Summer. So lovely and bright, but so hard to get a hold of, if that makes any sense.

Fatty and I went to Switzerland! It was amazing - full of good food, good people, amazing scenery. It was a fast week, full to the brim with fun, but re-entry is always hard. Schools starts next week. Books are purchased, along with new uniforms, a fancy graphing calculator and 14 sewing machines for the arts elective that my friend, Jill, and I teach. Exciting stuff! There have been volleyball tryouts and auditions for the school play are next week. Summer reading is almost complete! It doesn't seem like time to go back, but I can tell that in some ways, we are all ready.

It's been quiet on the sewing front, or I should say, on the show-and-tell sewing front. I did a little secret sewing for my friend, Kim, and her new fabric line, Good Hair Day. More details on that in the next month or two.  The studio is getting cleaned out. Scrap bags and a fabric destash coming up soon! Otherwise, I've been lying low. I picked up a stomach bug somewhere along the way and am still battling it a bit, hopeful that it is almost gone.

I have found myself reaching for my big camera instead of my iphone more these days. There is something about the light that makes me want to capture it as best as I can. Turns out, I had missed using it. I am happy to be doing something about that.

Reading. Always. Loved The Vacationers and The Rocks (affiliate links). Both are set in Mallorca - I had no idea so that was a fun coincidence. Anything you care to recommend?

I am always amazed at the paper piecing designs that my friend, Penny Layman, makes. Seriously wowed. And when I heard that she was writing a book, I was anxious to get my hands on it. I imagined that it would be chock-full of cute patterns and also all the information needed to paper piece successfully. I was right!

I admit that I am a huge fan of Penny and completely biased, but that aside, this is a great book. The Paper-Pieced Home by Penny Layman has 40 different paper piecing blocks and 14 projects all centering around house and home. The designs have a retro vibe and are all well thought out. The best part? The designs come on an included CD that makes printing the foundations a breeze. Just pop it into the computer and print what you need.

I have told Penny and I will tell you: paper piecing is not my favorite piecing method. There I said it. BUT when the block is as well designed as Penny's are, it does make for some enjoyable sewing. Take the oven mitt block that I chose for this blog tour. It includes many tiny bits and the thought of anything remotely fussy almost always makes me want to run. Not this! It was a JOY to put together and I was able to do it easily and confidently given all the information that Penny relays in her book. I think it took me about thirty minutes after printing the foundation. Not bad! And pretty cute, if I may say so myself! I did increase the overall size of the block by about two inches by adding a border. Of course, I plan on making this into a hot pad (perfect for an oven mitt, right?!?).

I encourage you to take a few minutes and check out the other stops on the blog tour. Be prepared to be overwhelmed by all the darling blocks people are making. Seriously, so cute.

The Paper-Pieced Home

Blog Tour Schedule

3/16       McCall’s Quilting / Sewing Machine Block
3/17       Love of Quilting / Review
3/17       Sandi Sawa Hazlewood  of Crafty Planner / Watering Can Block
3/18       Quilty Pleasure (Quiltmaker blog) / Review
3/18       Imagine Gnats / Rotary Phone Block
3/20       Verykerryberry / Lion Block
3/21       Artisania / Cast-Iron Skillet Block
3/23       Where the Orchids Grow / Lamp Block
3/24       Katie Blakesley of Swim Bike Quilt / Layer Cake Block
3/24       House on Hill Road / Oven Mitt Block
3/24       Lee Heinrich of Freshly Pieced / BBQ Grill Block
3/26       Pink Penguin / Allie-Gator Block
3/26       A Happy Stitch / Giraffe Block
3/27       Bijou Lovely / Jar Block
3/27       Two Little Banshees / Saucepan Block
3/27       Charise Creates / Espresso Mug Block
3/30      Karen Lewis Textiles / Couch Block
3/31       Poppyprint / Clawfoot Tub Block
3/31       One Shabby Chick / Stack of Books Block
3/31       During Quiet Time / Sleeveless Dress Block
4/06      Pat Sloan The Voice of Quilting / Author Podcast Interview

More information on the book can be found here on the Interweave site:

The Paper-Pieced Home: Quilting a Household One Block at a Time

By Penny Layman
Interweave/F+W; $26.99
http://bit.ly/1zClNAv

With the holiday weekend coming up in the U.S., I thought I would share my most recent reads just in case someone was looking for a good book to take while traveling or enjoy post-turkey. In no particular order, this is what I have read since my last book list. Other lists can be found here (keep scrolling down!)

Yes Please by Amy Poehler - I loved this! Of course, I admit that I am biased because Amy and I were friends in college. Fangirl since 1989!

Moscow Rules by Daniel Silva - Still making my way through these Gabriel Allon thrillers and still loving them. I also read The Messenger and The Secret Servant, two other titles in this series.

One Plus One by Jojo Moyes - I enjoy books by this author. They are generally lighthearted (most of them) and fast reads with likeable characters. I also read Silver Bay.

The Dance of the Seagull by Andrea Camilleri - Reading this book, Treasure Hunt and Angelica's Smile all by the same author, was like rediscovering my old friend Inspector Montalbano. I tore through all three of these books quickly. These mysteries are set in Sicily and are best read in chronological order. I read the other books in the series in the summer of 2012.

City of Dragons by Kelli Stanley - Set in 1940 San Francisco with femal private investigator as the protagonist, this was a little slow to start for me, but I enjoyed the story.

Frog Music by Emma Donoghue - I know that many people enjoyed this book, but it was not one of my favorites. Not sure why.

The Headmaster's Wife by Thomas Christopher Greene - I did not know where this book was going until the end and I loved that.

The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin - Such a touching book. I really did not want it to end.

Now You See Me by Sharon Bolton - This is a mystery/thriller that is a little graphic and psychologically intense. I really liked the story, the characters are fantastic, but I had to read it during daylight hours instead of in bed at night. Once I finished that one, I moved on to Dead Scared which has the same main character and was equally as thrilling, but not as graphic as the first. I think these will be a series.

Bittersweet by Miranda Beverly-Whittemore - I adored this one. It's long and the story has many layers with an interesting cast of characters, most of which are multi-generational members of the same family.

The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion - My book club read this earlier in the fall and I thought it was a very enjoyable, fun read.

What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty - The main character in this book had temporary amnesia and thinks that she is living 10 years earlier than she really is. It's a fun read, but had me thinking. My book group is reading this now and I am anxious to discuss this with them. I also read Big Little Lies and Three Wishes by the same author and they are fun and funny reads.

We Only Know So Much by Elizabeth Crane - This story about a multi-generational family with its fair share of problems is told from all their points of view. I liked it.

The Secret Place by Tana French - I adore this author's novels. This one is no exception. It's a mystery, surrounding a private girls' school in Dublin.

The Other Typist by Suzanne Rindell - This is one I can't tell you much about or I might give something away. Just read it.

Cartwheel by Jennifer DuBois - This is the story of an American student living abroad who is charged with the murder of her roommate. The idea is based on a true story that was newsworthy a few years ago, but this book is not about that. Instead the author takes inspiration from real life and makes a story of her own.

And finally, I re-read Tell the Wolves I'm Home by Carol Rifka Brunt. I liked it just as much, if not more, than the first time.

Have you read anything lately that you would recommend? Let me know!

. . . . .

This post contains affiliate links, but I purchased all these books on my own. Of course, the opinions are all mine.

I'm excited to be participating in the blog tour for Betz White's newest book, Present Perfect! It's a great sewing book filled with a variety of projects perfect for gift giving. As we enter autumn and get closer to the holidays, this book will come in handy for all of your gift giving needs. It contains a wide variety of projects for everyone on your list - men, women, the home, babies and children!

When it came time to choose which project I wanted to make, there really wasn't a choice for me. I mean, how could I not choose the Hot Mitt House & Tea Towel set?!? I love how cute it is and how practical, too. Making and giving potholders as gifts is something I do often.  They are great scrap projects and are fast to put together.

The hot mitt was a quick sew. It took me about an hour from start to finish - awesome! The tea towel took about the same amount of time. I probably could have been faster had I made quicker decisions as to what fabrics to use! Regardless of my indecision, both projects don't take a lot of fabric so there isn't a big commitment material-wise which is great when you want to make a small gift. I also loved that I was able to use some scraps and treasured bits from my stash. You could get super creative with small variations to cover almost any conceivable holiday. How about a gingerbread house for Christmas or a spooky haunted house with a fussy cut ghost or witch in the window and door for Halloween. So fun!

To learn more about Present Perfect, check out Betz's fun trailer. You can also purchase your own copy through the Interweave store or on Amazon (affiliate link). For a look at other wonderful projects from the book, follow along on the blog tour.

Happy Home
1.  Sew Mama Sew – Make & Bake Apron excerpt – Mon, 10/6
2.  Stacy Sews – Falling Leaves Appliquéd Placemats – Tue, 10/7
3.  House on Hill Road – Hot Mitt House & Tea Towel Set – Wed, 10/8
4.  A Happy Stitch – Sweet Life Pillow – Thu, 10/9
 
Memorable Moments
5.  Sew Sweetness – Wool Courier Bag – Fri, 10/10
6.  Raspberry Sunshine – Gentlemen’s Travel Case – Mon, 10/13
7.  Pink Chalk Fabrics – Pasha Pleated Clutch – Tue, 10/14
8.  The Long Thread – Eye Candy Glasses Case – Wed, 10/15
9.  Made with Moxie – Cargo Tablet Sleeve – Send finished book – Thu, 10/16
10.  Bijou Lovely – Coffee Cash Coin Pouch – Fri, 10/17
 
New and Little
11.  Flax and Twine – Forest Friends Finger Puppets – Mon, 10/20
12.  Imagine Gnats – Bib, Rattle & Burp Baby Set – Tue, 10/21

Here's a comprehensive list of what I've read since my last update. I read a wide range of books - everything from memoirs to total beach reads to JA novels to serious literature. I've listed them in the order they were on my Kindle so there's no ranking or anything like that. In fact, my favorite book so far this year, I only recently read.

W is for Wasted by Sue Grafton (I've read the entire series from A is for Alibi onward and I love these books. I think they keep getting better and better).

Paris by Edward Rutherfurd (This is a dense, historical novel. I enjoyed it.)

Night Film by Marisha Pessl (I thought about this one for a long time when I finished. It's strange, but good.)

The Death of Bees by Lisa O'Donnell (A story of two young sisters with an unconventional living situation and what happens to them - charming and a bit sad, but it has its bright moments, too.)

Just One Evil Act by Elizabeth George (Again, I have read everything Ms. George has written and I will continue to devour her mysteries. So, so good.)

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (Beautiful, sad, uplifting with compelling and likeable characters - a great JA novel that I read so I could discuss it with the girls. It was hard to put down.)

The Confessor by Daniel Silva. And also by him A Death in Vienna and Prince of Fire. (I really enjoy these spy/assasin thrillers.)

The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert (I liked this one quite a bit. The story of the main character kept me guessing throughout.)

The End of the Point by Elizabeth Graver (The story of a multi-generational family centered around their summer home.)

The Bloodletter's Daughter by Linda Lafferty (This one is a little strange, but I was compelled to finish it. I'd love to hear what you thought if you have read it.)

The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt (It won the Pulitzer Prize. Fatty loved it. I liked it. Read it yourself and form your own opinion.)

Still Life With Breadcrumbs by Anna Quindlen (I love the way Anna Quindlen writes about women. This was very enjoyable. I also read One True Thing by the same author, which is a look at a mother/daughter relationship - a nice read.)

The Valley of Amazement by Amy Tan (Not my favorite by Amy Tan, but still a great story with many layers.)

The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty (A quick read - I saw the plot unfold before it did, but I still enjoyed it.)

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green (I won't give it away, but I'm sure you may know what this is about. Again, I read it to keep up with my kids. I tore through it and enjoyed every last word.)

The Unlikely Pilmgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce (I'm not sure how I picked it, but I liked the story of Harold and his journey.)

The Little Giant of Aberdeen County by Tiffany Baker (I wasn't sure what this was going to be about, but I was surprised at the turns in the plot and the development of the main character.)

A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki (This one had me thinking, in a good way. It's a very compelling story.)

Magnolia City by Duncan W. Alderson (Total page turner, beach read, long in length.)

Ladies Night by Mary Kay Andrews. (This is another tear-through book with a pretty predictable plot, but still highly enjoyable. Perfect for poolside or the beach. Since I read this one, I have also read Summer Rental, Spring Fever, Savannah Blues, Savannah Breeze and Save the Date, all by the same author, all in the same vein.)

Delicious by Ruth Reichl (This is fiction, unlike her other books. A quick, fun read).

Delancey by Molly Wizenberg (If you follow Molly's blog, Orangette, and/or have read her first book, A Homemade Life, you will find this very enjoyable. If you haven't read the blog or the other book, you will still like this memoir quite a bit.)

How to Catch a Frog by Heather Ross (Just read it. You will love the way Heather recounts her unconventional childhood and how it has formed her into the person and artist she is today. Plus, it's funny.)

Bellweather Rhapsody by Kate Racculia (This is about high school students at a large arts conference - there's a mystery involved, too. The characters are well thought-out and it was among my favorites of this year.)

Seating Arrangements by Maggie Shipstead (Centered around a family wedding on an East coast island, this one feels like summer.)

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr (This book! The story is wonderful, the characters charming and is right now my favorite book of the year.)

The Promise by Ann Weisgarber (I felt like this one ended too soon. I'd be curious to hear thoughts from anyone else who has read it.)

Point of Direction by Rachel Weaver (Short, but packs a wallop. I really liked this story of two people who choose to live in a light house in Alaska.)

That is A LOT of books, you all. Go and Read. Enjoy the holiday weekend

Just a note - these are affiliate links, but I purchased all the books on my own. Of course, the opinions expressed are also all mine.

While in Nashville a couple of weekends ago, I finished this quilt top. These are the improv blocks I made last month, sashed with various widths of Kona Snow and sewn together with a few empty blocks. It's about 6o" square - a nice throw size.

This is one of my favorite kinds of quilting. I keep saying that, don't I? The freedom of improv lends itself to fun, and when I am having fun, I am definitely my most creative. I need to remember this for those moments when I'm doubting myself or feel stuck. If I put aside what is giving me trouble and just sew fabric together without too much thought, the other work tends to sort itself out. Light bulb moment, friends.

I have another improv project in the works at the moment that I am trying to spend a little time on every day. I'm using it as a warm up for another, very large, work project going on. That project is one of those long-term ones, that is printed on paper and put between two covers. (Wink, wink.) The best kind of work! I am super excited to be doing this again and, while I can't share what exactly it is, I can say that it involves lots of sewing. As such, my personal sewing time has been happily cut down to almost nothing during the week. I am relying on these little bursts of improv for fun and to keep me inspired and creating my best work. While I can't share the work sewing, I can share the fun sewing and will do so as I go along.

Have you ever wanted to move beyond quilting cotton to other fabrics in your quilts? I wrote a blog post for Sew, Mama, Sew about just that. It's full of good information to get you quilting with everything from denim to linen to velveteen and more. As part of the post, they are also hosting a giveaway of my book, QuiltEssential. Pop on over to throw your name in the hat!

Back here towards the end of the week with more on the triangles up there.

Hey! I'm over at Shari's blog today sharing my favorite read from 2013. Go! Read! Come back!

Nice to see you again.

Popping in here for a short moment this morning. School was canceled for the second day in a row due to zero/subzero temperatures and I am soaking in every single moment I have with these girls. Of course, I might be regretting all the late nights and sleeping in starting at 6:30 tomorrow morning. But seriously, this break, even extended, has been a huge blessing. I have more to say about that, but I'll leave that topic for another day. Instead, I thought I would share the other two gifts I made this Christmas. Both were fast, just like this post is going to be.

First up, Myrtle the Turtle.

I made this for my nephew, Rory. I had pinned it back in the summer when I first saw the tutorial on the Purl Bee. I just thought it was so cute! The Purl's version uses Liberty of London Tana Lawn for the shell, but I went with a regular quilting cotton (one of the DS Quilts prints found at Jo Ann's a couple of years back). I used quilting cotton for the head, legs, arms, tails, too. The bottom is wool felt and the button eyes are vintage. It was a fast sew and I had just enough poly-fill on hand to stuff him up. Word is that he's well loved.

Next up, the tutu from Oliver + S Little Things to Sew.

I've been wanting to make one of these since I saw it in the book. Now that my niece is two and a half, I thought it would be a good addition to the dress-up box. Like the turtle, this was pretty quick to come together. I used five different colors of tulle, all of which were 54" wide. The pattern says that most tulles are 108" wide, but I could not find any myself. I consulted with Kristin, who has made a few herself, and she assured me that it wouldn't matter. She was right! Also, on her advice, I cut the tulle to 28" so that the final length would be 14" - not too long for a little lady, but with some room for growth. I ended up making this entirely on Christmas Eve morning - it took about 1 hour, start to finish, with the hardest/most tedious part being pulling the gathering stitches on the tulle. That said, I'd make it again in a flash. It was fun!

Looking forward, I have been thinking about last year and what is to come this year. I know that you all may be sick of year-in-review/resolution type posts, but I think I've got one (or two?) in me still. Stick with me. There's a quilt top that is almost finished and another one started so good, crafty things are on their way as well.

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Links to Amazon are affiliate links.