Books, Books, Books!

A little while ago, Heidi tagged me for Books, Books, Books – I didn’t mean to ignore it, but you know, life’s a stitch! So with no further ado, here are my answers:

1) One book that changed your life:
Too easy – The Holy Bible, KJV
2) One book that you’d read more than once:
I re-read almost all my books – if I have no desire to re-read it, I don’t keep it in my library. Having said that, I decided to go with the first book I ever bought with my own hard-earned money (I was 7 or 8), and still re-read to this day: A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle
3) One book you’d want on a deserted island:
If it’s truly only one book – the Bible.
4) One book that made you laugh:
Love Conquers All, by Robert Benchley
5) One book that made you cry:
There have been many – but I’ll mention Grumbles From The Grave, not because the book made me cry per se, but because I still cry when I think that Robert Heinlein is no longer with us
6) One book you wish you’d written:
All of them – lol!
7) One book you wish had never been written:
Can’t think of one right off hand
8) One book you’re currently reading:
Just finished Valley of Silence by Nora Roberts
9) One book you’ve been meaning to read:
The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger – because so many people have mentioned it – I’ll probably order it after Christmas – right now, all my spare change is going towards Christmas stuff - YKWIMV?

Currently stitching: A wedding sampler for a friend’s daughter, and some Christmas presents.
Currently reading: The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein (re-reading some old faves – no money right now for new books)

And no more posts today - I've done all the catching up I'm going to do for the day!

What Color is Your Brain

Snatched from patternnuts

This was fun - and amazingly accurate (for me). Give it a try and tell me what you think.

What Color is Your Brain?

GREEN:

At work or in school: I work best by myself. I like to focus on my ideas until my desire for understanding is satisfied. I am easily bored if the subject holds no interest to me. Sometimes, it is hard for me to set priorities because so many things are of interest.
With friends: I may seem reserved. Although my thoughts and feelings run deep, I am uneasy with frequent displays of emotion. I enjoy people who are interesting and of high integrity.
With family: I am probably seen as a loner because I like a lot of private time to think. Sometimes, I find family activities boring and have difficulty following family rules that don't make sense to me. I show love by spending time with my family and sharing ideas and interests.
Take this quiz!








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New Links!

I've just spent the past hour or so learning how to do some new things (new for me - lol!) - look to the left and you'll see that I've added some links. This may not seem like much to more experienced bloggers - but it's a major step for me. Now if I can just remember how I did it when I get ready to add some more :-)

On the home front - got some more flooring in the kitchen put down - but we're not going to meet our goal of having the renovations finished by Thanksgiving :-( DH has some health issues that have taken up most of our time for the past three weeks. Prayer team - mark your calendars and keep us in your prayers as he undergoes a procedure on 30 November - hopefully it will resolve one major problem.

One last note - Christmas is 38 days away - Must Stitch Faster!

Sewn Christmas Ornament

There was a question on the EMS Board about how to make a fabric framed ornament - this is my solution: (click on the thumbnails for a larger view)
1. Cut four squares of fabric - mine are 4' x 4"
2. Mark a circle in the center on the wrong side of one square - you can see my very scientific method of marking a precisely sized and placed circle!
3. Sew around the circle - I used red thread so the stitching line would show for the photo - normally I would use a thread that matched the fabric.
4. Trim the circle out to about a 1/4" seam and notch - be careful not to cut your stitching.
5. Turn the top layer thru the circle and match the corners. Pin them. When you have matched all four corners, the circle should lay flat.
6. And here it is, all turned.
7. Cut two pieces of batting (my British friends would say wadding) and use the same scientific method to mark a circle in the center of one of them. Cut out the circle from the center.
8. Insert the batting between the two layers - one for the circle piece, the other for the backing.
9. I wanted a hanger in the corner, and used a 1/4" grosgrain ribbon inserted between the circle piece and the backing piece.
10. Sew all around the four sides with a 1/4" seam - you are going to turn this thru the center circle, so you don't have to leave any side not sewn. Trim the corners and turn.
11. Ta-Da! I tucked a scrap of fabric leftover from a quilt I made in the center. I didn't have a cross stitch piece prepared :-(.

Things I learned:
A. This took about 45 minutes to cut out and assemble - it honestly took longer to upload all the photos than it did to make it. I expect the next ones will go faster, because I won't be stopping to photograph each step - lol!
B. Trim the batting squares 3/8" smaller than the fabric squares so the seams won't be so thick - I sewed right thru the batting, and it made it thick on the edges.
C. To make the center puffier, insert a circle of batting behind the insert.
D. It would probably be a good idea to make the lining squares in a solid color to match whatever you are going to insert - you can see the print if you look closely at the center.

Currently reading: Under the Mistletoe by Mary Balogh
Currently stitching: finishing ornament for EMS Board exchange.