Quilts and Books

Back when I first rediscovered romance novels, I stumbled across Lynn Kurland's books and it wasn't long before I read most, if not all of them. I wasn't aware of terms like "wallpaper history" and her "lite" approach to medieval life didn't bother me. And it still doesn't. Because I sure do like the way she tells a story. I'd probably embrace these common criticisms of her work if I didn't find myself enjoying her characters. And I especially enjoy putting myself in her characters' shoes as they make such improbable, logic-defying journeys through time. What the hey, call me shallow. Over the last few years as I've hung out on review sites and blogs I've learned that the book many of her readers consider their least favorite, is one of my top favorites--The More I See You. So there. This fact alone probably invalidates anything I have to say .

When I Fall in Love is the story of the 4th and final McKinnon sibling, Jennifer, a…

There are no words. None at all. Absolutely, hands down, this one is my favorite of the series so far. 'Nuf said.

Eloisa James is one of my favorite authors, and I’ve looked forward to each of her new releases for several years now. Much Ado about You was one I reread a couple of times. But I have to say that her last two books prior to this one were rather disappointing. Now I’m going to venture into unfounded speculation. But I’ve wondered over the last year how someone who is the mother of two young children, holds a demanding full-time job (although maybe she gets her summers off), maintains a visible online presence, and is sometimes found on TV or in print interviews can possibly find time to write. Sometimes I want to tell Ms. James to crawl into a hole and write me some more books, dammit! Her second to last book in particular, The Taming of the Duke, had so many holes I just had to wonder if all that other stuff in her life had her writing to deadline rather than writing her best. Just wondering, and really, her life is her business.

So, this made me rather wary about Desperate Duchesses.…

It's the same size as my computer mouse. It's less than half the size of the Jenna Black book I'm currently reading. It's my new iron and it is NOT a toy! It really works, and works pretty darn well. I almost didn't buy it, but my kid talked me into it on Thursday. At the last minute I added it to my bag of supplies for Friday's class. and when I realized I wasn't doing a thorough job of finger pressing my pieces, I got it out and plugged it in. It made an instant difference in my foundation paper piecing. This project from the class has a ton of small pieces. The miniature lone star center has 240 pieces, all less than a square inch each. I'll post some pictures later. It's going to be very pretty, if I do say so myself! Meanwhile I'll play with my new iron. Guaranteed, these irons are going to be the "hot" new toy of 2007. Ha ha.

I'm a sucker for a quilt with flowers on it. Not floral fabric, but some sort of depiction of flowers. I wonder why this is, as I don't garden, buy flowers for the house, or hang out at gardens. But the variety of methods always draws me in for a closer look. And when I look back at the pictures I took tonight at this year's NQA Show most of them seem to be of the ones with flowers. Not all, but most. So here are a couple that I saw at the Preview Party that I liked best:


Sure is bright, huh? I don't think I could make something quite so green. But I still think it's wonderful. I like the little touches, although some are not obvious from the photo. I like the corner squares that match the flower color. I like the dimensional applique. And it's very nicely quilted, too.





I'm so glad this one won a ribbon. It's got a rather unusual layout. I think the flowers are realistic looking and it takes a lot of attention to detail to make that happen. It's very…

Castle of the Wolf is an unusual book, because it can’t be easily pigeon-holed into a specific type of story. It’s not a paranormal, but does have just a hint of the paranormal in it. I wouldn’t call it a gothic novel, yet it certainly has moments with a distinct gothic feel. It’s not a comedy, but there were many humorous moments, particularly in the beginning when Cissy arrives at the castle. The hero and heroine are common archetypes in historical romance-land—he’s disfigured from the Napoleanic wars (lost a leg), and she’s the spinster sister who refuses to settle for living under the thumb of her bitchy sister-in-law. The year of its setting is fairly common for a European historical (1827), but the place most definitely is not common (Germany’s Black Forest). All of these elements are deftly woven together by the author. In addition there are all sorts of literary references. Some I recognized, but many I didn’t. And it doesn’t come across as pretentious. The heroine is well rea…

I was showing this off to a few people recently and at least 2 of them told me that it looked like a jigsaw puzzle to them. One asked me if I'd done it deliberately. Well, no, I hadn't, but I don't think I mind that it looks that way. I used bright purple thread for the quilting and a medium-weight cotton batting. My meandering quilting stitching is getting better with hardly any hitches. So I suppose the smooth curves, bright thread, puffy finish can make you think of a jigsaw puzzle. I was just playing and practicing. It's kinda' nice when it all finishes up so well. I do like this one. It looks nice in the powder room, too. It tones down that rather unfortunate shade of mint green :-)