Summer Reading - Books and Book Blocks

You know I love quilts. But I love books too. And if you combine them, that’s nirvana. You may remember the Reading Rainbow Quilt that I finished last year.

Through a year of scraps with the Rainbow Scrap Challenge, this was a labor of love.

And now, with the Block Lotto, our monthly hostess for June is Nann, and she has given us a fun new block to try called Summer Reading.  You can see her post on the Block Lotto HERE. Her post contains a link to the actual pattern for the block.

Here are the six blocks I made for this month:

As I did in the Reading Rainbow quilt, I added “titles” to three of the books. They are gleaned from my stash of selvages and stitched on the “spine” of the book with a small stitch length for security.

And just to let you know that I love REAL books too, here is my current read. A recent article in the Washington Post had a great list of summer reading titles from various people. When I saw that this book appeared more than once, and read the reviews of this, it became a Must Read for me. I’m about two thirds through, and am savoring every bit. Two thumbs way up!

I’ve got another half dozen on hold. I’m hoping that at least a couple come up over the next month so that I can load them onto my iPad and have some reading to take with me for my Africa trip in July. That’s when I love digital books - traveling without adding the extra weight of physical books. Because except for my personal carry-on, all my luggage weight allowance will be devoted to humanitarian items (toys, fabric and personal care items) for our Kenyan non-profit project. 

Gifties & Goodies

These are the goodies that my brother-in-law's girlfriend Catherine gave me last week. This woman is one of the most generous persons I've ever known. She is really One Of Us - who likes to craft and sew and stitch and paint and collect and buy and collect and buy. You understand. But now Catherine is moving on to different creative interests and has passed these goodies on to me. And many of them will be in the giveaway(s) I'll be announcing over the Thanksgiving weekend.

Anyway, she urged me to keep, share or sell as I saw fit, so I'll be doing all three! LOL. So, here we go....

Yards and yards of Christmas cottons

Lots of lovely quilting cottons, including pieces matched for a quilt she never did. These cottons are probably from the last 10-15 years.

Transportation-themed cottons in large cuts. I'm going to hang on to some of these for quilts or jammies for the grandkids.

Lots of vintage (1940's-1970's) and some '80's fabrics. Most of these are just pieces, as you see. But these will be one of the lots in the giveaway. Also notice that cute little milk glass toothpick holder!

These are some GORGEOUS cross stitch books.

This pictures shows a hodgepodge of things; another book, vintage bobbins (anyone need some?), interesting couchable threads, hankies, tapes & braids and rick rack. And some twin needles (which I use when I do heirloom sewing, so those were exciting to see!)

This vintage set of Singer books made me swoon! I love the illustrations, and will probably scan those in (and share) at some point.

Lots of sane quilting articles, templates, patterns. Plus 4 really cool vintage airplane panels. The pincushion is one that Catherine made, and I've added it to my growing display of pincushions from friends. Everything here will be in the giveaway EXCEPT that pincushion!

Final picture .... more mixed goods. Laces (which I haven't even gone through yet), a Vogart transfer (incomplete, but does have a lovely bird in it), Aida cloth assortment, three wooden large crochet hooks (one is walnut and once is cedar; don't know the third) and some vintage spool cards that will be given away in the ephemera-themed prize package....

Now, it's mid-afternoon and I'm off to sew for a few hours before DH gets home from work and his weekly banjo lesson (don't ask). A nice stew is simmering on the stove, and if/when I finish my projects for this afternoon, I'll begin photographing my estate sale finds from this last weekend.....

Hugs,