Pot Luck Progress

I had been putting off working on Pot Luck - the modern potholder quilt I began assembling in late April after receiving blocks from 15 other quilt makers. This has been the week to get it wrapped up.  

Putting together the center section took time because I sewed binding to each block and hand-stitched it to the back, and then hand-stitched together all the blocks. But when the center was done it didn't feel finished to me. That's where I stalled until I decided to add hand-quilted wedges to each side, so as to set the center at an angle. I think it gives the whole quilt more interest.

Pot Luck, 57" X 57" awaiting last binding

But making those sides wasn't as straightforward as I thought. Though the top and bottom wedges were easy enough to make and attach, it was the sides that gave me more problems. On both of them, I had to add more fabric and more hand-stitching to make them long enough. 

However, now that the wedges are finished, I need only square it up and add binding. But now I'm wondering, which fabric for binding? Initially I thought the stripe would look best, but maybe Aruba (light aqua) is better because it allows the center to shine. Or maybe Bright Aqua?

Book Recommendations

After listening to Jean Grainger's book Closer Than You Think that was (unbeknownst to me) book #4 in the Mags Munroe series, I've gone back to listen to the first two books - The Existential Worries of Mags Munroe, and Growing Wild in the Shade.

All these stories take place in Ballycarick, a small town not far from Galway, Ireland. Mags is captain of the local garda with a force of four people who spend most of their time patrolling, selling dog licenses, and doing paperwork. 

As with such "village" type books, we meet: Mag's mother who owns the local dress shop; Mag's best friend Sharon who is trying to get over a break-up with her cheating husband, Danny; and Kieren, Mag's husband who has a roofing business; and Mag's and Kieren's two girls.

Grainger writes with thoughtfulness about the sometimes-challenging relationship between local "settlers" (Ballycarick residents) and "travelers" (gypies) who live on the nearby halting. And she writes with great humor about Mags dealing with  her "monster-in-law" Nona; Ducky a schmoozy, blustering detective; and gossipy, plotting women on the local council. 

I often smile while listening. The books are just charming!

Linda's score for both: 4.3/5.0

Lately, I've been captivated by something a friend shared with me. It's called "earthing" - the practice of intentionally spending time with bare feet on the ground to allow earth's negative ions to balance free radicals in our bodies and thereby reduce inflammation. It's a fascinating science.

If you haven't heard of earthing, I recommend watching the YouTube documentary "The Earthing Movie." It's is how I was introduced to it.  Linda