a mixed bunch

I've got a mixed bunch of flowers things to chat about today,
patchwork blocks & books & bathtubs.

I've been back working on my "feeling plummy" quilt blocks, using Kaffe's 'wagon wheels' pattern. The first thing I did was to fussy cut new centres for two of the earlier blocks. It'll be a simple fix, and will be so worth the extra bit of unpicking and restitching, here's a wee closeup peep . . .

As I cut out more blocks I was mindful of other fussy cutting opportunities too . . .

I've tried to use an interesting selection of fabrics, lots of little snippets of quirky and whimsy and pretty. Must admit though, after my initial creative burst, I found teaming up the fabrics for the next few blocks a little tricky. 

I trialled quite a few combinations, changed quite a few things, and digged into the stash looking for just the right mix.

And it's all still very much a WiP, but here's how my design wall is looking so far . . .

- only three more blocks to go !

Linking up with Myra for 'finished {or not} Friday here 

Next up, my top picks for bookclub. This will be our last getogether this year, we're having xmas nibbles and discussing our three personal favourites for the year. 

My no.1 pick was 'A Spark of Light' a new book by Jodi Picoult - focusing on a Women's Centre, where several people are thrown together for various reasons when a gunman bursts in and opens fire. This story counts backwards through the hours of the standoff, and - as is Jodi's style - tackles a complicated issue in this gripping novel. 

No. 2 was 'Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine' by Gail Honeyman - Eleanor struggles with appropriate social skills, tends to say exactly what she’s thinking, and avoids social interactions. But everything changes when she meets Raymond, a bumbling IT guy from her office. A warm, quirky and very moving read.

And my no. 3 pick was "I See You' by Clare Mackintosh - a thriller, in which a normal, everyday woman becomes trapped in the confines of her normal, everyday world. 

During her commute home one night, while glancing through her local paper, Zoe sees her own face staring back at her, a grainy photo along with a phone number and listing for a website called findtheone.com. A sort of grown up version of "stranger danger", an edge of your seat read, with a crazy twist. 

What book(s) would you recommend as a good read?

And to finish up, here's a few pics of my summer veges-in-the-bathtub

There's quite an overcrowded selection of silverbeet, lettuces, spring onions, parsley, kale, 

and in the midst somewhere, a row of red peppers

Happy Friday 

{or Thursday depending on where your home is}