Friday, July 10, 2026

Friday check in: this and that with travel prep + a truly wonderful book

 

Wednesday's guild meeting was the annual ice cream social and the 2026 mystery quilt reveal.  A guild member designed  Big Bang.  

Mine is the one with the gray background, middle row/far right. 


 I've been taken by all the red/white quilts that Lynn/Klein Meisje has made recently. Since I'm in between projects I pulled out all the scrap triangles from the box where I toss them and made HSTs (1.5"-3.5").  While I was at it I sewed some blue/yellow HSTs as well.   

The guild charity challenge qilts are due at the September meeting. There are three requirements:  use at least one fabric chosen from the guild donation boxes (there is a boatload); use a pattern from a book in the guild library; and make a quilt suitable for one of the charities the guild supports (Project Linus, Staben House (transitional living), the Villas (a nursing home). 

  I took some of fabric.  I cross-checked the guild library holdings with my personal library.  There are two dozen that match and I'll probably have too many ideas.  Whatever I make will work in one of those charities.   The possibilities can occupy my thoughts in idle moments over the next week when I am in Peru.  



Peru, you ask?  Yes -- I leave tomorrow for Road Scholar #54, A Taste of Peru. 

 Home July 19!


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One more book recommendation before I go.    Drop everything and read Ann Patchett's new novel.  

  "There was no protecting anyone, no matter how much you loved them." (183)  

What can I say?  I checked it out Tuesday and finished it Wednesday.  Patchett captures family dynamics so perfectly!   The characters are wonderful.  Daphne, the narrator, is wiser than she realizes she is; Eddie, the stepfather, is so loving; Jonathan is the truly perfect husband; Skip really can be a jerk; Polly, whose seeming cluelessness is a defense mechanism; Leda, the omniscient younger sister; Buddy, the father with the best intentions.  

Among my favorite descriptors:  while Jonathan and his sister were cleaning out their mother's house he said, "Every teacup comes with a short documentary film." (187)   "Like all long-married couples, Jonathan and I were capable of sitting across from one another at the breakfast table without a single sentence to exchange." (190) "We write each other notes, back and forth, back and forth. It's like texting for people with large collections of stationery." (244)

# # # # # #   Linking up with Finished or Not Friday   

12 comments:

  1. Very interesting quilts from your guild. I like that grey background on yours, and it sets it off from all the others. Peru should be a fabulous trip! Have fun!

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  2. nice collection of guild quilts...peru??? don't drink the water....book sounds good but lotsa family drama since mom passed so i stick to murders....LOL

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  3. I liked seeing the Mystery quilt results from your Guild. I am finishing one from our guild and I am not a fan. I am in the process of turning into two small throws that will go the the Vets group, since I chose to do my mystery in red, white and blue. I love how your Guild sets up guidelines for your charity quilts. What fun! Thanks for the book info - I have seen the cover a few times when I've been looking for books, I'll have to see if/when our library will have it.

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  4. I have a yearning to make some red/white quilts too. Maybe I'll press some of those fabrics too while I'm pressing the brown/gold/rust.

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  5. Safe travels! Have the best of times.

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  6. Have a great time in Peru! I just finished “The Calamity Club” - mostly good, but I thought it could use some editing - and “Whistler” is in the house and ready for me to start it!

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  7. I have enjoyed seeing Lynn's red and white quilts, too! It will be fun to see what you make with those HSTs. Whistler is on my list to read - everyone seems to love it. Have a wonderful time in Peru!

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  8. Peru! Have a wonderful, safe trip. I love seeing mystery quilts next to each other. Sweet.

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  9. That's a very unusual mystery quilt! I guess that's part of the idea--it's hard to guess what it will look like beforehand. Fun to see 12 different versions. Grey is a very effective background! Happy trails in Peru!!!

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  10. Very fun mystery quilts! Yours turned out beautifully. Enjoy your Peru trip. Safe travels.

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  11. I love Ann Patchett books and need to place a hold on it soon. It wasn't in the catalog when I first looked it up. I'm surprised you're not making a quilt for each of the charities since you whip them out so fast. Enjoy your visit to Peru. I think one of my step-daughters went there years ago (not on a tour) and had a fairly scary time.
    Pat

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  12. Oh, Peru! I'll be interested to read about it!

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