BOOK THOUGHTS: THE HALF-STITCHED AMISH QUILTING CLUB

 

I enjoyed this book despite my not having time to read it. THE HALF-STITCHED AMISH QUILTING CLUB by Wanda E Brunster, is a wonderful story of an Amish widow who decides to teach quilting  and invites non-Amish individuals  to her home. She discovers the joys of meeting new people and the realities of life outside of a religious community. TI confess, though I have the print version my schedule prevented me form reading thus I changed to an audiobook. 

The book centers around the life struggles of: an angry young female, a widow, a biker who lost his drivers license, a grieving widower, a couple in marital distress and a frustrated Pastor’s wife, each with their own reasons for wanting to learn how to quilt.o The Amish woman thought it would be a class in which she taught a group of women in a pleasant atmosphere this was not the case. 

 THE HALF-STITCHED AMISH QUILTING CLUB  is a book that is 312 pages,  9 hours 2 minutes in audio, I was not a fan of the narrated and will probably read the next book, unless there is a different narrator. 

I am glad that I do have the print because, I am a quilter and there was a bonus for those who did. Included in the book were pictures a pattern and a recipe.

7 QUILT PICTURES 1) One Patch 2)Weaver Fever 3)Double Wedding Ring 4)Lone Star 5)The Log Cabin 6) The Dahlia 7)the 

  Tumbling Block

1 QUILT PATTERN 

There was also a RECIPE: Emma Yoder’s Angel Cram Pie
     I am not making the pie but I love the quilt pattern with instrucions as well as the pictures 

In addition there are discussion questions for a book club

I did enjoy the book which is one in a series of 4, I will complete the series; I do not think this book is for everyone. I suspect the target audience is for a younger audience, unless it was just the way the narrator interpreted it. I like clean novels no: sex, violence, or profanity  and appreciate the infusion of faith in the story. Of course their is faith in the book,  “Amish” is in the title and a pastor’s wife is one of the charachters. It is an enjoyable story. 

WRITTEN by Marsha L Floyd

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

ON MY LIST TO BE READ (or heard)

THE LOST QUILTER by Jennifer ChIAVERINI (14  of 24 in the series)

A FITTING END by SHERI RICHEY (3 of 4 in the sereies)

THE TATTERED QUILT by Wanda E Brunstetter (2 of 4 in the series)

A THREAD OF TRUTH by Marie Bostwick (2 OF 7 in the series)

NON-FICTION  I have a hard copy but I am listening to audio! 

SPIRITUAL AUTHORITY by Watchman Nee  (

TURNING POINTS -Decisive Moments in the History of Christianity 

Of course I may find a crafting book that I just have to have! 

BOOK THOUGHTS: TEACH YOURSELF CLOTH DOLLMAKING

 

TEACH YOURSELF CLOTH DOLLMAKING- Simple Techniques and patterns for dolls and doll clothes by Jodie Davis and Photography by Bill Milne is another book find that I purchased used. It was published in 1995, maybe someday I will find a book published in 2026 that does not cost a lot but has similar content. 

I make ragdolls using a basic pattern I found on Pinterest years ago. N After making about 10 dolls, if not more, I have been wanting to tweek my pattern a bit. I was not disappointed in the book and I do believe it is worth the investment. 

The book contains 5 cloth doll / ragdoll patterns, one that I did not like. And I do like the clothing patterns included, with my ragdolls I have been creating my own. 

The dolls that I make I have been having trouble with the neck and the arms. This book will help me add more definition to the hands and feet.  The book also gave excellent guidance to facial features: eyes, eyelashes and mouth. This is an excellent learning manual an excellent add to my reference books

Written by Marsha L Floyd

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

A BOOK REVIEWER I DISCOVERED AND AM RECOMMENDING

This was my first time viewing this YouTuber and I  never heard of G.A. HENTY. I decided to share the video for you to review this individuals thoughts on the author and his writings. 

If you watch the video PLEASE: LIKE, SHARE  and COMMENT, it does help.

-According to the comments I  read; women read and appreciated this author's writings.

- FREE downloads are available  Project Gutenberg for one.

 I also discovered ROBINSON BOOKS which list his books in chroological order

George Alfred Henty was born  December 8, 1832 – November 16 1902 with between 122-144 published works. According to Wikipedia he was a war correspondent. 
I am looking forward to reading his works but it may be a while, it seems my reading list gets longer daily!

WRITTEN by Marsha L Floyd

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

BOOK THOUGHTS: HAND QUILTING with Alex Anderson

 

Alex Anderson is an American quilter known for her numerous books and to some a television series. I share this information with you because when my copy of HAND QUILTING with Alex Anderson arrived, I was beyond excited, this is my kind of instruction manual! I found her teaching is more understandable than the other quilt books that I have. Her videos can be viewed via YouTube, I haven’t checked them out yet. I suspect I will add “Simply Quilting” with Alex Anderson to Esther Miller’s videos on hand quilting as my reference resource.

HAND QUILTING with Alex Anderson was a whim purchase; it was less than $3 used so I bought it, list price for a new copy $11.50 on Amazon. The book is a total of 40 pages with the last 5 the templates for the six projects. The projects are: 1- pillow and 5- different wall hangings; each appears to be beginner friendly projects. 

As I researched the author I discovered she has 30 quilting books published in 4 languages with over one million copies sold. The one book I could not find by this author: The double wedding ring quilt. 

WRITTEN by Marsha L Floyd

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

HAVE YOU SUBSCRIBED? Thank you! 

BOOK THOUGHTS: MAKING RAGDOLLS

 I ordered MAKING RAG DOLLS by Juanita Clarke because I don’t like the newer crafting books that are being published. This has an original copyright date ofin 1994 and reprinted in 199. What that means to you- Don’t order from Amazon there are quite a few onone- used book places you might be able to get a copy from.

There are 20 rag doll patterns in this book which includes: Mr and Mrs Santa Clause and an elf!  There are both female and male dolls. The book includes: how to make instructions, patterns for the faces, instructions on how to hand embroider the face, and the actual pattern (actual size) for each doll. 

My plan, what I do with all of my hard to find patterns, is to take the book to my printer so he can do his magic in printing the patterns.  Yes, I have a printer and can print them myself but I do not want to take the patterns out of the book and I do not want to spend the time printing them page by page. I will pay for the privilege. Once I get the patterns printed, I will make copies to use. Yes, the clothing patterns are included.

I have made rag dolls before and they really are not that complicated to make. I unusually make them by hand so I can sew and watch television. 

WRITTEN by Marsha L Floyd

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 

BOOK THOUGHTS: THE QUILTERS KITCHEN

 

The 14th book in the Elm Street Quilt book series was the quickest read, technically, of the series I have read. Why? Because, THE QUILTERS KITCHEN by Jennifer Chiaverini, is a total of 214 pages filled with mouth watering recipes as well as a short story. I don’t know if it is a recipe book with a story or a novelette with recipes woven in it.  Should I  put this book on the shelf with all of my cookbooks or keep it with my collection of books by Mrs. Chiaverini; of course it will go with the others.

Recipes aside this was an enjoyable book, a bit retrospective. There are only two characters presented in this book the most recent, Anna, and Sylvia. The story takes place in the kitchen of Elm Street Manor which is being remodeled. Anna and Sylvia are boxing up everything so that the carpenters and such can come in are upgrade the vintage area. The contents of the cabinets and draws take the reader along with Sylvia down memory lane. Which is why, again I say, you have to read these books in order. 

Because I have read the other books in chronological order, I could remember as Sylvia revealed to the newest team member a story about the objects. Many of the recipes discussed were recipes prepared in a previous book; I don;t remember all of them (bonus recipes perhaps)  I do remember the cornucopia incident between Sylvia and Claudia. 

The recipes: OMM! (Oh my my) I saw a few that I want to investigate and I am happy to share that the reader will find a directory of all recipes mentioned in the back of the book. NOTE: The recipes are presented in a logical fashion not taking away from the story.

Of course I am going to recommend the book but not because of the quilt made, though there was discussion of making one, but because of the recipes and  like Book 13 THE WINDING WAYS QUILT it is like a refresher course of where we have been.  Not only do we have 2, 3 if you count the husband, new characters but it looks like there may be a problem in the next book: THE LOST QUILTER.

It will be a while before I read another Jennifer Chiaverini book because I have at least 2 novels in the cure and, one non-fiction book and 2 crafting books to read and review plus Tax season is over for me and I am going back to work early! I AM NOT A FAST READER.

WRITTEN by Marsha L Floyd

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

BOOK THOUGHTS: BREAK FREE WITH BOOKKEEPING

 

My thoughts regarding: BREAK FREE WITH BOOKKEEPING LIFE ON YOUR TERMS

I have been preparing taxes since 1999, 26 years; I am un-credentialed Tax Expert, I am not a CTA, CPA OR EA; I am experienced without the big billable hours pay. I started my practice working for a corporation and eventually started my own private practice. At 66 I am still preparing tax returns both with my now very small private practice and working for a corporation.  I am exploring what it takes to be a Bookkeeper. 

BREAK FREE WITH BOOKKEEPING LIFE ON YOUR TERMS by Tiffani Higgins, Bill Rogers and Deanna , is a book worth reading because it explains what I classify as “the behind the scenes” of becoming a bookkeeper or any other business you might want to start.  The chapter titles are self explanatory:

INTRODUCTION:  Break Free, Live on Your Terms on Your Terms 

CHAPTER 1: Breaking Free from the Grind

CHAPTER 2: Why Bookkeeping is the Hidden Gem

CHAPTER 3: Laying the Foundation

CHAPTER 4: Branding with Confidence

CHAPTER 5: Leveraging AI for Growth and Simplicity

CHAPTER 6: Building Client Relationships That Last

CHAPTER 7: Scaling Beyond Yourself

CHAPTER 8: Maintaining Work-Life Harmony

  CHAPTER 9:  The Shortcut: Leveraging the Stay at Home Bookkeeper Academy 

  CHAPTER 10: Your Freedom Blueprint

The reason why I am recommending this book to anyone who wants to be a bookkeeper is because I saw a truth about how much money a person can make. I have seen advertisements to help individuals become a bookkeeper and earn $75 an hour; I did not believe it. The book explains how, once you get the clients this is possible but it takes marketing.

  In chapter 9:  The Shortcut: Leveraging the Stay at Home Bookkeeper Academy, the authors explain how they can help you obtain your clients and earn that much money. They charge for the privilege. 

I have a plan, I have successfully taken the Intuit Bookkeeping course and will be taking the Quickbook class. I have discovered quite a few businesses use QuickBooks and not every entry level job, working for someone, requires that you take the class. If you are going to work for yourself, I recommend taking a class. 

If I do decide to add bookkeeping to my resume I will be  working for a corporation because I am 66 years old and do not need to make thousands of dollars. 

As I told the Bookkeeping Academy representative, I just want to earn enough money to cover the cost of my sewing habit, which can be very pricey and my grandchildren which as they get older they need less. I do not need to pay to be part of the networking team.

Finally,  if you want to be a bookkeeper and want to be self employed this book is your blueprint for establishing a successful business. AND if you want to own your own business but not a bookkeeper, I still recommend this book because it has excellent foundational concepts related to starting your own business, clients just don’t run to you.

Written by Marsha L Floyd

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED