To read or not to read...

You're all wondering aren't you?  Wondering why it seems this blog has turned into a book review column and whether I've abandoned quilting.  I know this works on your mind causing you to toss and turn all night.  Well, truth is, I have  been reading a lot more lately and the adult books I post about are ones I've received in advance of publication with the promise that when I finish them I would post a response on my blog, on Goodreads and send one back to the publisher showing I'm making good on my promise. Ideally, these are supposed to be posted no sooner than two weeks before publication.  I kind of hold to that line.  Kind of. The list is long and life is short!  But I won't apologize for book posts. Reading is a huge part of my life. 

But it isn't all I've been doing.  The quilting is a little stagnant right now but not entirely.

The Santa quilt was ready to be pinned but first I noticed the stripe fabric needed to be cut away from his face because you could see it. 

Then I pinned him.  It was tricky because while making the front and back I measured and measured and measured to make sure the figures lined up perfectly.  It worked,  but put the batting in and suddenly I couldn't feel the bottom Santa.  So it took awhile but I think I got it.  He's a simple quilted answer to a problem.  I think it will be good.

Remember the much loved quilt whose binding had gone raw?  The consensus after inspection in person from friends Marilyn and Jan was to go over the old.  I'll trim away the raggedy strings.  But then the challenge was finding something that worked for a new binding.  The quilt is faded from use and washing and I had to find something that looked like it belonged to the quilt.

 I searched - without having the quilt with me - and found this.  The store kindly gave me a strip to bring home. I thought it was good.

So I went back to the store and bought it.   

I am going to scissor fussy cut it so the border design will be absolutely straight.  I think I did a pretty good job finding something that fits!

Our weather has been brutally cold and today it's snowing yet again. I think tomorrow is the meteorological first day of spring.  Well, looking out the window now there's a long, long way to go.  No pansies this March.

 Today on the way to read at the grandgirls' school I passed these two barns.  Cold and windy and bitter as it was I stopped.  It's hard to see the highland cow ( in Scots it comes out sounding like "highlun coo" ) standing just outside the barn door but the snowbank between us was too tall to climb to get closer and the gale force wind just didn't play nice.  Now that I know where the cow lives I'll come back another day.

 I took a different road to the school and found this!   I screeched on the brakes when I saw the apple trees perfectly framed in this door.

 This might be my favorite barn so far.