Sometimes small is best

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Amid stitching black squares to long rows of Cornflower blocks, I've been dabbling in six-point star blocks, kite blocks, and Lavender Quilt blocks, all of which are petite and easy. I find mixing up the EPP is how I enjoy it most, not feeling tied to just one project, especially when on the downhill slide of a hand-sewn quilt where the whole thing is kind of tricksy in wrangling it all over my lap.

Don't get me wrong, it's GREAT to be at this stage of the Cornflower Quilt, but with those five missing squares still hiding, I'm not in a huge hurry to reach that last row and need to cut fabric and baste more squares.

Anyway, so yeah, I'm dropping in quick small blocks in the evenings, vibrant colours brightening my world that has been super soggy, over two inches of rain falling yesterday. Also lifting my days have been some marvelous books by Elizabeth Rowan Keith, a fantastic writer I have had the privilege of knowing for over a decade. Recently she released a novella and a collection of short stories and I curled up on the sofa this weekend with both. The Lie is set in the 1940s and Keith captures the era perfectly; I was transported to the Midwest during World War II, feeling the pinch of want, the beauty of simplicity, and the uncertainty of how a deception could alter more than one life.

Minutes: Conveniently Short Stories is a collection of short stories and poems spanning a gamut of themes;  humor, pathos, mischief, and the macabre. Keith doesn't mind poking fun at herself; she also lays bare her soul.

These two books are available on Smashwords in a variety of formats and I highly recommend both, especially if quick reads are your preferred genres. Because sometimes small is best in reading as well as sewing!


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