Valerean

The Autumn 2026 issue of Art Quilting Studio has arrived on the magazine stands, and I invested in a copy to give myself a little quilting inspiration for fall. Cheryl Lamon's article Fabric Art Using Hexagons certainly gave me a boost; I'm using hexes in my crochet at present, and it might be fun to try the same with fabric (she has instructions on how to make your own that look pretty simple.) Sacred Seams by Kim Alexis Newton showcases the artist's beautiful and intricate portrait works. All those tiny pieces! Carrie Payne's article and project Resurfaced Fabric was one that resonated with me on a couple of levels. I've often repurposed vintage fabric (I am right now, in fact) in my quilting although I've never tried to alter it; going instead with layering and embellishment. I might have to try this one, too. There is a whole lot more in this magazine, so check it out if you get a chance.

I picked up a copy of Red City by Marie Lu after Maxine from Knotty by Maxine recommended it. I knew almost from the beginning that it wouldn't be a happy story, and it wasn't, but the excellent and intricate if very dark world-building kept me absorbed, and the storyline, while pure fantasy, grew more engrossing (and harrowing) with every page. In the universe of this novel alchemy, the ancient, secretive tradition and early branch of natural philosophy with goals of turning base metals into gold, discover cures for disease, and ultimately achieve immortality, is real. This is not the stuff of Harry Potter -- or, it's the Sopranos version. Into this dark and greedy world are dragged two kids: Samantha, whose mother brought her to America from China to give her a chance at a better life, and Ari, a boy taken from India because of his natural charisma and potential talents. The kids are recruited by syndicates that are enemies, but as they befriend each other at ...

Last week my guy and I went to walk Snooky Park in Lady Lake, and then just went wandering. He's got a bad case of cabin fever and is really happy to be out and about. We stopped at one thrift store and two antique stores, and I was able to acquire some fabric pumpkins for my fall decor, a small handmade journal, a mystery bag of jewelry and a picnic basket and a holiday tin bucket for a project on the crochet blog. The little journal is awesome -- small enough to tuck in my purse. The mystery bag had a glitzy black, gold and rhinestone set with earrings, necklace and bracelet. These will be fun to wear on Halloween. Lovely day. :)

Figuring out how to put together hexagons may seem easy, until you lay them out on the floor and realize you're not sure what shape to sew them together in, or how many more you need to crochet, or you're me. This is also a dilemma for quilters making hexiquilts, so I'm posting this here. One of the great things about the internet are the free online tools you can use in a browser to figure out such things, like this one with a hexagon grid generator . Although my blanket won't look exactly like this, it did help me tremendously with figuring out what I did want to do with the layout, and how many hexes I'll need to do my version of it.

As a reward for putting in all the extra hours so I could get three weeks ahead on my work schedule I invested in the Fall 2026 issue of Quilting Arts magazine. This is a lovely issue, with lots of art quilts to admire. Although I'll never be a modern quilter I enjoyed the Art Meets Modern Gallery, especially Rachel Derstine's Rhythm and Flow quilt (on the right) -- such tiny pieces! Noelle Foye's article about Canadian textile artist Lorraine Roy was particularly wonderful, especially in regard to the artist's aesthetic. Her work is awesome. I always like the reader challenges, and this issue's "Into Nature" theme had "Nature's Seascape", a mini quilt by Patricia Caldwell (on the right) that made me sigh. I've never thought of incoporating driftwood pieces and stones as well as beads as quilt elements. Must try that someday soon. This is a terrific issue for anyone needing some quilting art inspiration, highly recommen...

My guy and I went to walk The Mercantile in Altamonte Springs, and I picked up some free doodle art from Durkart , a postcard and a Blind Date with a Book. The proceeds from the latter go to support a pet rescue. Very happy with my blind date -- I love nonfiction, and this wartime era is one I've only read about lightly. We also walked Altamonte Springs Mall, where I stopped by Barnes & Noble to pick up two quilting magazines. Lovely day.