I have lots of tops and sweaters that I can pair it with, but I love it with this amazing Tee Roo and B made me for my 50th Birthday! 

Roo's poetry has touched my heart in many ways, the dragonfly is only one!  Check out this post for her beautiful words:  Ratties and Hope!  And this one to see how far B will go to honor the dragonfly:  Lucky Bugs!

I love my outfit, my amazing supportive peeps, and my crazy photog!!!

Be a happy, lucky bug!!  But invest in a little insurance and..

Live and sew chaotically! - les

Sew Chaotically and Melanoma Awareness! ~ Dandelion Paris Top by Orageuse and #GETNAKED!!!!

The crazy of GCC of the appendix found in "routine" (???) scans for Stage IV melanoma at the end of August put many things on the back burner!  Not the least of which was working with some birthday fabric from my sweet Ruthie!!!  Both amazing prints in BLUE!  I decided on a midi Hollyburn skirt for the birds and thought I could get a pleated skirt AND a sweet little Paris Top by Orageuse out of the dandelion print!  FINALLY, plans for the dandelion print are springing to life!

Having made this little top before, I knew that no zip was needed.  It goes together supper easy and has a sweet little shoulder detail.

Given that this material is a bit sheer, I lined the front and used a bit of the same light weight lining material for the back facing.  No. Ugly. Insides!

It's a cute, versatile top that can be dressed up or down.  I'm wearing it with some of B's old jeans, minus a big wedge I took out of the back in order to make some "Mom" jeans!

And during May and once a month every month...

...and check your skin.  The life you save may be your own....or of someone you love.  Got moles, funny lumps or bumps ~ Get Naked.  Get checked. 

So happy to finally be able to rock my birthday fabric!!!  Thanks Ruthie!!!  Stay tuned to see what I do with the rest!! - les

Sew Chaotically and Melanoma Awareness! ~ #MeMadeRobes - Part 2

Robe #2 feels very decadent.  And BRIGHT!  And BEAUTIFUL!!!  I love it!

It is made up in an African wax print by way of London's Walthamstow Market!  The pattern is an extended version of Lisette's B6464 easy Kimono-esq jacket that I treated with Sashiko embroidery and even stitched up in fleece in prior makes.   With that combo, I could be accused of cultural appropriation on TWO fronts!!!  And maybe I should be.  However, I think the life I have lived, the things I read, the lives I celebrate, and the rights I fight for have been made clear in my almost 55 years on this planet.  And with approval from gals like Oonaballoona, aka Marcy Harriell - who certainly has a horse in this 'race' and rocks such prints like no other - in her post Wax on, Wax off (whom I actually contacted for advice on the care and sewing of wax prints generally as well as their use on the body of a POW - person of whiteness - in particular) I feel my use of these fabrics and shapes is a way of honoring the beauty and history of those who developed and produced them.  Culture, language, art, racial division, appropriation and injustice are incredibly important human issues.  As such, I am pleased with my special robe and feel great appreciation for those who walked this earth before me, as well as those who stand beside me, in order to make so many delicious foods, beautiful art, incredible fabric, amazing literature and great FRIENDS - part of my life today.

In keeping with what is my multifaceted life and May ~ Melanoma Awareness continues!!

I have serious concerns in all sorts of ways when the issue of cost as it pertains to needed medical care comes up.  It is SOOOOOOOOOOO nutters in every regard!  The incredible price attached to drugs and medical care generally.  The ludicrous deals all parties cut with insurance companies in the United States.  The audacity of some to decide that certain folks are just not worth the 'price'.  Now...there's this:

Cost-effectiveness of pembrolizumab for the adjuvant treatment of resected high-risk stage III melanoma in the United States.  Bensiomon, Zhou, Jenkins, et al.  J Med Econ. 2019 Apr 23. 

To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of adjuvant pembrolizumab relative to observation alone following complete resection of high-risk stage III melanoma with lymph node involvement, from a US health system perspective.

A Markov cohort model with four health states (recurrence-free, locoregional recurrence, distant metastases, and death) was developed to estimate costs, life-years, and quality-adjusted life-years associated with pembrolizumab versus observation over a lifetime (46-year) horizon. Using a parametric multi-state modeling approach, transition probabilities starting from recurrence-free were estimated based on patient-level data from KEYNOTE-054, a direct head-to-head phase 3 trial. Post-recurrence transition probabilities were informed by real-world retrospective data and clinical trials in advanced melanoma. Health state utilities and adverse event-related disutility were derived from KEYNOTE-054 trial data and published literature. Costs of drug acquisition and administration, adverse events, disease management, and terminal care were estimated in 2018 US dollars. Deterministic and probabilistic sensitivity analyses were conducted to assess robustness.

Over a lifetime horizon, adjuvant pembrolizumab and observation were associated with total QALYs of 9.24 and 5.95, total life-years of 10.54 and 7.15, and total costs of $489,820 and $440,431, respectively. The resulting incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) for pembrolizumab versus observation were $15,009/QALY and $14,550/life-year. Across the range of input values and assumptions tested in deterministic sensitivity analyses, pembrolizumab ranged from being a dominant strategy to having an ICER of $57,449/QALY versus observation. The ICER was below a willingness-to-pay threshold of $100,000/QALY in 90.2% of probabilistic simulations.

Long-term extrapolation of outcomes was based on interim results from KEYNOTE-054 with a median follow-up of 15 months.  Based on common willingness-to-pay benchmarks, pembrolizumab is highly cost-effective compared with observation alone for the adjuvant treatment of completely resected stage III melanoma in the US.

Well!  I'm glad they concluded "pembrolizumab is highly cost-effective compared with observation alone for the adjuvant treatment of completely resected stage III melanoma in the US" else-wise I may have had to hurt somebody!!  But really, what IS one life worth?  I defer to dear Pati.  Her videoed response is MORE than worth - your time:  Melanoma Treatment Options: What is it Worth to Extend ONE Life?

Live (and sew) chaotically!  For yourself.  For Pati and every other cancer patient who no longer can. - les

Oh.... PS - This pattern creates a much more comfy robe than the Purl Soho pattern does.  Still love my other one.  Just keep'n it 100!  ~ c

Sew Chaotically and Melanoma Awareness! ~ #MeMadeRobes - Part 1

My recent incarceration destroyed and tainted my existing robes, gowns, and 'lounge wear'.  I rehashed some of that when sharing the creation of this little gown!  This week I've worked to replace a couple of robes.  Here's the first ~

I made this robe with a woven cotton remnant purchased for $15.00 from Gail K Fabrics in Atlanta.  I used Purl Soho's free pattern, used previously and reported on in this post recounting a robe stitching nightmare:  Sew Chaotically! - The good, the bad, and the ugly!!! The ROBE to hell is paved with good intentions!!!.  Be sure to look at the robe at the end of the post!!!  BAHAHA!!!  Remaking it did remind me of a complaint other sewists had about it.  The arm-pit area is rather restricted.  I am not very big there, so it worked out.  The Purl Soho site does provide an additional pattern piece, supplied after many sewists mentioned this problem, that allows you to add a gusset to that area if you feel like you need it.  You can probably just create a bit of a "wing" in that area of the "sleeve", which is nothing more than a rectangle in the pattern, that would successfully address the issue as well.  At any rate, forewarned is forearmed!  (I crack myself up!!!)  I am very happy with this little light weight robe.  I think it will serve me quite well through the summer.  Stay tuned for a Me-Made-May robe of a different sort tomorrow!!!!  (NOTE:  Just checked the Purl Soho site and found that the pattern is no longer free!!!  As such, I'm not sure I would purchase it!  I mean, there are better patterns with fewer issues out there!  Sorry, Purl Soho.  Gotta keep it real!!  The "pattern" is literally a series of rectangles...that's it!  As a freebie - it's workable.  For a price - there are patterns that go together much more nicely.  Tomorrow's example is just one!)

And in keeping with May's other important topic ~ 

We've made great strides in the treatment of melanoma. The existence of effective targeted therapy and immunotherapy has saved thousands of lives, including mine - as a rattie in a Phase 1 immunotherapy trial that administered nivolumab (Opdivo) to me and my fellow ratties from 2010 - 2013. That said, targeted therapy is effective for BRAF positive melanoma peeps. That's only about half of us and while some are maintained on those drugs for years, in most, melanoma learns how to work around that treatment in about 9 months.  Immunotherapy only works in about 40% of patients when anti-PD-1 products (Opdivo or Keytruda) are used as single agents and only in about 50% when patients are given the ipi/nivo combo.  Further, though these meds are not nearly as nasty as some traditional chemotherapeutic agents - generally speaking - they are not without miserable side effects, at best, and life threatening ones, at worst.  However, the combined hype from slick ads, a lack of direct information from providers and possibly wishful blinders on the part of patients may lead to confusion and unfortunate surprises about what these drugs will and will not do.  Today, there's this:

Balancing the Hype with Reality: What Do Patients with Advanced Melanoma Consider When Making the Decision to Have Immunotherapy?  Wong, Billett, and Milne.  Oncologist. 2019 Apr 23. 

Immunotherapy has resulted in unprecedented improvements in survival and maintained quality of life for many patients with advanced melanoma. However, durable responses are observed in only a minority of patients, and severe treatment side effects are experienced by 5%-30%. There are no reliable tests that can differentiate between patients who are likely to respond to immunotherapy and those who will not. Hence, new challenges have arisen as clinicians try to facilitate patients in their decision-making regarding immunotherapy. Furthermore, little is known about the real-world patients' experience and understanding of immunotherapy outside the clinical trial setting. Here, we explore the perspectives of patients undergoing immunotherapy for melanoma and focus on factors that influenced their treatment decision-making.

Twenty-three in-depth semistructured interviews were conducted with patients receiving pembrolizumab for stage IV melanoma at an Australian public cancer hospital. Patients were recruited at a range of time points after commencing therapy, and their experience of treatment was explored. Interviews were audio recorded, transcribed verbatim, coded, and analyzed thematically.

Immunotherapy is viewed as a symbol of hope, with high-profile anecdotes reinforcing this perception. Only a minority of patients expressed a good understanding of the likely efficacy and potential treatment side effects. Patients are reliant on their clinicians' recommendation regarding immunotherapy treatment decisions.

Novel treatments such as immunotherapy provide significant hope for patients. This may influence their preference for immunotherapy over and above the usual considerations of the trade-off between efficacy and toxicity. Careful counsel and individualized patient resources may further facilitate treatment decision-making.

This study highlighted some of the misconceptions held by patients that need to be addressed when discussing the possibility of receiving treatment with immunotherapy for advanced melanoma. Patients placed a lot of importance on high-profile anecdotes rather than truly understanding likely outcomes of treatment based on personal circumstances. The majority of patients had a poor understanding of the potential side effects and long-term implications of treatment with immunotherapy. Careful counsel is required in order to facilitate informed decision-making about treatment and to ensure possible side effects are known and appreciated. Further research is needed to develop tools to aid decision-making in everyday clinical practice.

Of course patients are relegated to learning about treatment options and what side effects and limitations those treatments may entail from their providers!!!  Most melanoma patients are NOT medical providers themselves!!!  Sadly, not all medical providers do their job as they should.  And...not all melanoma patients listen to things they don't want to hear.  I also find it horrifying that "little is known about the real-world patients' experience and understanding of immunotherapy outside the clinical trial setting." Why the hell not????  Just ask!!!!  So, it's complicated.  Perhaps this is why I continue to get emails multiple times each week from folks across the globe asking questions about melanoma and its treatment.  Why melanoma forums like MPIP: The Melanoma Patient Information Page through the Melanoma Research Foundation are so important.  Why I keep writing about melanoma on these pages.  But!  Melanoma patients shouldn't have to acquire needed information this way!!!

MAY your day be filled with truth, effective melanoma treatment and prevention, as well as some wonderful ME-MADE-MAKES!!!! - c

Live Chaotically!! ~ A Mash UP!!! #MeMadeMay #Scrapbusting and #MelanomaAwarenessMonth

For the non-sewists here, Me Made May is a celebration of self made wardrobe items as well as sewing with a conscience - from refashioning and repairing ready-to-wear items in our closets, careful purchasing of environmentally friendly fabrics, and economical use of fabric we purchase.  That's the gist of it anyway.  I played along in 2017 and took a pass last year.  I'll give it a try this go round and see how it goes. Today's make ticks several boxes!!!  The top is made from the remains of the fabric I used to make my Bruges!  The facings are made from literal scraps, to the point I had to piece them together!!  And the pattern is one from the 80's, used to make tops I wore in high school!!  That's gotta be a #MMM win!!! 





















But, that's not all folks!!!  I'm still using scraps to build my stock of squares for a Carolina Chain quilt and cut worthy bits into strips, just waiting to evolve into binding!  There's even a new pattern on the horizon!  SEW exciting!!!



May is a busy month for another, less frivolous (no matter how conscientious) reason...

We have made great strides in melanoma treatment since the dark ages - aka the years before 2011.  Still, we do not have treatments that are effective for all melanoma patients.  It is anticipated that 7,230 Americans will die from melanoma in 2019. Additionally, 192,000 new cases will be added to the melanoma roster this year as well.  This is NOT okay!!!

More melanoma intel and Me Made stylings will be coming your way this month. 

In the meantime, this 16 year melanoma survivor has to get some second hand plants over to Roo!!  Sew Chaotically! Protect the skin you're in!  Live LARGE and chaotically!!! - les