Potholder Quilt Next Step

I feel like I reached a milestone Sunday afternoon when I finished putting binding on the last of 42 blocks for the modern potholder group quilt I'm putting together. 

The pictures below are of the process I followed, putting binding on a 6" X 6" block stitched by JoElla @jemquilter. Step-by-step:

1) sew binding strips on each of four sides

2) trim all four sides ¼" away from the stitching

3) use my ⅝" wide cardboard template as a guide to sew mitered corners

4) four mitered corners sewn

5) turn four corners inside out; use a stiletto to pull fabric to make points

6) fold and clip single fold binding, ready for hand stitching

I sewed 168 mitered corners, but who's counting? Ha! I got pretty good at it. 

I was delighted to see the whole thing arranged on the design wall. At this point it's 48" X 48".

To hand stitch blocks together, I'm using Aurifil 40-weight thread, in color #2605.

After labeling every block, indicating which piece is sewn to another, using column letters and row numbers, I've begun stitching. I position right sides together and use a ladder stitch to join two blocks. I'm taking stitches about ⅛" apart. 

After piecing a seam and laying it flat, this is what the front looks like. Pretty nice, isn't it?

Not all the stripes align, but that's okay. The overall effect is good. 

Blocks shown were made by: 
upper left - Karen @sunrayatplay
middle left - Kathy @kathycookquilts
right - Jane @gonequiltinginflorida
bottom - Debbie @aquilterstable

I so appreciate the variety of blocks I received from the 15 other makers (besides me) whose creations are in this quilt. I asked participants for quilt name suggestions and was delighted by one from Maureen @maydecemberquilts.  

POT LUCK

Isn't that just the perfect name?! Not only does it have the word "pot" in the name, but the concept of a pot luck is everyone bringing their best recipe to the table.

Maureen says it best: 

"All the dishes are brought to a pot luck, made by different cooks with no communication between those cooks, and it all works out to be just the right amount and types of food enjoyed by all!!"

Thank you, Maureen for the great name! 

Book Recommendations 

The Vacancy in Room 10 by Seraphina Nova Glass is about Anna, a woman who has just lost her husband Henry. He had an art studio in a run-down apartment complex called The Sycamore. Anna has temporarily moved into her husband's apartment. Cass also lives at The Sycamore. She's been tossed out of a luxurious home where she lived with her boyfriend. Now she's making ends meet as The Sycamore's maintenance person. 

Residents lead routine lives - mothers and children who meet by the pool; single men: a teacher, an online seller, a recent widower; and a husband who threatens and beats his wife. Cass has had enough of domineering men who she knows how to videotape and blackmail into better behavior. However, one video backfires, and she's embroiled in a murder... actually, more than one murder. 

This book had my attention from the beginning. Its twists and unexpected turns didn't conclude until the end. Linda's score: 4.2/5.0

Time After Time by Karly Lane takes place in small-town Australia. Alice Croydon and her family have lived there for generations. Alice works in a local dress shop. She's engaged to Finn, who's a hard-working farmer on his family's crop farm. 

Alice has dreamed of designing gowns, and her latest masterpiece is her own wedding dress. When she's offered an opportunity to learn about the fashion industry from a world-famous designer in London, she's torn about what to do. Discussing that offer with Finn forces her to make a decision. She'll follow her dream, but only for a year. How things can change in a year.

Alice's dreams become bigger than she anticipated, yet she misses her family and home town. Her little house is still there, the one that her Granny Dot lived. She's drawn back, but will she be the person she once was?

Of course I enjoyed this book because of the Australian accented narrator. If you listen, pay attention to Gram's words of wisdom, and her marvelous accent. Linda's score: 4.2/5.0

God Spare the Girls by Kelsey McKinney takes place in Hope, Texas, where a mega-church - The Hope - has grown because of its charismatic preacher, Luke Nolan. His wife, Ruthie, and two daughters, Abigail and Caroline live in his reflected limelight. 

Abigail is engaged to Matthew, who Caroline is sure is the wrong man for her sister. The book begins six weeks before Abigail's wedding, at a bridal shower at the family farm, bequeathed to Abigail and Caroline by their grandmother. Bombshell news that Preacher Nolan has had an affair sends Ruthie and the girls into a tailspin.

Caroline finds evidence of her father's affair in the family farmhouse. Her already-tenuous relationship with her father breaks down further. The girls determine to find solace together, move into the farmhouse, and await the outcome of the church elders' investigation and decisions about their father's future. 

This story is about overtly evangelical Baptists. I found it interesting that the author used many biblical references, and attempted to apply and/or twist scripture to the situations the characters found themselves in. Linda's score: 4.3/5.0

Linda