Victoria's Quilts and Designs

“Somehow that was cheering. Not because she wished him ill, but because there are few things in life as steadying as someone you have to be brave for.” T. Kingfisher, Clockwork Boys

We have been busy quilting, and looking forward to cooler weather! 📖🕰️ So here is the best book of the month. There is nothing like a dangerous adventure story, when you are snuggled under a quilt safe at home. This is a great time to plan your cozy Fall quilt. We love making custom quilts, like this soon to be castle quilt!

It is summer reading time, as the days are long and hot! 📖🌻 This July is all about picnic perfect reads with the A Side of Love the @owlcrate @words.and.whimsy reading challenge. I am packing up my favorite summer snacks, and soon to be favorite books, with a classic sunflower picnic quilt.

What are you excited to read this month?

What I am reading this month:

The Genie Game by Jordan Ifueko

Slayers of Old by Jim C. Hines

Nobody’s Quest by Alyssa Day

A Curious Kind of Magic by Mara Rutherford

Daughter of Crows by Mark Lawrence

How to Cheat Your Own Death by Kristen Perrin

His Face is the Sun by Michelle Jabès Corpora

Baked and Brewed by Ann Willoughby

“When you pull back the skin of the sea, you never know what you will find.” Natasha Bowen, Skin of the Sea

“Can there be honour amongst thieves? Without it, they might never see another sunrise.” Saltswept by Katalina Watt

My next read looks great with a modern sail boat quilt! 📖⛵️ There is always something nistolgic about sailing away on a adventure this time of year. Maybe because we have been so busy lately.

What is your favorite pirate adventure book?

June is going to be a great month for reading, my TBR is ready! 📚❤️ This month is all about All Star reads in the @owlcrate reading challenge, free to join in the Nest app. These books look great with a colorful quilt.

Here is what I am reading this month:

Death’s Daughter by S.A. Barnes

Blood of Hercules by Jasmine Mas

The Princess Paradigm by Lindsey Buroker

Four Ruined Realms by Mai Corland

Saltswept by Katalina Watt

Fortune Favors the Dead by Stephen Spotswood

Platform Decay by Martha Wells

“One afternoon, as I lay on my bed wallowing in self-pity, my mom handed me a thick fantasy book, and when I turned my nose up at it, she told me, ‘Maggie, you need to live in someone else’s head for a bit.’”

Ilona Andrews, This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me

We finally got all the rain we needed, and a few books too! ❤️📖 Happy Memorial Day as well! Don’t forget this is the last week of our quilt sale, and there are some beautiful quilts waiting for a special book nook.

This is a sneak peek of the new dragon quilt we are making with @rubystarsociety new Fireglow fabric, in a nod to the Medieval style.

Today’s @owlcrate @OCthenest @words.and.whimsy Creature Comforts photo challenge is the Best Book of the Month! I really enjoyed this month’s books, but this one stood out for its unique storytelling style.

“From warm sunlight to swaying daffodils, the stripes of a bumblebee or even the shiny warning colors of a tropical frog, yellow grabs attention in nature.” The Colors of Nature by Catherine Barr and illustrator Chaaya Prabhat

We love adding color to our quilts! 📖💛 Especially when it is a colorful book. This book is a wonderful reminder of all the different ways color shows up in nature. Giving us a bit of fun inspiration every day.

What is your favorite color?

Today’s @owlcrate @OCthenest @words.and.whimsy Creature Comforts photo challenge is Under the Canopy: A book with a Jungle.

“People need beauty, too. They need dreams and possibility. They need magic, Willow. They believe because I believe. I hope someday you will, too.”

Mara Rutherford, A Curious Kind of Magic

It’s a bit rainy, but a magical day anyways. 📖☔️ With a magical book, and quilt of course! This lovely pony quilt looks great with the metallic shine of this hardcover book. Just a bit of country shine with wild flowers, and blue skies.

It is a quiet rainy day, and we are enjoying quilting inside! 💜🌼 Here is a clip of longarming the Purple Echinacea Flower Throw Quilt, in a looping daisy design. We finish a lot of quilts for clients, but there is something lovely about completing a quilt from cutting to binding.

“There was only the enormous, empty prairie, with grasses blowing in waves of light and shadow across it, and the great blue sky above it, and birds flying up from it and singing with joy because the sun was rising. And on the whole enormous prairie there was no sign that any other human being had ever been there.”

― Laura Ingalls Wilder, Little House on the Prairie

Happy May the 4th! 📖🎉 We are are Celebrating 10 Years of our handmade quilting business in a big way. With a quilt sale in our online shop, all month long! Everything is 25% - 30% off, with free shipping. As a thank you to everyone who has supported our small business. We love making, and finishing quilts! Our birthday wish is for ten more wonderful years.

It is finally May, which means a new TBR stack! 📖📚 This month is all about creature companions in the @owlcrate Creature Comforts reading challenge. Free to join in the Owlcrate Nest app. I will be catching up on some of my anticipated reads this month.

Here is my TBR:

Thistlemarsh by Moorea Corrigan

Her Hidden Fire by Clíodhna O’Sullivan

Wolf Worm by T. Kingfisher

This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me by Ilona Andrews

The Bone Raiders by Jackson Ford

Nine Goblins by T. Kingfisher

“It was a test of a fragile trust. It was a test of our curiosity and fascination, which walked side by side with our fear. A test of whether we preferred to be ignorant or unsafe.”

Jeff VanderMeer, Annihilation

Happy Independent Bookstore Day! 📖🍓I always enjoy stopping by my local stores, and just browse. @bookferretnc recommended this recent read, and it is the best book of the month. It was also a great day for shopping at our local farmers market, and strawberry farm. We love strawberry season!

Today’s @owlcrate @OCthenest @words.and.whimsy Just One More Page photo challenge is The Best Book of the Month. There is something compelling about the mysteries of the natural world. When it acts in a contrary way than expected it can become uncanny, and horrifying.

“But if fairies and monsters were real, so were the women who defeated them.” Ava Reid, A Study in Drowning

Happy World Book Day! 📖❤️ It is a great day to start a new book series with a new quilt. Even better when it is a bookish quilt, with spring flowers and butterflies. This quilt has a lovely metallic shine, and is freemotion quilted with dahlias.

What is your favorite book with a cliffhanger?

Today’s @owlcrate @OCthenest @words.and.whimsy Just One More Page photo challenge is Toes on the Edge: A book with an Epic Cliffhanger.

“In life you have to learn to count the good days. You have to tuck them in your pocket and carry them around with you. So I’m putting today in my pocket and I’m off to bed.”

Richard Osman, The Thursday Murder Club

We have been busy Spring cleaning! 📖❤️ Our jelly roll rugs can be machine washed, and they hold up great. I like how vibrant, and colorful they always turn out. Just like having a floor quilt.

What is your favorite mystery book?

Today’s @owlcrate @OCthenest @words.and.whimsy Just One More Page photo challenge is Your Point Please: A book with multiple POVs. I really enjoy how these four characters can work together to solve a mystery, and cause a bit of mischief too.

“‘You have plenty of courage, I am sure,’ answered Oz. ‘All you need is confidence in yourself. There is no living thing that is not afraid when it faces danger. The true courage is in facing danger when you are afraid, and that kind of courage you have in plenty.’” L. Frank Baum, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

This Spring has certainly been eventful, but we are looking forward to the relaxing days of summer ahead. 📖🦁 Quilts are wonderful all year long with lovely florals, and cozy animals. This small quilt would make a great gift for the adventurous little one.

The Wizard of Oz is a series I enjoy rereading to add a little whimsy back into life.

What is your favorite whimsical book?

“Sometimes, if you want to change a man’s mind, you have to change the mind of the man next to him first.”

Megan Whalen Turner, The King of Attolia

We are finishing up this lovely golden anniversary quilt! 📖💛 Which looks fantastic with one of my favorite book series. This quilting design is my swirling nod to paisley, and is really great for the fancier quilts. There is just something whimsical about swirls on a bright gold quilt.

Today’s @owlcrate @OCthenest @words.and.whimsy photo challenge is Don’t Dog Ear: A book you couldn’t put down. There are not many books I can’t put down, but Megan Whalen Turner knows how to keep her readers guessing.