Soft & Cozy Keepsakes Faux Rag Quilting

Quilting does not need to be complicated or difficult to be cute.  In this book, Soft & Cozy Keepsakes; Faux Rag Quilting, Margo Yang shows how to make cute quilts.  This reminds me of chenille, which I have never done, so I am not sure if the technique is similar.


The key to making these quilts is to make and bind a quilt and use that as a canvas to make the faux rag strips to make the design. You then clip the strips to make it rag.

There are 16 projects in this book - 12 quilts, 3 pillows and one tote.

My favorite  - the fireworks pillow - looks very simple with the straight lines, but quite striking.  The patterns are presented in a CD-ROM.

The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown

The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics by Daniel James Brown
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

As you would expect any book about athletes who made it to the Olympics to be inspirational, this book was also. It is about endurance, perseverance, and commitment. It is also about family, relationships, trust and working as a team.

I read the children's version. I haven't read or looked at the other one, but I think the difference may be that the children's version may have just left out parts that were not palatable for young readers. The vocabulary and style of writing still seemed to be advanced, which is good for children to stretch. Everything is clearly described, and you can really feel for Joe and his team mates throughout the book. This version also has photographs that the adult versions may not have.

View all my reviews

A Sound Among the Trees

I have added a book review of A Sound Among the Trees on my Millionaire Tips website. It is a book about a modern day bride who moves into a house in Virginia with a troubled history.  It is rumored to be haunted by a Civil War spy.

I have successfully participated in the 30 Hubs in 30 Days challenge, and am currently working on the 100 Hubs in 30 Days challenge.  Basically this means I am writing a large number of articles about quilting, genealogy and personal finance.  I am running slightly behind schedule, because I am trying to make sure that I keep up the level of quality as I increase my output.

Traditions from Elm Creek Quilts

I won the book Traditions from Elm Creek Quilts: 13 Quilts Projects to Piece and Applique in a giveaway by C & T Publishing on their blog, and received it yesterday.  It is a beautiful book with 13 beautiful patterns.  There are some that are completely applique, some that are completely pieced, and some that have a mixture of both.

The quilts represent quilts that were discussed in the eighteen novels by Jennifer Chiaverini about the Elm Creek Quilters of Waterford, Pennsylvania. It was a real treat to see the quilts and see how they compared to the ones I imagined while I was reading the novels.  The quilts are beautiful, and the instructions appear to be thorough, but generally do not provide quilting instructions.

There is one quilt that is appropriate for a beginner quilter, but the remainder appear to be for the confident intermediate or advanced quilter.  This is a refreshing change from the many beginner books I have been drawn to lately.  Sometimes we need to stretch and expand our skills, and a book like this is a good way to do just that.

Many of the quilts involve using templates, curved piecing and / or intricate applique. I think we should not limit our quilting techniques to those that use modern rotary cutting if a template provides additional value, but there was a square that was provided as one of the template needed for a quilt. It would have been nice to modernize the directions to avoid using templates when they are not necessary.

I have also reviewed the book on my Millionaire Tips website, and have included pictures of some of the quilts in the book on that site.

Fabric Samplers

Since I have been taking weaving lessons, I have been looking at other fiber arts. I saw a beautiful canvases with fabric and scrapbooking paper collages. I am definitely going to have to try this idea.

When I went to the crafts store to buy scrap booking paper for my niece, I came across this book.that immediately caught my attention and would not let go. Fabric Samplers: Journals Bookcovers Mini Purses, Pincushions/Create Wonderful Collages with Wool, Felt, Fabric, Floss and Accents
is written by Carmen Daumer. It includes different projects such as journals, book covers, mini purses and pincushions. All of these projects include a wonderful mix of wool, felt, fabric, floss and accents. I haven't used wool yet in any projects - mostly because I am afraid to start a whole new stash, but I think I am pretty convinced that I need to start. They all have wonderful touches, and you can examine each piece for a long time to catch all the details.

And since they are patterns you can customize, you can personalize them to make a beautiful and creative Christmas gift. Each of the projects would make a unique gift that is sure to please.

This is the index page showing the projects in Fabric Samplers by Carmen Daumer.

Just look at the table of contents! In case you can't see the index very well, there are several different types of journal covers - Cup Cafe Journal Cover, Sew Journal Cover, I Love Ewe Journal Cover, Hearts Journal Cover, Pretty in Pink Journal cover, Girls Journal Cover, Boys Journal Cover, and Socks Journal cover. Other projects include mini purses, Seed Purse, Games People Play book cover, Framed Seed art, Harvest Pumpkin Purse, Pumpkin Harvest Journal, Gardens Blooms, Flower Pincushion, Sewing Purse, Boxes, Wall quilt, and Tomato Pincushion. I think the journals and journal covers and framed art can all be intermixed, so if you want framed art, and like the journal cover pattern, you can simply make it art.

The first part of the book includes beautiful photos of each of the projects, basic descriptions and tips. The rest of the book include detailed instructions on how to make each project. I found all of them to be quite adorable, and am very happy with my purchase. These projects are not quilts, but they certainly are perfect projects for a quilter to expand her skills. These projects would make great personalized Christmas gifts. Wool projects make me think of primitive style of quilts and folk art. The projects are very stylish and contemporary.