The Tattered Quilt

This book follows The Half Stitched Quilt Club. I loved it and was not sure how Wanda E. Brunstetter would be able to follow up that amusing story. The story continues following yet another of Emma's quilt classes. These six students are once again so different from each other and most unimaginable as beginning quilters. Some have come to Emma's class through connections to those in her previous class. There is Jan's bossy busybody neighbor Selma, Carmen who is Paul's sister-in-law coming as a reporter to get a story on the Amish, Terry who works with Jan as a roofer, Blaine who is Stan's fishing buddy, Anna who is a young Amish girl who was signed up by her mother to learn quilting although she is uninterested and Cheryl who decides to take the class when she brings her 85 year old grandmother's quilt to Emma to repair.

The story will pull you in Wanda E. Brunstetter's magical way to draw you to the side of each character. You cannot help but feel that you are there watching the quilt classes with each unique person who not only learns to do patchwork but also piece their lives into something more than when they started.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who likes Amish fiction or quilt fiction. It will make you smile and even has another surprising twist in the end.

Happy reading!
Heidi

Falling to Pieces

Falling to Pieces is the first in the quilt shop murder mysteries and my first book by Vannetta Chapman. I already just downloaded the second book to my tablet since I really enjoyed this one.

Callie moves to Shipshewana after her aunt passes away. She intends to sort out her aunt's things and sell her quilt shop, then move on. She meets three Amish women on the first day in the quilt shop. Deborah, one of the woman, convinces her to auction their quilts for them on eBay. Little does Callie know that this will seem to start something ending in murder. Or so it seems. But both Callie and Deborah want to get to the bottom of the truth even putting themselves in the firing line.
I enjoyed the rawness of Callie in this book. She is a widow who is in search of something in life but does not seem sure what. She comes to Shipshewana to simply tie up all life's loose ends for that moment. But a truth in a quilter's life is when you are least searching for the right fabric, you find it. So is the reality of life for Callie too it seems. Her contact with the Amish and Deborah in particular effect her with their warmth. I am looking forward to seeing if the next in this series continues as well as the first book. 

Happy reading!
Heidi

The Half-Stitched Amish Quilting Club

Does Wanda E. Brunstetter write a bad book? I don't think so. My mother and I fell under the charm of her books when she brought out the Daughters of Lancaster County series.

This book was enormously fun. Now I have to admit that I had to put it in my Audible basket because of the title alone...The Half-Stitched Amish Quilting Club. It just had to be part of this year's books list for me as a quilter. I was not disappointed...well...maybe I was when the book ended and I had to leave the story.

Emma Yoder decides to advertise for a beginner's quilting class. She is a widow and doesn't want to be a burden on her family. Her class fills up with participants and she awaits to meet them. What shows up on her doorstep are an amusing group of people that don't really fit well together. Pam and Stuart are a married couple going through marriage problems who were advised to do things together, Paul is a widower raising a baby girl on his own after loosing his wife in a tragic accident and wanting to finish the quilt she started, Star is an aspiring singer/songwriter who grew up with a rocky relationship with her mother and no dad, Ruby Lee is a preacher's wife who is questioning her faith as her husband faces problems in his church community and Jan who is a Harley biker who wants to find his creative side.

It was fun to picture these colorful characters in my mind as the story developed. They got the name Half-Stitched as they all seemed to be going through their own emotional problems. It also fits as they piece together their very first patchwork wallhanging during the class.

If you like Amish or quilt fiction, this is a fun book and will keep you amused and wanting to read more.

Happy reading!
Heidi

The Snyder County Quilting Bee - Story one

When my mother read the first sentence of this short story, she wanted to read it and lent it to me. The Snyder County Quilting Bee is a series of short stories by Marsha Hubler. But when I read the first sentence, this quilter and stitcher broke out in hives...lol.

"I hate quilting! I hate sewing! I hate anything that has to do with needles and thread!" These are the thoughts of Nanette Peachey but she has to go to the Saturday quilting bee with her mother. Nanette would much rather be out in the barn tending her beloved horses. She is trying to come up with a reason to get out of going to the bees. Her mother comes up with a solution and she is pleased. But when she is out riding with her future husband, she looses a border of a quilt she was working on. Will it turn up?

A fun short story which once again left me wishing I had the complete short stories to read.

Happy reading!
Heidi

Amish Knitting Circle

This is the first of a series by Karen Anna Vogel. It was described as written in the style of The Pickwick Papers in a series. I borrowed this one from my mother's Nook and really enjoyed it. It is very short and leaves you wishing the complete book was there before your eyes to read if you are a fan of Amish fiction.

Granny Weaver is spinning the wool from her six sheep one afternoon when she decides to set up a knitting circle. Inviting the women in her community that she is praying for, in this first volume, you meet the various Amish women.

Happy reading!
Heidi