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Wednesday, July 19, 2006

Bound!



I had a VERY slow day at the massage clinic yesterday. I kind of knew it would be, so I packed up the simply strippy charity quilt that I had quilted over the weekend, and finished the hand stitching of the binding while sitting at the clinic answering phones.

I could have machine bound it in way less time, but it was nice to have something to do . I can do an "okay" machine binding, but it just never looks as nicely finished as a good old fashioned hand stitched binding does.

Because it is such a busy quilt, I used a panto pattern called Daisy Swirl by Willowleaf Studios. I like how it turned out. I hope the recipient likes it as well. It is going to go to the breast cancer center along with the other quilts we will be cranking out (hopefully!) at the workshop I am teaching on August 7th.

It is hot hot hot here in SC. HUMID. Drenchingly humid! I've been sticking to my guns on getting to the gym at least 3 times a week. I really like the one I joined that is near my work. I can get there quick, do 1/2 hour on the eliptical trainer (sometimes while watching oprah!) and then go swim some laps, and it is SO refreshing. Last night I did a pilates class and a yoga class.

And then this morning I got on the scale and was UP 2 pounds. :( Oh well...I'm not going to watch that darn scale anyway. Heat, Humidity, Hormones, whatever....I'm just FEELING better even if the scale is going in the wrong direction!

I'm starting a new book on mp3 today. I listen at the gym, while hiking with the dog in the forest, or sometimes while machine quilting. This one I just picked up at the library (it is copying onto my mp3 player as I type this) It's called "Like a Watered Garden" and it is by Patti Hill.

The editorial review states:

From Publishers Weekly
From the opening line ("I received a box of flowers from my dead husband"), debut novelist Hill hooks the reader with this intriguing look at love, faith, grieving and relationships. The unusually named Mibby Garrett is a garden designer who runs Perennially Yours, serving her clients' eclectic landscaping needs from behind the wheel of the Daisy Mobile with her companionable dog, Blink. The redhead's life is turned topsy-turvy when her husband is unexpectedly killed; she can barely cope with her business and with her 13-year-old son, Kyle. Her next-door neighbor, well-heeled 30-something Louise Giovanelli, keeps Mibby sane, supplying her with love, advice and baked goods from the B&B she owns next door. Odd guests at the B&B and Mibby's eccentric garden customers, including a handsome widower, are competently portrayed. When Mibby discovers her husband had a secret past, it threatens to destroy her last shreds of faith. Although some elements of the plot are well-worn chestnuts of Christian fiction (the eligible widower, the quirky neighborhood inn, the deceased character's clandestine past), Hill refreshingly resists the urge to tie up all the loose ends and avoids clichés in portraying the spiritual growth of her characters. Fresh prose, wry humor, an enjoyable protagonist and strong pacing make Hill a welcome addition to the ranks of inspirational novelists.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

It sounds like good listening/reading. I've been into some pretty intriguing mystery/crime stuff lately, and I think I need a switch.

I hope everyone is cool, happy and productive!
Bonnie

11 comments:

  1. My mom would love this book...I'm going to the book store today. I send her 'friendship' gifts every once in a while. this will be a nice surprise for her. thanks for the tip.
    Melanie
    P.S. - Beautiful quilt, by the way... someone is going to be real lucky to get it.

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  2. headed for the library tonite will check it out.

    and don't worry about the scale!!! remember Muscle weighs more than FAT!!! keep up the good work

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  3. Nice to put one of your own quilts into the finished pile.
    The book does sound good -- I'll have to go look for it at the library!

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  4. Love the charity quilt and I agree there is nothing like hand stitching a binding. It's so relaxing and it comes out so nice.
    The humidity finally broke yesterday here in Maine. I feel so energized today because I am finally not sticky. I think I will go cut out my mystery quilt. :o)

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  5. You are really good at putting together those lasagna quilts :-) Nothing beats a binding sewn down by hand. I do usually sew the binding of my care quilts with machine myself.

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  6. You are probably just building up the muscles in your shoulders and legs from the trainer and the swimming...so as we all know muscle weights more than fat so that's what happens to the scale! How your jeans fit is a much better guage of how it's going.

    Godd job on the quilt!

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  7. Hi Bonnie it sure is nice to see you posting again, the new audio book sounds great, I think I might need to look into getting it. Hugs Tina

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  8. That strippy quilt looks so cozy! Enjoy the book ... I recently read both it and the sequel "Always Green". They were both very good.

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  9. Sounds like a great read. I like how the quilt turned out. You always do good work Bonnie !

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  10. Love that daisy swirl on that strippy quilt! Great idea! I"ve been meaning to get some fabrics out to make one of those. See your pictures are Soooo inspiring to me! I want to make them too!

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  11. This is a great quilt - and an easy idea for a charity quilt. I do everything but the bindings by machine and try to save the bindings for times when I want to take something with me - an outdoor concert, a quilt group meeting, etc. The only problem with the machine is it's not portable! Maybe I'll get brave this winter and try some applique by hand....

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