From Fiber to Fabric: The Essential Guide to Quiltmaking Textiles

by Harriet Hargrave

Hennepin County Library hardcover 133 pages

Published: 1997

Genre: Nonfiction textiles

 

This book had so much more information than I can wrap my head around! At times, I also thought . . . "Do I care that much?" I'm a bit too careless about my sewing . . .

 

Chapter 8 on testing fabric, 10 and 11 on threads, and chapter 12 on batting were the most helpful. But by the time I got that far, my eyes were glazing over with too much information.

 

Page 53 - "Until now quilters were told they had to prewash their fabrics to keep them from bleeding and shrinking. They were not instructed how to prewash them safely, just to wash them. . . . Just because it is common practice to prewash, and we have been told to do it for years, does not mean that it has to be done." 

I really like that she explains things and gives reasons for decision making.

Page 84 - S twist and Z twist threads! How have I never learned this before? I wonder if I should buy imported threads. I have much more learning to do.

Page 93 - "Old threads, of any fiber content, break down and change their characteristics as they age." 

This is something I knew intuitively (and through experiencing using old thread at RaDon). I guess I should be willing to spend money to have good thread instead of trying to use up random old stuff. (Some of my spools are several decades old, inherited from others.)

The Ice Swan

by J'nell Ciesielski

Hennepin County Library paperback 386 pages

Published: 2021

Genre: Historical fiction

 

I really enjoyed reading this book, but I don't think it qualifies as "Christian" fiction. Our book club didn't seem to mind, but I love the stories that embody a strong faith message along with a good story! This was a lovely work of historical fiction and romance.

 

Set in Paris and Scotland during WWI, Svetlana has escaped Russia with her mother and younger sister Marina while her father and brother stay to fight the Bolsheviks. Distantly related to Tsar Nicolas II, they are literally fleeing for their lives.

 

Wynn (Edwynn) MacCallan loves being a surgeon and helping people. The second son of a Duke, he is perfectly happy leaving his older brother to title and responsibilities while he explores cardiology possibilities.

Page 9 - "'How many today, Wynn?' The question had become common enough among the doctors at the end of their shifts. Not because it was some sick competition or morbid curiosity, but so they could spot who most needed a break. So busy caring for others, medical staff often forgot to care for themselves. This was one small way they could look out for each other."

I loved this! It made me think of the strain of Covid-19 on medical personnel. We all need to look out for one another and to check in on people! It is so very important for all of us to watch out for and assist co-workers, neighbors, etc. "Are you okay?" "How can I help?"

Page 52 - "Love has nothing to do with a successful marriage."

Oh, poor Svetlana! With a mama like this, who needs enemies? Referring to herself with her full royal title, Printessa Ana was a piece of work! She was selfish, vain, and rude. (Her one redeeming act was in the train station toward the end of the story.)

Page 146 - "Svetlana saw her mother truly then. Not as a selfish creature but a creature of circumstance. Unquestionable privilege had molded her for nearly five decades to place her own desires first, with every need being met before she asked. It was a life Svetlana was well acquainted with, yet a revolution had forced her to alter her outlook. Perhaps it was the advantage of youth where the grasp of changeability was more mobile. Advancing years tightened its grip on the unchanging past."

 

Svetlana and Marina most definitely adapted to the change in their circumstances (palace in Russia to a church basement in Paris) much better than their mother! There's something to be said for flexibility. Comfort / familiarity can become a problem. I think of myself and definitely do not want to become set in my ways as I age.

 

Page 173 - "Every sensible bone in her body screamed for her to run as far away as possible, while the desperate side of her fairly salivated at the mention of a benefit. If he canceled their debt, they would be free of this place once and for all." 

Not going to happen. Evil mobsters don't just let people walk away. How could Svetlana, who struggles with trust issues, trust Sheremetev? This doesn't make sense!

Page 205 - "His brother should be here; they should be toasting together the end of the war and taking on the world as only brothers can."

This made me think of the relationships my sons have, and Louie and his brother Mike. Life is good when people have one another's backs!

Page 248 - "Slipping off her glove and the vulnerability it sheathed, she reached across the distance between them and took his hand. The coldness in her fingers was lost in the warmth of his. How simple a thing touch was, often shared by those wishing to establish a connection."

I love this. It made me think of holding hands with my mom when she was in hospice. It reminded me of the joy in holding hands with Joshua when we go for a walk. Holding hands with Louie when we were first dating . . . bliss! Touch is so important! (Side note, I'm listening to Fearfully and Wonderfully made and was on the chapter on skin and touch . . . )

Page 300 - "My advice for you is this: talk to her before things get worse. Miscommunication laced with ego is the major downfall of most marriages."

Gerard's advice is good. He's a bachelor with married brothers who also reads romance novels . . . and adds a bit of comic relief to the story. What a good friend to Wynn!

Page 314 - I'm not including the text, but this was where I had simply had enough of the romance novel formula of each one being miserable but refusing to bend. Sigh. She feels betrayed. He tries to apologize. Yada yada yada. It went on waaaay too long.

Page 341 - "'Rumors circulated in Paris of the Bolsheviks coming after those fleeing to drag them back to Russia. I saw where they met in the back rooms. What if they find us here?'

 'We kill them. My father butcher. I know use knife.'

Well, that was terrifying and not the answer Svetlana had expected from the sweet old lady she'd come to see as a grandmother."

Mrs. Varjensky was hilarious! I loved her throughout the book. From calling Wynn "golubchik" (term of endearment) and patting his cheeks to this response to Svetlana's worry, she was another wonderful character for some comic relief. (Leonid, too.)

White Bird

by R.J. Palacio

Scott County Library paperback 216 pages

Maud Hart Lovelace Award Nominee 2022-23

Published: 2019

Genre: YA graphic novel, historical fiction

This book was beautiful and compelling. Beginning in a modern day setting with a grandson calling his grandmère to ask about her experience in WWII, the novel touched on so much more than Nazis and the Holocaust. I love the way Palacio wove in themes of bullying, defending, bystanders, kindness, . . . 

It is well written and well illustrated. I may put this on my wish list! I do love how effectively graphic novels can tell stories.

Sara and Julien (aka "Tourteau" - the crab, due to the effects of polio on his legs) are classmates in France. Sara is Jewish; Julien is disabled. Sara's father wants to leave France in the 1930s, but her mother insists they are in the safe zone (under the Vichy government)  and they should wait and see. Alas, they wait too long. 

My favorite character is the teacher Mlle Petitjean. She was inspired by real life Daniel Trocmé, a schoolmaster and nephew of Reverend Trocmé, the inspiration for the character of Pastor Luc. 

This is a wonderful book and a great reminder to Never Forget!

The Healing of Natalie Curtis

by Jane Kirkpatrick

Dakota County Library paperback 326 pages plus author's notes, etc.

Published: 2021

Genre: Christian historical fiction

 

I'm sorry to say that I struggled to finish this book. I'm not 100% sure why I had to force myself to read it, but I'm glad I'm finally done! It's puzzling because the topic is interesting and important. Natalie Curtis was a real person and her life's work was significant. She just wasn't a compelling protagonist for me. That said, I've got a LOT of post-it notes in this book! I missed the book club meeting in June (we were at the lake) but I know at least one other person who's usually an avid reader didn't finish this title.

 

Basically, Natalie Curtis trained as a musician but suffered a breakdown. She went out West with her brother George to recover her health. She ended up becoming an ethnomusicologist and battling against the Indian Code. She had a connection to President Theodore Roosevelt and used it to try to change policy.

 

Page 35 - "A Norwegian summary had to be translated into English, and she silenced the voice that said she ought to learn Norwegian so she could be certain of the text. She knew German. I could learn. She stopped herself. This was where her intensity and perfectionism led her down a terrible trail. She already knew what lay at the end of that."

Though I wouldn't call myself a perfectionist, I certainly know what this feels like! "I could . . . " can open doors, but it can also drag one down! My sister Ann calls this the "woulda coulda shoulda" struggle.

Page 41 - "'I got lost in time. The reports, Mimsey, they were so . . . tragic.' She told her mother some of what she'd read while she pulled her gloves from her fingers."

Natalie's mother means well, but her desire for her daughter to have a "nice" life conflicted with Natalie's awareness of how awful the Indian Code was for the People themselves.

Page 64 - The scene where Eva Lummis shows Natalie around the house, describing the "belongings" that add personality to the rooms. Natalie initially calls them artifacts but Eva explains their significance to the Pueblo people. (I'm too lazy to put the whole passage here!)

I just really liked this scene, especially when they get to Armando's room. The little boy died when he was six and he had a beloved wooden carved horse. Very touching!

Page 75 - "But as the days passed, Natalie's spirits rose, and on the morning walks in the balmy air, she found herself able to enjoy the sights and sounds, feel the warm sun without the constant push to "do" something, "go" somewhere, "fix" herself. She was purpose-less . . . "

That sounds so lovely! Too often, there is such a sense of "Go go go" to life. She fell in love with the Southwest and the pace and peace of life there.

Page 77 - "It's unjust. And being committed by people who claim to be Christians, wanting to win their souls while destroying their spirits. They are not professing the faith that I was taught."

Charles Lummis' anger is in response to white people humiliating and hurting native people. I think part of the reason I didn't love this book is because I recognize the pain and evil that was done to the native people . . . and I'm a hundred-plus years too late to "fix" it. And yes, it is especially hard when people do horrible things in the name of Christianity. Jesus loved and served.

Page 103 - "'But it's the cadence and timing that requires such deep concentration on my part. Their music is so singular.' She drank her warm tea. Ice was like gold in Yuma. 'I've been thinking. When Rome conquered the Greeks, they learned from them. We should be doing the same, learning from the Indians, not trying to silence them.'"

 

There is so much more to this passage! Natalie is talking with her brother George, with whom she spent a great deal of time as she traveled in the West.

 

Page 106 - "'Um, there was no corn, no dance, no drum, no Yuma song. Only Anglo song. The child is shamed and tries to disappear. The others join to comfort her.'" 

I love love love Chiparopai! What an amazing woman, speaking three languages (including English!). When she visits a school with Natalie and the teacher sings Happy Birthday to a little girl, Natalie is the only other person who sings along. But instead of being pleased, the girl hides under a table and cries. Then the other children climb under the table with her and surround her! Compassion and understanding! Chiparopai explains to Natalie what she just observed. My heart!

Page 122 - "'Perseverance,' George said. 'Deciding what really matters and letting the rest go.'"

This is after Natalie comments on how hard a trail ride can be and wonders how people traveling the Oregon and Santa Fe trails could put up with all the dust for months. Her brother hits the nail on the head. Sometimes all a situation needs is the right attitude and perseverance.

Page 157 - "Lololomai didn't spin, gave his full attention to her. She had noticed that about the Hopi and the Yuma and the Navajo. They concentrated when someone spoke to them, perhaps deciphering the language barrier, but maybe because they listened to understand rather than to respond."

I am so bad about this! I need to work on my listening skills and be respectful of other people!

Page 249 - "'So. White people prefer to hear white people,' he said. 

'I don't,' Natalie told him. 'I'd rather hear you talk about your life and the songs and where they came from.' 

'It is a show when we do it for Anglos. At home, when we sing or tell the stories, it is a gift. Our spirits are happy then.' 

'In the book, though, you won't be 'at home.' Your words and music will be spread far and wide.' 

He often kept a grace pause before he spoke. 'So. It is what will be in this new trail we are asked to walk.'"

Hiamovi was such a fantastic person to better help Natalie understand some of the cultural differences further. 

Page 253 - " . . . emphasizing for Natalie the sturdy rope tying past to present."

I like expressions like this - "the sturdy rope tying past to present." Hiamovi is explaining to her how "we" used to do things, although he's talking about his ancestors from much earlier generations. Kirkpatrick is a talented author; I'm sorry this book just didn't connect for me on a heart level.

Page 265 - "But she was doing it to preserve the ancient arts, songs, and dances, not to destroy them by bringing tourists. One didn't always have control over the outcome of pursuing a purpose. The publication and promotion would be a balancing act."

It is easy to look back and have the wisdom of hindsight, but it can indeed be difficult to tell what will result from your efforts.

Page 281 - "'It will be a very fluffy book,' Angel said. Natalie looked confused. 'Fat. We use "fluffy" for fat as a term of what you Anglos call endearment."

Yes! "Fluffy" instead of "fat" needs to catch on!

Page 295 - "It was finished. Natalie didn't feel a whit of satisfaction."

Sigh. Not a surprise. This is where I differ from the character. I love to celebrate successes! Woohoo! She got the book published!

The Jungle Book (and other stories)

by Rudyard Kipling

Libby audiobook 5 hours

Read by: Rebecca Burns

Published: 1894 (this version 2006)

Genre: children's fiction

I got this to have more audiobooks on my phone to listen to at one of my jobs. Children's books (especially ones I'm familiar with) allow me to be entertained while also getting my work done.

This one had The Jungle Book, The White Seal, Rikki Tikki Tavi, Toomai of the Elephants, and Her Majesty's Servants.

The reader's voice . . . no. Just no. It was almost robotic and I wondered if it was read by a machine instead of a human. I hope she never reads this blog entry because I don't want to be hurtful, but there was a definite lack of emotion and dynamics in this reading.

The superstitions and ghost stories are interwoven through the stories. There are lots of songs and poems included!  There were also lots of words I didn't understand - Russian? Indian? I missed whole parts of stories for lack of understanding. This is also a hazard with "reading" audiobooks versus print books.

The Jungle Book is similar to the Disney movie version, but different enough that I'm sorry the Disney version takes up so much space in my brain. Just the difference in Baloo's and Bagheera's relationships to Mowgli . . . very interesting!

 

It also made me wonder about the connection between The Jungle Book and Edgar Burroughs' Tarzan of the Apes (published in 1912). According to Wikipedia, "Though The Jungle Book is sometimes cited as an influence on Burroughs' Tarzan of the Apes, he claimed that his only inspiration was the Roman myth of Romulus and Remus.^[7] Rudyard Kipling commented that Burroughs "had 'jazzed' the motif of the Jungle Books and, I imagine, thoroughly enjoyed himself."

 

I love that Mowgli's name means little frog!

I love the story of Rikki Tikki Tavi and haven't read it in years.

I did not enjoy the story of Her Majesty's Servants at all.

I heard the name of the walrus in The White Seal as "SeaBitch" and thought it was a weird name for a male . . . until I realized it was "SeaVitch."

Oliver Twist

by Charles Dickens

Libby audiobook 16 hours

Read by: Wanda McCaddon

Published: 1838 (this version 2005)

Genre: realistic fiction . . . for the era

 

***There is one spoiler at the end if you don't know the story!***

 

Although I had seen at least one movie version and read several short / abridged versions, I had never before read Oliver Twist in its entirety. And Dickens is one of my favorite authors!  Listening to this made me sad . . . Dickens must have known some seriously awful adults in his childhood. I know enough about his life to realize that not all of his characters and situations are pure imagination.

Oliver is born to a dying mother in a poorhouse. He is treated horribly. There is, of course, a pretty happy ending for the little guy.

My jottings:

• Hearing Fagin referred to as "the Jew" was jarring! He really was a reprehensible character, but for him to be called this throughout the story was hard to hear! He was also referred to as "the old gentleman." 
• The reader did a fantastic job! All the different characters were brought to life so well. That said, Fagin's repeated "My Dear" grated on my nerves! Yuk!
• The Artful Dodger = John Dawkins. He was a teenager.
• Charlie Bates - comic relief, also a teen
  
• Horrible adults! Keeping money intended for the care of the children to enrich themselves and then being self-righteous about it! How can any human have allowed children to starve to death and used the money to feed themselves fancier food and deny children?! Thin gruel . . . how awful.
• Bill Sikes - I was trying to decide who was most awful between Fagin and Sikes . . . and Bill abused his dog. And Nancy. And then murdered.
  
• "in for a penny, in for a pound" . . . not sure which character said this, but it made me wonder if Dickens created this or if it was already commonly used. (Just looked it up - in use since the late 1600s. Dictionary.com says, "Once involved, one must not stop at half-measures.")
• No value for life! The way people treated starving, dying poor people as just an unpleasant fact of life. It made me so sad for the lack of compassion!
• Nancy telling Rose that "it's too late" also made me sad. No, it's not too late, Nancy! Get out of that abusive situation! Let Rose help you make a new life!
• the locket / Monks . . . such a curious story that I don't remember these details at all!
• Noah Claypole - what a skunk and coward! I never "caught" his code name that he used . . . Charlotte was an idiot to fawn over him!
• Skips in the story . . . sounded like scratches on a CD . . . but it was an efile . . . weird! I even hit the "back" button for 15 seconds and it skipped in the same places . . . 
• The fire - did Bill set it or did he just come across it?
• Spoiler!!! (Rose is Oliver's aunt) - Like I said, happy ending.

 

Now I feel like getting a movie version to  compare . . . 

Also, in some places the serialization was so very apparent! Dickens could definitely draw out a story. It makes me laugh but a lot of his writing could use an editor.

Where the Light Fell

by Philip Yancey

Libby audiobook 11 hours

read by the author

Published: 2021

Genre: memoir

This book is one I could write pages and pages about but will keep brief.

1. I vaguely recognized "Yancey" as the name of a Christian powerhouse. I didn't really know much about the author at all.

2. As I listened, I thought he was NOT a Christian and the Yancey I've heard of before was his dad (whose own story is fascinating but he died in his young 20s from polio).

3. Wow. Just wow. When he shared the experience that changed his life, I cried. (It's toward the end of the book!)

The mom. Oh . . . how painful. She claimed to not have sinned in twelve years. She meant well, but raised her boys in such a way as to make them reject faith in God instead of embracing faith. She said and did some truly hateful things. It breaks my heart.

Rudyard Kipling's If - have I read this? I need to!

The South, the Civil War, what children are taught in school . . . scary. Educators, parents, society all have power in shaping kids' perspectives.

Summer camp and the seventeen box turtles. Shame. So sad!

Lester Roloff - preaching against . . . (not sure what my note means, but again it made me sad that some Christians use their zeal to hurt others rather than bring peace, healing, and wholeness in Christ.) (I just followed an internet rabbit trail of info about him. . . ) I think that Roloff was preaching against the Revised Standard Version of the Bible . . . as in, this is not a translation you should read . . . I wonder if he lived to see The Message version!

Interesting that a MEMOIR is a person's story about their life. Yancey was open, vulnerable, and repentant toward the end of his story. He was born in 1949 and his dad died when he was a year old. His mother and his brother Marshall were the central figures in his life.

 

I loved loved loved when he met Janet at college!!!

Now I want to read some of his other books! 

 

Oh - I also jotted a note that when he was rejecting God, Yancey saw God as a "cosmic bully" if He existed at all. Again, it made me so sad that his upbringing caused him to move away from God instead of toward Him.

 

His brother Marshall's story breaks my heart. 

 

I really want to read more of Philip Yancey's books!

Breathe and Count Back From Ten

by Natalia Sylvester

Libby audiobook 9 hours

read by Frankie Corzo

Published: 2022

Genre: YA realistic fiction

Themes / plotlines:

- hip dysplasia

- Peru / immigrants

- overprotective parents

- teen wanting autonomy and freedom

- swimming 

- mermaids

- gender issues

I really liked Alex, the boyfriend. I wish we had gotten to know more of his back story. Her best friend was a gem. I really liked her as a character.

Veronica was a sympathetic character at times and an irritating cry baby at others. Her sister Dani was right when she said everything was always about Veronica . . . 

"Her Florida town is home to Mermaid Cove, a kitschy underwater attraction where professional mermaids perform in giant tanks . . . and Veronica wants to audition. But her conservative Peruvian parents would never go for it."

So the obvious ensues . . . deception, discovery, big declarations.

There were parts of the story I truly enjoyed - Veronica sharing her favorite places with Alex, the doctor acknowledging Veronica's desire to have a say about her health care and surgery, etc.

But there were more parts that bugged me. The start of each chapter had a word, the dictionary definition, and the Veronica definition. Sometimes those things really add to the story. In this case, to me, they didn't. The way Veronica complained about being photoshopped (to remove her scars) when she HAD been trying to hide them all the time . . . make up your mind! She was too much of a victim to me.

I found another note with this info:

- Spanish words and expressions - frustrating with no translation . . .

- "Papi" sounded like Bobby. In one scene, I was thinking "Why is Bobby (the maintenance type dude) coming into Veronica's bedroom to talk to her?!?!"

- "lame" joke / her identity / she's oversensitive at times and chill at others . . .