Improv, FPP, Quilting

This week I finished my 30 Days of Improv (from August) quilt top. It's 52½" X 61½"

I also pieced a 56" X 66" backing that had me digging deep into stash to find larger pieces.  You can see I used improv blocks and scraps that weren't used on the front, along with cobbled-together print stash.

Though at first glance it looks like I have lots of prints in my stash, the size of each piece is often insubstantial and unusable for my purposes. Even coming up with a fat quarter or two, for making 18" FPPed Satisfaction quilt blocks has been challenging.

The cabinet and closet shelves are messy from being pawed through so frequently. 

But, I'm using up, and that's the point.

Week three (of 12) of the foundation paper-pieced Satisfaction QAL is this 18" flying geese block. I used an older Christa Watson print as the focus fabric, and a very old (from my traditional quiltmaking days) pale green floral. 

Before moving ahead on anything new, I'm determined to finish quilting this Finger Paint quilt, from the 2021 QAL. 

After first ruler quilting in every block, I'm going back in to add free motion quilting, changing-up the quilting design in each section.

Book Recommendations

Blindsighted by Karin Slaughter takes place in a small town Georgia where everyone knows each other. The biggest business in town is the local college. Sara is the local pediatrician, who is also the county coroner. Her ex-husband, Jeffrey is the chief of police.

Sara meets her sister for a late lunch at a local restaurant. When she goes into the bathroom, she finds the bloody body of Sibyl, a college professor who's the sister of Lena, a detective. Sibyl was blind.

As much as Sara wants to ignore Jeffrey, they have to work together to determine what exactly happened to Sibyl. Then, a college girl goes missing. When her naked body is found on Sara's car, Sara rushes into action to save her. All the signs are pointing to a single sadistic killer. 

It's time for Sara to share a long-held secret, so she leaves a courtroom transcript with Jeffery. He thinks Sara's story connects with what's happening right now. Lena going missing confirms the need to identify that connection.

When describing the sadistic acts of a predatory man upon his victims, the author uses graphic descriptions of torture, brutality and sexual acts. For me, that's the stuff of nightmares. This is the first book in the Grant County series, but I won't be reading the rest. 

Linda's score: 3.8/5.0

I was tickled to get Sally Hepworth's latest book, The Soulmate, so quickly. It didn't disappoint. 

Pippa and Gabe are happily married with two young daughters. They haven't lived long in their cliffside home, but have quickly learned the downside of such a location. The cliff's edge - the drop - is a notorious spot for suicides. With his genial personality and outstanding good looks, Gabe has become sort of a local hero, talking with nine people and convincing them not to jump. 

Until. One day, Gabe's talking doesn't work. From the house, Pippa watches what happens, and thinks she's seen it wrong. Did Gabe push the woman? When the woman turns out to be Amanda, the wife of Gabe's former employer, the circumstances of Amanda's death aren't as straightforward as they may appear. 

Hepworth takes her readers on an involved story that looks back on Pippa and Gabe's lives, from their chance meeting at a botanical garden (as she's picking up dog pooh), to their two daughters who are only six months apart in age, to the intensely reactive behavior Gabe displays in his job as an investment broker for an up-and-coming tech company. The reader also gets Amanda, the dead woman's perspective on all of it.

One of the reasons I enjoy Hepworth books so much is the narration, always by an Aussie - that lovely accent. This one was read by Jessica Douglas-Henry and Barrie Krienik, the latter being a narrator whose voice/acting I appreciate. 

Linda's score: 4.1/5.0

Life feels like that sometimes, doesn't it?

Such times, and our concerns about the Israeli conflict, make me grateful for my current Bible studies - When You Pray, and Lost - that keep me focused on the Power Who's greater than all of us, and Who knows, for certain, about end times. Linda