Quilting Projects

            Quilting is a classic craft that allows the quilter to express both her/his practical and creative sides. Here are some new additions to our quilting book collection.

            No Scrap Left Behind: 16 Quilt Projects That Celebrate Scraps of All Sizes is written by Amanda Jean Nyberg, who also is the author of Sunday Morning Quilts and the blog crazy mom quilts. Detailed instructions and color photos accompany the sixteen quilts featured in the book. Projects are group into four categories, those created from squares, strips and strings, triangles, and snippets.

            ScrapTherapy: The Versatile Nine Patch: 18 Fresh Designs for a Favorite Quilt Block is written by Joan Ford, author of other quilting books and online newsletters, and founder of the ScrapTherapy program. The book contains directions for making a 9-patch and for eighteen projects, which include coverlets, quilts, pillows, table runners, and more. Full instructions, color diagrams and photos are provided for each.

            Wise Craft Quilts: A Guide to Turning Beloved Fabrics into Meaningful Patchwork is written by Blair Stocker, a quilt designer and crafter. She has created twenty-one projects, each of which tell a story and are constructed of special collections of fabrics; for example - baby clothes, or table linens, or men’s dress shirts or vintage handkerchiefs, or prints of children’s drawings - and more. Instructions, tips, and color photos are provided.

Y Is for Yesterday

        This is Sue Grafton’s latest in the Kinsey Millhone mystery series. As a private investigator, Kinsey often relies on word-of-mouth when being offered new cases. Here, her lawyer friend has recommended her to a well-to-do couple whose son just has been released from prison. Why was he imprisoned? Ten years before, as a sixteen-year-old high school student, Fritz McCabe was a hanger-on of a clique. Clique activities included the videotaping of the sexual assault of a fourteen-year-old student, and the theft of exam answers to benefit clique members. Fellow student Sloan Stevens was falsely accused of telling school administration about the theft. Sloan was shunned for most of the school year. Suspiciously, the sex videotape showed up at her house. When learning about this, the clique leader “forgave” her and invited her to an end-of-school-year party asking that she bring the tape. When Sloan came to the party without the tape, events reached a boiling point. To impress the others, Fritz shot and killed Sloan. Ten years later after Fritz’s release the videotape shows up again with a note demanding payment for its concealment.

            While investigating this incident from the past, Kinsey also has present-day concerns. A serial killer featured in the previous book, X, is trying to kill her and almost succeeds several times. Also, homeless couple Pearl and Lucky are camping out in landlord Henry’s backyard, perhaps taking too much advantage of his good nature. The story, set in the late 1980s, has an authentic feel for the times. And the big question for Grafton’s faithful readers is, will the next book be the last in the series? We will have to wait and see.