Rhonda's Doings !

Review of The Hawaiian Quilt by Wanda Brunstetter and Jean Brunstetter Join Mandy Frey as she and three friends leave their Amish community in Indiana for the trip of a lifetime to Hawaii. But when Mandy and one of her friends miss the cruise ship after a port of call on Kauai, how will they adjust and get back home? Find out in this brand new romance from  New York Times bestselling author Wanda E. Brunstetter, writing with her daughter-in-law Jean Brunstetter. MY REVIEW:  A dream vacation for me would be to visit Hawaii, but I don't know that I'll ever be able to afford that trip; Mandy Frey and her friends' trip was described so vividly that I felt like I was actually there in the tropical paradise.  Mandy lives in an Amish community in Indiana and has never traveled far from home but she has always longed to visit Hawaii.  She and her three friends save their money and plan a trip by train to California and then by cruise ship to the Hawaiian isl...

Review of My Mother's Quilts: Devotions of Love, Legacy, Family and Faith by Ramona Richards Inspired by thirty family heirloom quilts, each devotion shares the enduring legacy of faith, family and tradition in our lives. Rich, personal, sometimes heartbreaking, often funny, readers will find their own lives reflected in the author's memories and the lessons and encouragements drawn from the quilters whose legacy lives on in their work. Woven through it all is the message of God's grace and faithfulness, as strong as the bonds of the generations and as comforting as the oldest and softest quilt that your grandmother ever sewed. Beautiful, four-color photos of each quilt are included. MY REVIEW:   I am only an amateur quilter but it certainly gives a great deal of satisfaction to sew tiny stitches and piece beautiful fabric and patterns together to form a work of love, a work of love which can warm both the body and the heart.   I made a quilt for my oldes...

Review of The Tattered Quilt by Wanda Brunstetter  The Half-Stitched Amish Quilting Club Book 2 Join Emma Yoder Miller, the Amish widow-turned-newlywed, as she leads another quilting class with a new group of unlikely students, all with tattered pieces of their lives that need mending. Members of the patchwork group find friendship, faith, healing, and restoration while gathered around their quilts, under the Father’s guiding hands—for only He can take what’s ragged and shabby from the lives of His children and turn it into beauty for His glory. My Review: I fell in love with Emma in The Half-Stitched Amish Quilting Club  and was thrilled to continue to read about Emma and her new marriage to Latham.  They work together to minister to others as they teach them to quilt.  They take very seriously the task of helping the unusual individuals God sends to their classes in a personal way. I really enjoyed seeing the characters from the first book and how th...

Review of The Quilter's Son by Samantha J. Bayarr Liam Yoder has been leading a double life ever since his dad was killed in a buggy accident.  Will a chance encounter with his mother cause him to rethink his decision to leave the Amish community behind? What about Lucy, the bakery owner he left behind when they were teenagers? Will she be able to convince Liam to change his mind?  Find out in this tale of bittersweet love. My thoughts about The Quilter's Son: This is a sweet Amish Christian romance which left me filled with hope and a huge smile on my face and in my heart!   Samantha Bayarr never fails to tug at my heartstrings with her stories.   I found this to be a beautiful story of hope and forgiveness.   Love never fails and I definitely felt that way as I read.  There are so many families today who need reconciliation and forgiveness within their relationships, and this story offers a chance to those families.   It shows that it c...

Teapot Quilt Blocks for Swap The pattern for these came from TLC:  How Stuff is Made http://tlc.howstuffworks.com/home/teapot-quilt-block.htm It was my first attempt at this so don't think they are so terrible for first ones.    They are for an online quilting club swap---can't wait til it is my month to receive blocks!   what fun!!     

Heart Quilt Blocks machine stitched for a teen's heart quilt where our group will all contribute blocks and quilt will be put together for her gift.   I love the tie dye material for the heart and hope the young lady does as well!!!   

Review of A Perfect Square by Vannetta Chapman For a perfect mystery,  mixed up with some Amish living in Shipsewana, Indiana, read a Perfect Square by Vannetta Chapman.   This is the first book of Vannetta's that I have read and I definitely want to read more.   Callie, Deborah, and Esther have been involved in some other "mystery solving", much to the chagrin of the local detective, Shane.  I did not get to read the full details of Falling to Pieces , book one in the Shipsewana Amish Mystery series,  but I can not wait to do so as many elusions to it were made in a Perfect Square.    If you love quilting, Amish things,  and mysteries, you will love this book.  It is a true "nail-biter".   I could not put the book down.  I was constantly trying to figure out exactly what had happened to the young dead Amish girl that Esther and Deborah found in the pond on Reuben and Tobias's farm.   I was just as sure as Callie a...

So I completed my 2nd ever quilted project for my oldest daughter, Erica Joy's, 27th birthday.  I got the pattern free from Janet Clare of the UK via Internet.  She made a miniature picture with it and so I scanned the pattern and enlarged it and made a 2 ft x 2 ft quilted wall hanging with it.  I used a fusible quilt batting and it was so easy....laid out the muslin backing, then quilt batting, and then quilt top and ironed!  Then I hand quilted the snowflakes which acted as the tacking for quilt, & hand stitched the black binding.   I was very pleased with the results and so was Erica !!  I think the little one "dancing" in front reminds me of Erica....LOL....I started to embroider her name on that one.   Now my other daughters have placed their "orders"....Lol...Alison wants a sea turtle one and Amanda wants a penguin one too.