Monthly Archives: November 2014

Best Book of 2014

Posted on November 30, 2014 by Sewfrench

“Everything I Never Told You,” the début novel by author Celeste Ng, tells of the tragedy that strikes the Lee family when their 16-year-old daughter Lydia goes missing one morning. The author effortlessly weaves in the back story of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Reading | Tagged amazon, best book 2014, Best book of the Year, book, book club, book review, celeste ng, Everything I Never Told You, family dramas, favorite books, reading | Leave a comment

The Cay

Posted on November 23, 2014 by Sewfrench

The Cay by Theodore Taylor My rating: 4 of 5 stars The Cay is an adventurous work of fiction that shows a beautiful relationship between Phillip and Timothy, the story of a blind white boy and an elderly black man … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, movie, Reading, Review | Tagged adventure book, James Earl Jones, movie, read aloud, teen books, The Cay, Theodore Taylor, tween books | 1 Comment

Pecan Pie Muffins

Posted on November 22, 2014 by Sewfrench

I may just make these every Thanksgiving from now on. They are a perfect fall feeling snack. A perfect little snack for your fall brunch. They feel like a special treat over your plain ole muffins. Born and raised in the South, … Continue reading →

Posted in Cooking, Eating, Favorite Things, Recipes | Tagged brunch, muffins, Pecan Pie, pecan pie muffins, pecans, southern, thanksging recipes, Thanksgiving | 6 Comments

Kansas Twister Quilt

Posted on November 21, 2014 by Sewfrench

This quilt has been around a while, too, but is finally finished. It was last spotted here, back in January. Under a year isn’t bad, for me, with so many ideas swirling in my head. I suspect this pattern has been … Continue reading →

Posted in 2014 completes, Design, fabric, Finishes, Quilting, Tutorial | Tagged 60 degree triangle, aurifil thread, hand quilting, hexagon, kansas twister, pattern, pinwheel, quilt, quilt back, quilting, scrap, Texas Trellis, traditional quilt, triangles, tutorial, vintage quilt, whirligig, Whirling Triangles in a Hexagon | 8 Comments

Have you ever used voile for a quilt back?

Posted on November 19, 2014 by Sewfrench

Yah…. I do think I must have ADHD, or another Attention Deficit Disorder, type issue. Another quilt I am working on was in my lap, today, during this blizzard-like weather we are experiencing and seems like we will continue to “enjoy” … Continue reading →

Posted in Design, fabric, Sewing | Tagged Attention Deficit Disorder, Aurifil 28, hand quilting, hand quilting thread, hand quilting voile, how to thread a quilting needle, lap quilt, quilt backing, robert kauffman, Robert Kaufman Veronica Voile, snowday, tangled quilting thread, using voile for quilt backing, voile, Which end to thread your needle | 9 Comments

Girl with a Pearl Earring

Posted on November 15, 2014 by Sewfrench

Girl With a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier My rating: 4 of 5 stars Enjoyable historical novel. The main character is a servant in the house of the 17th-century Dutch master, Johannes Vermeer, and is used as the model for … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Reading | Tagged "Colin Firth", "Johannes Vermeer", "Scarlett Johansson", "Tracy Chevalier", book, book review, Girl with a pearl earring, movie spoilers, reading | 4 Comments

Endless Chain quilt

Posted on November 14, 2014 by Sewfrench

Endless Chain’s windmill-looking block is based on a vintage pattern featured in newspapers in 1942 and throughout WWII. It was traditionally done as a paper pieced block. I’m not a paper piecer, can’t seem to get the hang of it, so … Continue reading →

Posted in 2014 completes, Design, Finishes, Quilting, Sewing | Tagged citrus color, color values, endless chain, endless chain quilt, quilt, scrap, values quilt, vintage pattern, vintage quilt block, vintage quilt pattern, WWII quilt pattern | 19 Comments

Echo Quilting

Posted on November 12, 2014 by Sewfrench

Another quilt that has been in progress for a long time is in my lap today. I finally decided on how to quilt it. Spiral quilting it will be. And yes, you can see, I had a change of plan … Continue reading →

Posted in Crafting, Design, fabric, hand quilting, Quilting | Tagged big stitch, chalk pencil, drawing templates, echo quilting, echo quilting tutorial, hand quilting, how to draw, how to mark echo quilting, how to spiral quilt, quilting pencil | 4 Comments

Filling the Gap

Posted on November 11, 2014 by Sewfrench

I mentioned that I had finally placed a big order with Pink Chalk Fabrics, the prize from my Blowin’ in The Wind entry in the Blogger’s Quilt Festival. Several asked to see what I chose. Well, my packaged arrived, even quicker than … Continue reading →

Posted in fabric, Sewing, studio | Tagged Cotton Coutures, fabric, fabric stash, kona cotton, Michael Miller, michael miller cotton couture, organizing, Pink Chalk Fabrics, storage, studio | 4 Comments

Wild by Cheryl Strayed

Posted on November 8, 2014 by Sewfrench

★★★ I’ve read several books in this same hiking adventure genre. Bill Bryson’s A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail was funny. Southbound, The Barefoot Sisters, #1, by Lucy Letcher and Susan Letcher was fluffy. Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer was some serious stuff. The following … Continue reading →