Passed Along Quilts

Last October I gave away a whole bunch of quilts; 14 in fact. They went to family: a brother and sister-in-law; a niece; and nephews. I asked them, if they were so-inclined, to share pictures of the quilts being used, and I'm happy to say my sister-in-law has been obliging. Here she is with one of her two grandsons. 

The quilt they're on is "Outer Space," 60" X 72", made in 2017. It was a QuiltCon reject.

These are both of her grandsons - my great-nephews.

The older of the two boys used two quilts to pad his horse seat - a saddle!

The second quilt is "Patriotic Pinwheel," a 24½" X 24½" quilt made for the 2017 Patriotic Painter's Palette Blog Hop. More info about it, including the free pattern I wrote, is here.

My SIL is displaying an all-batiks quilt on a very old chair, found at our grandparent's empty farmhouse. 

This 39" X 40" quilt was made in 2006. "Space Crystals" was started in a workshop with Sara Nephew, a designer known for her graphic patterns. The quilt is among the first of those I domestic machine quilted with elaborate custom quilting patterns. It earned a second-place ribbon at the Des Moines Area Quilter's Guild (Iowa) annual quilt show.  

As any maker knows, it's a nice feeling seeing one's creations in the hands of others who will enjoy, appreciate, and use them. Thank you dear SIL for making me feel that way!

Seeing the ribbon on the quilt reminds me that in addition to no longer having the quilt, I no longer have the ribbon. Parting with ribbons was one of several very difficult decisions made when we purged our household in preparation for our 2012 cross-country move from Iowa to Florida. I took this photo before putting them all in the trash. This is my only remembrance of ribbons earned from entering quilts into dozens of shows, and the Iowa State Fair. 

Book Recommendation

The Searcher by Tana French is about Cal Hooper who's recently retired from the Chicago police force. He has purchased 10 acres of land and a dilapidated farmhouse in rural Ireland, thinking to "get away from it all." He sets himself to fixing up his new home, taking long walks, and settling into the pace of the small provincial village. His suspicions are aroused when a teenager begins to hang around Cal's place. When he gets to the source of the teen's interest in him, he finds himself in an unwanted situation but he's unable to turn away.

Cal is a decent person (in spite of using profanity) and he has a thought so profound I wrote it down:

 "Never underestimate the spectacular natural wonder that is people's stupidity."

I'm probably showing my true colors by thinking that's a statement worth repeating, but I can think of so many people and situations to which this applies!

So my overall review of the book is to say... I'm not generally drawn to detective stories, but the geographic setting, the narrator's perfect Irish brogue, and my interest in the teen kept me engaged.

Linda's score: 4.0/5.0

And now, for something different... During this season of Lent, Christians are encouraged to maintain and deepen their prayer life. Reminding myself of my word of the year, "refuge," and who I am taking refuge in means making time for prayer. Pastor Mike shared this during a sermon. Maybe you'll find it helpful too. Linda