Book Share - Vinegar Girl

What a great week this has been here at Sew Much For Free Time!  This was my week on the New Quilt Blogger's Blog Hop. It has been so much fun to have new visitors and to get sweet comments from many of them.  I've been trying to keep up with my replies to comments, but if I missed your's, I apologize.

The comments I received on my introductory post, and yesterday's post about the 70,273 Project have reinforced what I already knew:  As quilt bloggers, we belong to an incredibly supportive, caring community.  As I begin to read a wider range of blogs and dabble in Instagram, I am finding that we are more than this.  We are also FUN and FUNNY!  And though we are diverse, we also share so much in common.

Bernie, who blogs at Needle and Foot is one of the bloggers I've met this year with whom I feel a strong connection.  As I read her posts, I often have a sense that she and I are very much alike, and that if we lived close to each other, we'd have frequent sewing days and coffee get-togethers.

Bernie recently started a very fun Book Share on her blog. I am very happy to be a part of it!  Here's how it works.  Bernie read Vinegar Girl by Anne Tyler.  She gave a short review of the book in a blog post, as asked it any of us would like to read it.  She compiled a list of interested readers - I believe there are six of us.  I was lucky to get the book first!  Bernie sent the book to me, along with 3 Fat Quarters that represented some aspect of the book for her.  She chose florals (and a coordinating stripe) because Kate, the main character, tends to her flower garden.  As Bernie says, "Anything is more fun if fabric is involved!"

Look at those yummy colors!!
The top two are Kaffe Fassett and the bottom is Tula Pink!

The book arrived at my house on Saturday.  Now, I have four weeks to read the book, write a quick comment inside the front cover, select three Fat Quarters that tie into the story some how, and send it all along to the next person on Bernie's list.

I am only 70 pages in to the book, but I am already thinking about my fabric selections!  It's so fun!  I think I will probably associate characters and events in books with fabric from now on!  What a fresh approach to literature!  Great idea, Bernie!!

I think Bernie plans to host another book share this fall.  If you are interested in joining in the fun, be sure you are following her at Needle & Foot so you'll be in the know!

Linking up with Can I Get A Whoop Whoop this week.

New Fabric!

New fabric!  Isn't that one of the best phrases in the English language?  I'm not much of a stash builder.  I try hard not to buy fabric as my mom did when I was growing up.  She very often bought a yard or two "just to have it."  Those words are ingrained in my brain, and there was a time, in my teens when I found her habit annoying and senseless (which was probably the case for most of what she did).  For this reason, probably, I try to avoid purchasing fabric that I don't have an immediate need for.

I try to buy for a purpose, and stash the left overs.  But sometimes things happen.   It's been happening a lot, these last few weeks, and I LOVE it!

Such pretty packaging from BrewStitched.  And it arrived so quickly!

I was thrilled, last week, to win a give away offered by Bernie of Needle and Foot.  I won a selection of fat quarters provided by Sheryl of BrewStitched!  I enter  giveaways from time to time, but have never won, and let me tell you, it made my week!  So fun, and what a treat to receive some lovely fabrics in the mail.

These are the four provided by Sheryl.  Aren't they pretty?

As soon as I heard that I won, I popped over to BrewStitched to say thanks, and couldn't resist being a few treats for myself.  Cheryl was able to send all of my new lovelies together.  They came beautifully packaged and she processed my order really, really quickly!  Like, almost immediately!

I need to work on fabric photo shoots...

I am really excited about the Art Gallery print on the bottom.  Aqua and navy is one of my favorite color combinations, lately.  The selvage says, "Feel the difference," and, BOY! can you ever!  So soft and rich feeling.  I don't have any firm plans for any of these, and that's kind of exciting. So many possibilities

The cream with gold metallic pattern (second from the top) was a recent on-line purchase with a plan. It's secret sewing so I'm not going to reveal the plan, yet.  The others in this stack were either discovered during the quest to find and purchase that fabric, or ordered WITH that fabric to qualify for free shipping.  You do that, too, right?  Isn't it better to pay for more fabric to use, than to pay more to be sent less fabric?  That's logical, right?

I really like this.  It just makes me happy.  I think it works on its own in large pieces or cut up as a low volume.

And when you can achieve free shipping with something this cute, well, why not?  I have a graduation quilt on a very near future to do list.  This will find its happy place there.

Oh, it's fun to build a stash. "Just to have it!"

Linking up this week with Sew Cute Tuesday.