Strippy Quilt

Over the years I've made many different quilts, and they mostly stem from the method I learned from Eleanor Burns. This quilt was made after I watched a QIAD PBS program. At the time Eleanor Burns was showing a 10 year old how to make this fun strippy quilt. I loved her process and enjoyed making, not only the fall quilt, but this Christmas one too.

Now all that to say, the other night I was wondering if I could view the same program with the little 10 year old girl. I went online and tried to find it, but to no avail. However, I did find a link at QIAD community for some past programs. Boy was that fun. I enjoyed seeing lots of quilts that Eleanor has made through the years. This was a great incentive. Here is the link if you'd like to take a look. Even though it says error, type in Quilt in a Day in the search box, and the videos will pop up. Look for Candy Cane Lane.

As Dawn Breaks

 

If you have ever read any of Kate Breslin's books, you know you will be taken on an adventurous journey. It's actually hard to believe that her books could get any better, but this one does. 

In 1918 England Rose Graham is trapped into an upcoming arranged marriage by her ruthless guardian. When an explosion happens at the Chilwell factory, her best friend is killed. Presumed dead, Rose assumes Tilly Lockhard's identity, finding work in Scotland. 

Captain Alex Baird is given an assignment to locate and uncover the saboteur of the explosion. Retuning to his home in Gretna, the factory there may be the next target. Alex is surprised to find Tilly, being welcomed by his family, renting his boyhood room. 

This is such a great story. There is so much depth in theses characters. Rose's struggle as she tries to earn the trust of her charges in the factory. Alex's growing care for Rose, even when he is assigned to surveil her. Alex's sister Hannah is such a beautiful innocent character. Kate Breslin's excellent research of WWI, with women coming to the forefront in the war effort.  What I loved most about this book is it is a fresh story. There has been too much of the same storylines lately. This one is refreshing with a new perspective. Complex, yet riveting. The mystery at the end will blow you away. A really good clean read. 

I received a complimentary ebook copy from the publisher, through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Traveling

 We took a trip last week to Georgia. Hubby had meetings and I stayed in the Airstream. We had planned to travel up to NC, but I wasn't feeling all that well (BP issues) so we made the trip short.

Angry looking clouds.

I felt like the lone ranger in this small RV park. We were there for three days while hubby was busy.

On the way home we stayed at KOA Tifton. It was a really nice RV park. Lots of trees and a nice playground for children.

A lone butterfly. Don't know what it was doing in the dirt but it was pretty.

The trip home there were more angry clouds but it never rained on us.

So what have you been up to lately?

The Heart of a Cowboy

 

Jody Hedlund has captured my heart with her latest novel, The Heart of a Cowboy. I loved the first in this series, A Cowboy for Keeps. But this one is even better.

Linnea Newberry and her grandfather are traveling out west with a group of botanist. They are on an expedition cataloging for the Smithsonian Institute. Linnea seems to always get into some sort of trouble. She has a hard time paying attention to her surrounding, often getting lost.

Flynn McQuaid has determined he will never marry after watching his mother die in childbirth. He will never put a woman through that. But when he saves Linnea after falls off her wagon as they are crossing the river, he is smitten. 

Flynn and Linnea are at a start of an adventure that pulls at heartstrings. Linnea falls in love with Flynn, as he tries not to.  I loved the character of Ivy, Flynn's young sister who is constantly prodding Flynn by telling him he needs Linnea in his life. 

This is absolutely a wonderful story. Action, adventure, LOTS of kissing. But very clean reading. I love how you can feel the drama of Flynn and Linnea's story. 

So now we must wait for Brody's story. We get a taste of it at the end of the book. Can it really get any better?

I received a complimentary ebook copy from the publisher, through Net Galley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Can I share a story?

If you don't want to read this litany, I won't be offended if you just pass by. 

On July 17th my car died :-(  Well it didn't completely die, but we had been warned by our mechanic that  there was a problem with the engine that would probably give out within two years. That was two years ago.

I was driving home that afternoon, as I turned the last corner into our subdivision, I heard a "clunk" and the car started shaking really badly and all the lights on the dashboard were going crazy. I knew the end was near. Our mechanic had told us we could probably get a new engine to replace the one that was going bad. The problem was, we should have done it two  years ago. Because there are no new parts available ANYWHERE because of the chip. Now I know you  know about the chip, right? No new cars are being built because of the lack of chips coming from Asia. We were not able to get a new engine. But our mechanic kept trying. For two months.  Until he finally said, "it looks like it could be a very long time before any new parts will be available."

So my hubby and I started looking at cars. We decided we would look for a used car, maybe a few years old. The problem was, there are not many older used cars available either. Most of the cars in our area were  18, 19, or 20's. And we needed to go to a dealership because we needed to use my car as a trade. 

After several days of looking online and at dealerships, we were pretty disappointed at the prices of the used cars. We had hoped to find one with low mileage, about 6 years old. HA! Not going to happen. I don't know where all those cars are. Maybe people are just keeping them. We found a lot of cars that appeared to be lease cars because of the high miles on a relatively new car.

Ok I will cut to the chase. My hubby decided to go to the Toyota dealer where his company buys their vehicles. He told the manager what we were looking for. One of their execs was driving a 21 Highlander and it was the kind we were looking for. So I test drove it, and really liked it.  Bottom line, we ended up buying a new car (with only 1,000 miles), for LESS than the used ones with 75,000 miles on it. AND they gave us $6,000 for my Suburban. I think the Lord was looking out for us. 

This is my sweet faithful car that I have enjoyed for the last 12 years. 

I took the picture as I said goodbye.

And this is my new car.

It has all kinds of bells and whistles that I have to learn how to use. But I'm hoping this little baby will last for more years than my last one.

p.s. Did you know that there are over 700 chips in the newer cars?

Never forget

 

Wrapped up in Christmas Hope.

 Wrapped up in Christmas Hope by Janice Lynn is a Hallmark publication. So it was easy to fall in love with this story.

Morgan has brought her son, Greyson, back home after the death of her husband Trey. Morgan was not looking for any kind of relationship. She just wanted to start her life over, staying with her grandparents until she could get settled in her new job and buy a house. 

Andrew has a dream. He has always wanted to be a firefighter. After attaining that goal he desires to be a smoke jumper. Fighting fires in forests by parachuting into the fires. He has purposed to never date a single Mom. Too much of a risk. But when he meets Greyson at a school function and then meets his Mom, Andrew is instantly drawn in. 

Quilters will be delighted to know that Quilts of Valor are some of main activities that are mentioned in this story. The attraction between Andrew and Morgan is hard to ignore. Yet they both know it would never work. Five year old Greyson is the connecting glue. Andrew is Greyson's hero in every way. The secondary characters add a lot of charm and interest to the story. Sophie and Cole found each other in a previous book, but they are an intricate part of this story.

This is such a lovely story. I wonder if Isabelle will be next?

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from Hallmark Publishing and NetGalley. All views expressed are my honest opinion.

Repost

A few years ago Mary Kate posted on Inside Quilters Newsletter her thoughts about losing her quilting mojo. The article gave me pause to think.

There have been many times when I've had such a burning desire to quilt, that everything else goes by the wayside. But of late, that has happened less and less.

One reason may be because I don't have quilting buddies available anymore. Time, families, and work pushed quilting to the bottom of the list. It was always fun to meet up with friends, find a pattern, and sew all day.

As I was going through some old magazines, sorting them as keepers and give away. There was an "aha!" moment as I leafed through a variety of magazines.

 I think I've lost my mojo mostly because quilting times have changed. More and more quilters have lent themselves to modern quilting. Modern fabric, modern patterns, modern quilts.

So I find that what used to give me inspiration, now dampens my enthusiasm. I'm not saying I don't like the newer brighter fabric colors. It's just that I have always been a traditional quilter, and I'm not finding much encouragement anymore.

In our area, what quilt shops have remained open are gearing up with more and more modern fabrics. Quilting magazines feature lots of modern patterns, applique and paper piecing. All of which I don't do.

Another thing I've noticed is the emphasis on long arm machine quilting. I don't know about you, but I don't own a long arm, and I don't even know anybody who does. So are the magazines pushing quilters to buy a long arm? There certainly are lots of helpful hints for long arm quilters!

Believe me, I'm not downplaying modern quilting. It's just not what I enjoy doing. I like my fabric to coordinate, my patterns to have symmetry, and my points to match.  I'm just sharing my thoughts on losing my quilting mojo. We each have to enjoy what we are creating.

I do wish each of you Happy Quilting. No matter which kind you enjoy doing.

National Sewing Month

 

So where will you start??

Taking a tour

 Sadly, nearly all the quilt shops in our area have closed. Buying fabric online is a disadvantage. Not seeing the colors or feeling the fabrics makes it hard to buy.

But I found one quilt shop, and paid them a visit.

Hope you enjoyed the tour :-)

Hello September

 

Fall is on it's way :-)