Thursday, August 10, 2006

Shenandoah Valley Books and Misc Quilts

It is one of those days, not much to post, not much energy for anything. So I thought I'd share some misc stuff with you. I just finished the above book - it was WONDERFUL! Actually it is the 3rd in a series you have to read! They are written by Emilie Richards and are about people who live in the Shenandoah Valley area. They are wonderful stories about people and their lives, with intersting ties to quilts/quilting - but not just stuck in there to make it a story with quilts. The quilt always plays an important role to the character and her life. The series started out to be a trilogy but in this last book that was just released, it says they have signed on the author to do more so she is turning it into a series! I'm so excited about that! Each book could be read independantly of the others, but if you like reading - I say read them in order. Especially the first book, you learn a lot about the background of the one characters that shows up in each book. Book 1 is "Wedding Ring" and tells a story of 3 generations of women who do not get along, but some quilts bring them together and help them discover things about themselves and their family. Book 2 is called "Endless Chain" and is about Elisa who is a Guatemalain refugee and her dark past, and pulls in some history of the area to parallel her story with a runaway slave during the civil war. (Yes once again a quilt plays an important role in some secrets about Elisa's life). And now just released is "Lovers Knot" where we learn about Kendra and her husbands links to his grandmother's quilt and the history of the mountain. I won't say much more because I guarantee you will love the books and I don't want to spoil the stories!

A week or so ago I promised you some more pictures from the retreat I went to in July. Well here some are from show and tell. These first few were just some fun quilts that were shown.

But look at the one below! Isn't is gorgeous! The applique is all done in wool! Now who would have thought of that! I've even worked with wool, but never thought about using it for just the appliqued pieces in a quilt like this. The pattern is from Lori Smith and is called Heirloom Stitches. Patti is working on version of this quilt and you may have seen some of her blocks she has done - they are gorgeous also!

Probably one of my favorites though was just a reproduction tumbler quilt (below). Isn't it wonderful! I"ve been slowly cutting out tumblers for about a year now from 4" fabric strips of reproduction fabrics I've been trading with an online friend. She of course has her finished (or almost finished). Me - I'm still dinking at it! But I can't wait to have a tumber quilt all for myself! I just loved this one.

10 comments from wonderful readers:

Patti said...

Oh, I love that tumbler quilt also. That would be a really good one to do with a bunch of the 5" charm packs the various fabric manufacturers are coming out with now.

That is a beautiful Heirloom Stitches. All in wool - oh my! I imagine that is a heavy quilt. I do prefer the warmer color pallete that I'm using - but this is another beautiful different look.

Leah Spencer said...

Great, I'll have to see if my library has those books - always could use another read! :)

Tazzie said...

I just love that tumbler quilt too. There's just something about those charm quilts that's really so charming.
*hugs*
Tazzie
:-)

Libby said...

Love the tumbler in repro fabrics. The colors are right up my alley. I have used wool for applique in the past, but not for the entire lot. Just a touch here and there. It can spoil you -- easy to work with and forgiving with no turning edges.

Darlene said...

I've read the first two books - The Wedding Ring and Endless Chain. Both fabulous and I'm anxious to read Lover's Knot. I've been working on a tumbler quilt using the 5" charms that Patti mentioned but haven't touched in many months.

sewprimitive karen said...

Thank you for the heads up on the books; just put in library requests for the first two. The tumbler quilt is nice, love all those browns.

The Calico Cat said...

nice quilts. (I may do a tumbler with my leftover taupes.) Thanks for sharing, I love a quilt show - even a virtual one!

QuiltingFitzy said...

Thanks for the author's name once again! I had seen an advertisement for her books in a quilting magazine, but when it came time to request it at both library and bookstore, I couldn't come up with her name!

Off to request while the info is still fresh....lol

Finn said...

Hi Dawn, thanks for sharing the information about the books with us. They do sound good!
And I love the tumbler quilt. I made one, scrappy, years and years ago. But it went to a son, I took no picture, and it has bitten the dust of quiltland. I don't think even scraps of it exist anymore. He does use them hard. Always wished i had gotten a picture of it. I think my tumblers were about 5". Maybe I'll have to make another *VBS*

Judy said...

Fabulous!!