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.
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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
