Mystery QAL – Favorite book list

I’m excited to be participating in the 2018 Mystery QAL organized by Cindy from Inastitchquilting.com and Tracy from Itsatsweetsday.blog. The main point of the QAL (Quilt A-long) is that we all are using the same challenge fabric, but each of our designs are different, thus the mystery.   The main challenge fabric was chosen for its cool name, Fluffernutter You be You, which is from Biscuits & Gravy  by Basic Grey for Moda.  A bolt of the minty “fluffernutter” fabric is seen below, but the same lovely print comes in other colors as well.  The entire beautiful line includes brick red, mustard yellow and navy blue colors.  Tracy is right that this fabric is so easy because it matches well with so many other things.  I ordered the challenge fabric without a plan, and then it hit me!  I’ve been wanting to make a quilt with reading as the theme. This would be my opportunity to get that started.

 

A book quilt had come to mind awhile ago and then I bought some fabric from a wonderful line called Literary by Heather Givens for Windham.  How clever to have a fabric line with books as the theme, but more so to include library cards with the stamped dates.  Our kids barely use the library, but certainly wouldn’t remember the card catalog system that we all grew up with.  This clever line has adorable prints and the few I had purchased played nicely with the fluffernutter print.   Add in a few other favorites like squirrels and seahorses and this was coming together nicely.

I first imagined a book quilt for our reading nook, which has now become my hubby’s study/desk area.  As a result, I don’t know exactly where this final quilt will go, but I am thrilled to be starting it and am certain this one will stay somewhere here at home!  For the design, I found the perfect pattern by Angela Pingel, called Book Nerd.  I usually look for free paper-pieced patterns, but this was only $12 and exactly what I was looking for.  Angela keeps the directions simple and with lots of prior paper piecing experience, the blocks are easy for me to complete.

Forgive the creases shown in the photographs thus far, but these squares have been stored in a plastic bag and are far from done yet.  It’s been great dipping into favorite fabrics and text prints that work well for the pages.  The book spines are coming from various selvages and of course, my favorite title is the Magic Forest on the squirrel print.

Here is some of that clever white library card background print.

This ones says “More This N’ That”.

This one’s titled “Doodle Pop.”

The fluffernutter print doesn’t show so much, but it is a tad brighter then depicted here.  Don’t you just love the title of this book!?

 

My favorite book title is perfect with this fun squirrel print.

I have different background fabrics planned for each row of books.  I’m enjoying creating books as I go without too much preplanned.  My favorite fabric print is the white library card background seen on the first yellow book at the top.  It makes me smile each time I see it.  I plan to use as much of that print as possible to showcase it properly.

I would love to have realistic titles for each book to represent actual ones that I’ve read and loved, but alas, this will do. By the way, I listed my favorite 15 books below.  While my quilt will have made up book names, maybe I’ll find a way to list favorites on the label.

I am pleased with the way this project is coming out.  Thank you to Tracy and Cindy.  I can’t wait to see everyone’s progress.  What a fun group experience that will result in something I can treasure at home for a long time to come!

Five blocks total and a bunch more to go, but don’t they look nice even with the shadows popping through in the photograph!

My Current Top 15 Books

1. I Know This Much Is True by Wally Lamb
2. The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein
3. Me Before You by Jojo Moyes
4. Look Me in the Eye by John Elder Robinson
5. A Man Called Ove by Frederik Backman
6. Cutting For Stone by Abraham Verghese
7. Bel Canto by Ann Patchett
8. Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
9. The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey
10. The Light Between Oceans by M. L. Stedman
11. Sara’s Key by Tatiana de Rosnay
12. The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
13. Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
14. The Kite Runner by Khalid Hosseini
15. The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins