Quilts and Books

Three weeks ago I found I needed to whip up a quick gift. I would like to have made something more elaborate, but being short on time, I decided to choose this very simple pattern.  Leafdrops  was designed by Cheryl Wittmayer of  Sew Be It . The pattern actually makes a much larger quilt. This is about 22" x 32". I went with just 2 blocks using a gorgeous, rich golden leaf fabric and a brown print. The pattern included some quilting designs that I really liked. I quilted the veins of the leaves and then mimicked that in the borders. I think the veins also resemble empty tree branches. I love the effect. To quilt this design I lightly drew it in chalk and then just free-motioned over my chalk lines. The dark brown frame is ditch stitched. I love to quilt with Aurifil thread and I used two colors (a brown and a bright golden yellow) for the quilting and for the machine applique.  Here are a couple of views of the back.

OK, this book has been in the TBR pile 3 weeks max because it was just published last month. But since it fits this month's theme--paranormal or romantic suspense--by being both, and because I was dying to read it, I didn't really look for anything else to read. This book is part of Shiloh Walker's  FBI Psychics series. The FBI Psychics are part of a task force that sort of flies under the radar. FBI officers with special psychic abilities work to solve various crimes. In this book one of the members of the task force, Vaughnne MacMeans, is charged protecting a young boy with strong psychic abilities that others want to exploit. Young Alex, along with the man watching over him, Gus, have been living on the run, hiding from criminals who want Alex. But Alex's untrained psychic abilities make him a beacon. Vaughnne wants to help keep Alex and Gus alive and teach Alex how to shield himself and use his gift properly. Vaughnne is a woman who's been on her ow...