I need to applique a rake

As soon as I showed her my copy of Back to Charm School, my mom went out and bought a copy of Country Threads Goes to Charm School. To be honest, if she hadn't done it, I would have.

We also checked her bookshelves to see if she had anything else by Mary Etherington. Now I'm drooling over Quilts from Aunt Amy all over again. Somewhere up in the sewing room are some 21st Century Bullseye blocks I started in early 2008 and haven't seen since. This time, it's Flying Bats and the Drunkard's Path quilts that are tempting me.

And while Mom was heading to Joann's to look for the first Charm School Book, I had to head to the library to check out Garden Club Quilts for the umpteenth time.



I am so in love with this quilt! It's got an appliqued rake.... And a chair... And gourd birdhouses... And a beehive! And some other stuff I'm not quite as head over heels for. I may make a couple of adjustments to my own quilt and add some more birds or flower pots or something.

The book has gone out of print since the last time I drooled over it, but I was able to order a used copy from Amazon. And while I was at it, I ordered a copy of Hobo Quilts. The odds of finishing my quilt might be better if I have my own copy and don't have to check it out from the library every time I think I'm going to get back to work on it.

I bought both books with the gift cards I earned through swag bucks, a search engine that rewards searches with points that can be used towards Amazon gift cards, which I've been using to build my collection of AccuQuilt dies and quilting books. Just looking up quilting stuff and answers to the boys' questions, I earn enough points for a $5 gift card every three weeks or so. Enter the code MARCHSWAG if you sign up before April 2nd, and they'll give you an extra 70 points.

Now I've got to get a bunch of things done before I can start digging for the perfect fabric for an applique chair and chicken and rake.