12 Years a Slave

Oh, look! A break from tradition and I dip into a non-fiction book. A biography to be precise. I bought this book a while ago when all the hype about the film was going on. I've not seen the film, but the title of the book gives away most of the story.

I don't really know what I was expecting, but I was surprised at the tone of this book. I possibly expected the tone to be more angry. If I had been kidnapped and then sold into slavery, beaten, starved and forced to do back breaking labour, then I would be seething. Instead Solomon Northup tells his story in quite a measured, matter of fact kind of way. Yes, he does explain some of the horrors of what he went through but I have a feeling that his motivation behind writing the book was to let people know an aspect of the life of a slave living in the south. He occasionally dedicates a large part of a chapter on informing you how sugar cane is planted and harvested and then processed.

That being said, you can't help but hope for then ending of the book, where you know that he will be a free man again, but all the way through I was wondering how that would happen.

A new quilt - flying geese

It has been a while since I posted anything on here. It's been a busy couple of months, wrestling with a difficult time at work and the early stages of pregnancy. I haven't picked up a piece of fabric in months and I've missed it! I have three projects on the go - and now two baby quilts to add to the pile: one for my best friend's baby, and now, happily, one for mine. I also haven't read a book in a while, having the attention span of a sparrow! It's summer holiday now and this is all about to change!

I have been busy chopping up fabric for project number 1: a flying geese quilt for my hubby and I. I won a fabric bundle of Lewis and Irene's Manor House range from a Facebook competition and I am using this (along with the pack of the same fabrics that I had already purchased) with some plain colours that complement. 

I have never used the flying geese pattern before, and this is my first attempt. The wings will all be either white or off white with a white border all around. I'm not sure how the overall finish will be but will use my living room floor to layout all of the pieces to get a feel for colours etc when I've finally finished sewing up all 230 flying geese. Why do I do this to myself?!!!