Still Homeward Bound! ((Free Kindle Book Too!))

I have to admit I putzed a bit on my way home! You know the pull of antique malls and historic sites! Not to mention that the road was tiring in and of itself --- it seemed like everyone is headed somewhere for Easter week! The truck stops were full, so were the gas stations along the way! Oh, this state’s gas is 5 cents lower than that one, so we must stop here behind 40 other cars to SAVE a few cents per gallon before crossing the state line! ((like it matters now?!))

I was one of the ones who waited to cross the state line to fill up, because it saved me TIME waiting in line…I’d rather pay a bit more and be in and out of there in a flash, than wait around for 10 cars ahead of me to fill.

SO, I still have a few hours to go, but by the time 11:30pm rolled around I was feeling pretty road weary!

While unwinding before sleep last night, I came across this little book –a freebie for Kindle—that sounds interesting to me! It’s called Heir To The Everlasting, and at first glance, I thought it might be some religious fluff fiction, but upon reading the description, it did sound good:

Book Description
The Pulitzer-nominated author of EARL IN THE YELLOW SHIRT turns her acclaimed talents to an epic story of three generations of Southern women at Big Eddy, the home place they love.

HEIR TO THE EVERLASTING begins at the turn of the last century with the beautiful, determined Pinkie Alexander, strong-willed matron of the Alexander clan. Come Hell or the high water of the south Georgia river which gave Big Eddy its name, Pinkie will ensure the survival of her family on their beloved land--a place where the family cemetery guards the spirit of the past, and where secrets, as well as the dearly departed, are buried.

Follow the lives, loves, mysteries, deadly feuds and steely courage of the Alexander women through a full century of joys and sorrows. HEIR TO THE EVERLASTING showcases the culture, language and daily travails of their time and place with vivid storytelling skills and Janice Daugharty's love for "the working words."

And for Quilty Content—I have a couple show and shared vintage quilts for you to see! These were brought for me to view at Poughkeepsie’s guild meeting a few nights ago.

DOn’t you love this with the blue background? I just LOVE solids mixed with prints. It’s so springy—I feel a baby blue background coming in my near future! What’s so funny about this one is Lori emailed me asking me what I had called this design on my website. It’s one of the first patterns I ever uploaded back around 1996 or 1997 – I did it as a charity quilt workshop for my guild, and that is how it got there in the first place. Traditional recognizable patterns thrill my heart! I don’t feel like I always have to re invent the wheel to make a great quilt…and this one used everything! If you want to make one yourself, you can find String X directions HERE!

Here is a close up of that gorgeously wonky fan quilting! Aren’t these scrap bag fabrics WONDERFUL!??

And THIS string quilt was too fun for words! It is TWO SIDED!! The prints in it date into the 60’s but many are earlier—a true scrap bagger!

I loved this 60’s piece with the heart flowers..it reminds me of a dress I had when I was a little girl!

And it was quilted fun too…in a large stright-set cross hatch!

I can only imagine how difficult it was to quilt this two sided thing with all its seams --- let's just say that sometimes, even the best intentions leave puckers! I think there is a life lesson in that, somewhere, don’t you? This one however, did NOT quilt out!

I’m still sure that this quilt gave a lot of warmth and comfort through cold winter months, not to mention what memories each of these fabrics held for the maker!

This was the reverse side! It had a lot of blocks with VERY LARGE pieces in it…something makes me think she was tired of piecing the ones with all the little bits…LOL!

So off I go on my last leg back home to Wallburg, NC! I need to be home – I’ve been gone too long!