Paris: A Love Story (Weekend Reads)


Oh, all those decorating magazine that tell you to leave books, lotions, and treats in your guest room. My guest room is also the studio, so you're lucky if I vacuum to pick up any errant pins. But my SIL's Mama hosted me back in October for Quilt Market. She is such a generous person that of course she had all that stuff in her guest room for me. And for the second time ever I actually picked up the book on the night stand.

Paris: A Love Story is a memoir by journalist Kati Marton. With the backdrop of her marriages and love affairs with Peter Jennings and Richard Holbrooke she captivates with the story of Paris in her life. Paris was where her living and her grieving happened. Where she became a woman is Paris, where she meets her last love, where she retreats.

Now, I must admit that I didn't know the name Kati Marton when I picked up the book. I finally figured out who she was when I came to the picture section. I didn't feel the need to Google her because I just wanted to read the story. She is a wonderful writer, knowing well how to tell a story to capture her audience and hold them. So while the people in her story are real and almost all famous, I was interested in them as characters in her story. But if you know her world of American journalism and even the politics then it must be rather fascinating to have this behind the scenes look.

After three late nights spent reading I finished the book hours before I got on my plane home. And was able to leave the book behind for the next guest.

Alturas Applique


With all due credit to Carolyn Friedlander and Sarah Fielke I must admit to a new addition: hand appliqué. Okay, so it is only in the early stages, but boy do I like it.

Yes, I have a hand quilting project on the go. And a hand piecing project (which I'm really going to wrap up as soon as I can find the first chunk of sewing I did). But over the winter break neither of these were getting me all that excited. I was looking for something to keep me busy as I kept Hubby company at the end of the day while he watched endless episodes of Top Gear and Patrick Dempsy: Le Mans.

You know my aversion to patterns, but I didn't have the brain power to be creative in this instance. Besides, I had Carolyn's appliqué patterns and they are just so cool. So I decided to keep it simple and go with the block based pattern Alturas. Fuel to the addiction for sure.

That being said, I'm not sure I have it in me to make a full size quilt of hand appliquéd blocks. Right now I am committing to nine of them and then we'll see what happens.



Goal Setting for 2014


My oldest, The Monster, is very big into goal setting thanks to her public education. We work hard at breaking down the details and steps necessary to reach her goals. In that process it has reminded me that I need to do a bit of that myself.

So, here goes. In 2014 my studio goals are:

1. To turn all quilt tops sitting in my closet as of right now into completed quilts. There are 10 of them. And 2 others already being quilted.

2. To distribute all the Just One Slab quilts before the end of winter.

3. Stay on top of my accounting with a monthly sit down in front of a spreadsheet and a pile of receipts.

4. Revamp my website and blog (with the input from all of you!)

5. Produce at least 1 new pattern for sale.

6. Finish one of my novels.

7. Complete at least 3 quilts in a series I've got planned. This Mountain Meadows would be the first one in the series, but I have sketches for many more.

8. Teach the girls, as they ask, how to use the sewing machine on their own.

9. Make exercise a daily part of my life again. (I consider this a Studio Goal because it is part of my overall time management for work.)

10. Start and finish my third quilting book.

Those are the big goals. It does not account for the ongoing, must do, and just for fun sewing and writing commitments that are there every day as well. And of course all the awesome unplanned things that could still come up. Oh yeah, and that family thing that happens outside of the studio too.

Yes, I am insane. And I wouldn't have it any other way. How about regular updates on all of these, so you can help keep me in check? They may be more like reality checks, but I am not scared in looking at this list. I think teaching the girls to sew on the machine themselves might the most frightening thing of them all!