14th Anniversary!

Today, Thursday, January 26, 2023 marks the day, 14 years ago, that I wrote my first blog post. Little did I know that writing these would be a seemingly lifelong commitment. 

This is my 1,203rd published blog post! I guess I never run out of things to say!

While there have been times when I haven't posted for as long as a week, most of my posts are at five to eight day intervals. There's no rhyme or reason to that, but I'm glad I have posted often because my blog has become a useful chronicle of things I've made, and products and brands I've used.

When I began blogging, I posted much more frequently because, in those days - before Facebook and Instagram - it was the only way to connect with like-minded people. 

At one time, I followed more than 80 bloggers, commenting on all their posts. 

I still follow 80 bloggers, and I still comment, but about half of those bloggers haven't blogged for months, and even years.

Times change. 

Moving right along, I've got a few things to share. 

We had company from Minnesota for four nights last weekend. Being dear friends, I couldn't let them leave without offering them some quilts to take home and use! They live in Minnesota, after all. These are the four quilts they chose from the nine I offered. I'm posting them here, mostly to document that I gave them away. 

Comfort Quilt, 72" X 95"

This Disappearing Four-Patch is an oldie! I posted its finish in August 2011.

Disappearing 4-Patch, 57" X 65"

Buckles and Belts, 40" X 50"

It's All About Color, 31" X 31"

Quilting has consisted of taking my long-term Prudence English paper piecing with me to Big Cypress Quilters to work on. I'm joining row five of 13 rows.

Free motion quilting has started on my Finger Paint quilt, a top I finished in October 2021 during Laura Loewe's @quiltfortco quilt along. 

Thus far, I've been ruler quilting with this curved Fine Line ruler by Accents in Design. The tape you see through the bottom is skateboard tape. I add pieces of it to the back of all my rulers, to help grip the fabric. EDITED TO ADD: Here's the link to the 11" X 50" Clear Skateboard Grip Tape Sheet that a friend and I bought and split. 

Also, I've begun making a dozen more travel trays that I plan to give as gifts to special friends. I get such a kick out of picking colorful prints for the exterior of each one. 

If you want instructions to make your own travel tray, here's the link to my free pattern.

Book Recommendations

Just the Nicest Couple is Mary Kubica's latest (January 2023) who-dunit. 

Nina and Lily are co-workers and close friends at a Chicagoland high school. Nina and her husband Jake, have a quarrel about Nina spending too much time with her mother. When Jake doesn't return home, Nina is sure he's going through his his threat to leave. In the meantime, Lily and her husband, Christian, have just discovered that Lily's pregnant again, after several miscarriages. Just as they're becoming hopeful, Lily reveals that she had an unwanted encounter with Jake, and that maybe she's the reason Jake hasn't returned home. 

While I found this book a little slow-paced - one of those where you're in the character's head and they keep rehashing all the what-if's - the plot has enough twists that you might not be able to figure it out. I'd call it entertaining. 

Linda's score: 3.8/5.0

My Oxford Year by Julia Whelan is narrated by the author herself, and she's an excellent actress! I am impressed at her ability to switch from female and male character voices, and from British to Scottish accents. She's talented!

Ella Durran is a 24 year-old Ohio girl whose dream has been to attend Oxford University in England. She's finally achieved that by becoming a Rhodes Scholar intent on studying old English literature. While she's charmed by the community, the university, and new British friends, she also can't escape the charm of Jamie, her literature instructor who is more than handsome and elegant. They begin a relationship based on a mutual desire for honesty, but when Ella learns that Jamie isn't where he said he'd be, and a friend tells her that Jamie's brother Oliver isn't alive (as Jamie said he was), she becomes angry. Her plans - to return to the US to take a high profile position for the woman who's expected to be elected president - are her way out of this relationship. But is that the best option for her future?

Linda's score: 3.7/5.0

In addition to today's blog anniversary, I'm also rolling into the tenth anniversary of my breast cancer diagnosis in February 2013. I always remember what an unlucky year - healthwise - 2013 was for me. This past Tuesday I had my first Senobright mammogram - one where you get an IV and after being flushed with saline, iodine is injected. Then you have a typical slam-o-mamm. I was delighted that the same radiologist who performed my 2013 biopsy was the same radiologist who read my "all clear" mammogram on Tuesday. Praise God for such results!

Today I'm dropping off three quilts at Seabreeze Rec Center for the Quilting Guild of The Villages "Showcase of Quilts" that's Friday and Saturday. I'll be back at Seabreeze at 8:30 AM Friday to finally learn what ribbons my quilts received. 

Party Times 30, 24" X 24"

Happily, I've also already sold one of the quilts! My 24" X 24" Party Times 30 challenge quilt will be shown at the AQS show in Daytona Beach (Florida), February 22-25, and then it will go home with its new owner.

I couldn't be more tickled! 

Linda