Quilts and Books

This month's theme is a book that received a lot of hype. I suppose the definition of hype can vary, but I remember seeing lots of comments on Twitter about this book, as well as positive reviews at Dear Author ,  Smart Bitches , and elsewhere. At some point I was obviously compelled to buy it and it's been sitting on my Kindle for several months. I'm awfully glad I finally got around to reading this. I think I needed something with a good dash of humor. It had been a rough week. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and several times I laughed out loud. I found it smart, sexy, and emotional. Now I want to go read more by this author. For those of you who missed the hype, Ride with Me , by Ruthie Knox is the story of Tom and Lexie, two people who are doing a cross-country bicycle tour on the TransAmerica Trail . Lexie advertised for a companion to ride with; Tom had intended to go it alone. But Tom gets maneuvered by his sister into riding with Lexie and the two of them set ...

5. Lady Louisa's Christmas Knight by Grace Burrowes . My first Christmas book of the year was a very enjoyable story in Burrowes' Windham family series. Lady Louisa would very much like to retire from the Marriage Mart and head off into a life as the family's spinster aunt. But a scandalous encounter finds her wed to Sir Joseph Carrington. Louisa is a wonderful heroine. She's a very smart woman trapped in an era when women were given few opportunities to learn. In addition, both Louisa and Joseph have secrets. As their relationship begins to deepen, it's wonderful to see Joseph notice, and appreciate Louisa's talents. This makes it easier for Louisa to trust Joseph. For Louisa in particular, the demons of the past need to be laid to rest. Louisa's various family members all leap to her defense, but it soon becomes apparent that Joseph is the one who knows, and appreciates her best. Meanwhile, Joseph has his own big secret. The family dynamics are fun and so...

Philippa Naylor is an award-winning quilter whose quilts I have admired for several years. She came and spoke at my guild last week and gave a wonderful, funny, and touching talk about her journey from fashion design to quilting. The next day I got to take a class from her called "Precision Piecing" where I learned some new stuff. Lots of pictures follow. Here is Philippa during her lecture (sorry for the grainy picture from my phone). She brought two quilts with her. She dyes her own fabric and then densely quilts them on her domestic sewing machine.     For the class, this is the small project we worked on. She taught us her methods for achieving sharp points and matching seams. Lots of helpful demonstrations. This is my work area and my block, partially assembled, on the left.  The class at work.  Some of my classmates' completed center blocks. And here's mine with the borders added. It's 22" squ...