lotsa sewing and book reviews

friday was an uber-productive day sewing-wise...

you are probably tired of seeing this but the more that gets done, the more enamored i am of this beauty....all the checkerboard borders are attached now...next comes another narrow lime and then the final border of these....

the squares measure 5" so more little ones....every other block has the color scheme reversed, i.e. center starts and finishes with print.  i only have to make 44 (43 now)...i can see already got to be super careful with seam allowance, especially since joy balks at those that are a tad thicker.  **** then the scrap basket got tackled...always problematic as often get sidetracked.  there was a fair amount of batik scraps and some HSTs, so used up all the smaller pieces making more....and then cut a pile of 1.5x4.5 strips for a scrappy quilt designed by amanda nyberg...

the pattern is below except the color strips are replaced by rows of small strips...i made one before, a top, and donated it.  thinking of making a couple more and donating them as well.  they make up fast, are colorful, 30 blocks that finish measuring 60x72...

as for the little HSTs, no plan for them, couple of ideas percolating...then back to task at hand, cutting up the rest of the scraps.  except for a few other larger batik pieces and a few solids, the basket muffin top disappeared...

found in the basket were pieces of the bird house background, so off came the aqua strip and replaced...

now all that remains is applique, some embellishment and bind with the aqua...again, i am no designer and altho this came out mostly as i had in mind, it wasn't as much fun.  i think it'll be cute when done and somebody will like it, plus a few pieces of stash are now gone.  

so, weekend sewing?  more blocks for my secret project piled in various stages all over the sewing table.  then more of the "midnight" blocks, could finally be a flimsy by the end of next week.  next, hope to tackle the purse for my mom.  weather is predicted to be hot all week, so plenty of inside A/C days.  ***  so far this year busted just under 25 yards of completely finished things, so definitely reducing the stash even with a few new additions, two were kaffe fabrics--no surprise there!

afterthought...i meant to add these....a couple of book reviews you might like...

lots of background behind-the-scenes reveal about movie women from the 30s to present...robert wagner is no choir boy and is honest, though a bit veiled, about his own conquests.  starts out with him as an 8-year-old boy meeting norma shearer, dishing mostly kindly about the greatest and not so great.  i don't like him simply because of the natalie wood death debacle, but he is an insider speaking graciously without malice.   then, if you love a good whodunit...

two young girls disappear from a mall and two detectives with very different styles must learn to work together to find them...no graphic violence or gratuitous sex, just an interesting journey to truth and resolution....worthy of hercule poirot!