Quilts and Books

My sixth and final UFO project for the shop challenge I entered this year was to make something out of that little purple packet of Moda Fabrics' pre-cut charm squares that's on the right in the picture above. At some point after buying that charm pack I had also picked up a couple yards of one of the fabrics in the collection. I figured that together they would make a nice little baby quilt. I didn't use a pattern. I just laid the squares out in a grid, cut some white sashing strips, and sewed the whole thing together. The completed top measures around 45" x 49". For the quilting, I did straight lines horizontally and vertically. Pretty basic stuff, but I like the simple look of it. Sadly, I never did win any of the gift cards, but it's a total win that I got these 6 projects done. I'll have to come up with some way to challenge myself to keep plugging away at all of the unfinished things in my sewing room. And for 2013 we are up to...

This month's TBR theme is hot and steamy. I rarely read erotic romance, so I was about to pick something else for this month when I remembered I had this on my Kindle. I think it was free for a while, or at least very cheap. Escorted , by Claire Kent , is the story of Ander, a male prostitute, and Lori, a best-selling romance writer. Lori, at age 27 is still a virgin and she decides it would be easier to hire someone for sex than go through the angst of sex with someone who would expect her to have more experience. Since I've read a fair share of historicals featuring a female courtesan, this turnabout was kind of interesting. The book is told entirely from Lori's perspective, although in the 3rd person. I thought Kent did an excellent job of letting us see Ander's feelings through Lori's eyes. There's a lot of awkwardness as what begins as a business transaction turns into a relationship. Lori is unapologetically inquisitive; we learn about Ander through h...

Oops! It's been exactly a month since my last post. Sorry about that. But any of you who visit here regularly don't really expect consistency from me, do you? I enjoyed some interesting reads in June. It's a good thing, because in some ways, June was a hellish month. Reading was a wonderful refuge from the stress. As was social media where I learned about 4 of the 5 books listed here (the exception being Heart of Obsidian  since the Psy-Changeling series is an auto-read). I don't put myself out there much, but I'm grateful for the people who do and talk about what they're reading. Those folks inform my choices and lead me to some great stuff; my June Phaves are evidence of that. 5. The Turncoat / Donna Thorland . (2013) Heh. Just now when I was capturing the link to Thorland's website I noticed its subtitle: "Sex, Violence and History." And doesn't that say it all about her writing. I picked this up after seeing a glowing mention somewhere...