August Cornucopia

 

The end of August means it's time for a cornucopia post. This is a gathering together of links to various media that I've consumed, enjoyed, or learned from this past month. Hope you find something of interest to you.

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The interesting and terribly cute Seattle raccoon named Jimothy gets an EQ8 free quilt designed for him.

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I saw some clips on social media about the LA Public Library Guinness Book World of Records largest pop-up book, but this video is truly amazing. What a creative feat of paper engineering!

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A new and very fun collaborative app (so far just for Apple phones)  from Zak Foster, Our Daily Quilt

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OK GO has a fun word game, called Say The Same Thing, now in an app version. 

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💓RIP Dolly Parton, I will always love you💓. Did you know she did a version of Stairway to Heaven? She asked Robert Plant if she could add a new verse as she had a slightly different take on the song. He of course said yes. What a gift to the world she was, she'll always be missed and loved. 

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July Cornucopia

 

Hopefully we've all had a lovely July filled with outdoor activities, the right amount of sun, and lots of nice flowers. I've also been inside, on the various screens that I use, and here's a cornucopia of links to things that I've enjoyed, learned from, been inspired by, or that have made me think. Hope you find some of them to be useful too.  (note this was written on 7/1 before I fell ill for almost the entire month!)

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I guess I'm officially an "old lady" as I've finally given in and downloaded the Merlin app so that I can identify alllll those birds that wake me up every morning. I've been a long-time fan of the webpage for Cornell University Bird Lab with all the sound clips, photos and bird info.

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Now that the World Cup is over and I'm pretty soccer satisfied at this point, how about making a fabric soccer ball out of hexies and pentagons? I might get mine done in time for World Cup 2030

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Another reason to go visit Portland again, to see the absolutely beautiful new mural in the children's library section of the St. John's branch of the Multnomah County Library.

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One of the very first large online quilt fabric stores, eQuilter has changed ownership. It will be interesting to see what and how it changes. Wishing lots of ood luck to Luana Rubin in her art endeavors.

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The super interesting and very beautiful Wimbledon walk-on dress that Naomi Osaka wore has quite a significant backstory. So gorgeous!

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A free quilt design, utilizing Dresden Hexagon blocks called Freaky Familiars from Ruby Star Society.

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Nancy Drew (first four novels) are in the public domain, along with the first Miss Marple novel, here's an interesting article about how the Nancy Drew books were written and why they changed so much. I had no idea, I just stopped reading them once Nancy changed into someone else and wasn't interesting to me.

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Another free quilt design from Ruby Star Society, for a Merry Happy Christmas quilt.

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This article about making a mixed-media Story Scroll inspired me to buy a vintage spool because I'm going to try making my own version.

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This essay about Quicksand by Sarah Kendzior is amazing, especially if you're a Gen-X person.

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Really enjoying the Platypus Economics substack of Justin Wolfers, 

I am back to regularly listening to This American Life podcast, still very worth the time

  ProPublica's Narrated podcast (their long form investigations are read to you)

 and the shorter ProPublica podcast, Paper Trail, deep reporting you don't get from other sources.

We thoroughly enjoyed The Sheep Detectives movie on Amazon Prime. 

I also dug the documentary, Earth, Wind & Fire (To Be Celestial vs. That's the Weight of the World).

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June Cornucopia

 

Personal Size Watermelons - a sign that made me lol (and take this picture) in the grocery store.

Hopefully June was filled with as many "personal size" watermelons (or the equivalent) as you could handle. This is a cornucopia post, filled with watermelons, and links to the things I've enjoyed, read, consumed or spent time with online this past month.

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I think this free EQ8 quilt design is a rather brilliant use of HSTs, Gem Galaxy. 

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This fabulous exhibit of embroidered dresses is detailed in a new book: The Alphabet of Expectations: An ABC Primer for Today's Girl

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This discussion of why we don't finish the projects that we start was very useful to me, some different ways to think about the reasons and the changes we can make.

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This is a great short video from PBS Canvas series highlighting two recent San Jose exhibits that dealt with women and technology, very interesting stuff. Really nice to see local museums shine in a national piece.

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United We Stitch sounds like a pretty cool project to work on, and an exciting display to see in person.

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I found this EQ8 blog post on designing a 250th quilt that will utilize charm packs pretty interesting and useful, as well as this follow up post. I've had some trouble with using the cutting charts that EQ8 calculates, so this should be helpful.

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May Cornucopia

May was no doubt filled with all sorts of flowers and at least several lovely days spent entirely outside. Then there was the time spent inside, online reading, learning and enjoying. That's what this list is, hope you find something useful or interesting here too.

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If you're looking for a 100 Day project, this free 100 Day Stitch Book project looks like a good one to try out. I love the super clever assembly of the stitched pages into a book.

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The great annual event, Index Card A Day, starts tomorrow. This is Daisy Yellow's 16th year running this challenge.

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The movie, Dust Bunny is one of the most original ideas I've seen onscreen in a long time. It truly made me wonder how it ever got green-lit, but it is as if Roald Dahl and Tim Burton got to make their own version of The Professional. Truly beautiful set design and costumes as well.

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This link to an accessible database of all 5,000 episodes of Sir Richard Attenborough's nature tv show episodes is really something. What an amazing collection and resource.

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I've been going to PT lately for my right wrist, so I was really happy to see a self hand massage video from quilter Heidi Parkes. It's great information, and wow, does this massage really feel nice.

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Two of my favorite comedians have HBO specials (a big deal in the comedy world), and I'm unreasonably pleased for both of them. Josh Johnson, and Chris Fleming. Really worth a watch, especially if you need a good laugh.

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Great books read this month included, the audio book version of Hamnet read by the now Oscar winning actress, Jessie Buckley who played the main character of Agnes in the movie version, it literally made me cry while I was driving.  Also the story of Cinderella retold from the "evil stepmother's" POV, Lady Tremaine was very very good. And in non-fiction, We The People: A History of the U.S. Constitution by Jill Lepore is terribly interesting and so easy to read for a non-lawyer, I'm almost done reading it and I feel like I've learned so much.

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I listen to a lot of podcasts, and I've been enjoying Conspiracy, She Wrote. It's an excellent breakdown of current conspiracies that involve or feature women. Sci Fi writer and essayist, Ursula K. LeGuin's blog has been turned into a podcast, In Your Spare Time, All of the various posts are read by all sorts of people. 

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April Cornucopia

 

Here is a cornucopia post for April, collecting links to many of the things that I enjoyed reading or seeing online during the past month. The picture above is an overgrown Honey Bush flower stalk resting on the top of the green waste cart. This is the weirdest looking plant that I am currently growing my garden. It's from South Africa, Melianthus Major, and it supposedly smells like peanut butter. I disagree on that one.

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Move the Needle, a free 3-day machine quilting online event is happening May13-15.

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Sue Spargo is doing a free block series, Bits & Pieces, combines embroidery with block making in interesting ways.

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A possibly new way to assemble a Potato Chip block. I have yet to make one yet, so I don't know that this is actually new.

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AQS has a a Quilt Across the USA creativity challenge going with 50 state blocks from Bonnie K. Browning's OOP book: "Vintage Quilt Blocks, State by State." Some of them are quite interesting and they're highlighting how to make them with American Made solids which is cool..

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I hadn't looked at Spoonflower in a while, and I really love this fabric collection: Banksia by gabrielleneildesign.

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I'm getting interested in ruler quilting, so this video from Quilting Curve Studio was really fun to watch.

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I kind of want to get some of these tiles made from urchinite - mineralized purple sea urchin shells, so pretty!

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Apparently we've been spraying Roundup on our national forests in very large amounts.

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I'm enjoying listening to some of the concert recordings that are archived here, all sorts of artists available to listen to. Thank you Internet Archive for hosting.

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March Cornucopia

March has marched on past us, just as expected. Let me guess, blustery cold days, maybe some rain, and lots of sun and flowers everywhere. And of course, as a result of all the time I've spent online, I have a cornucopia post here, filled with links to many of the things I've enjoyed or think relevant or worth passing on to you.

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I really love Tartan plaids, and this new one created to honor the women (mostly) persecuted under the Scottish Witchcraft act is beautiful and meaningful too.

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Also related to tartan plaids (kinda), an artist archives and makes work with her grandmother's massive collection of wool skirts.

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I really enjoy the EQ8 newsletter, because they have a feature about one block, and show examples of how to use it, and then challenge users to design quilts using the block, super fun. I love this Crossroads block.

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I'm so excited to get to go see this exhibit myself in person at FIDM LA (which is now somehow run by ASU?) Obsessed: Fashion and Nostalgia in the 90's, hello Vivienne Westwood (speaking of plaids)

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Okay, this is awesome, Levi Strauss is launching a how-to repair effort to teach the current generation wearing their clothing how to fix their jeans. Woot!

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The YLI thread newsletter continues to have great tips, including this educational post on matching your thread size to your needle size and why it matters which type of needle you use when you quilt.

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Pineapple blocks have always been so appealing to me but they intimidate me. I think this video from Libs Elliot makes it look pretty do-able. And this one about inset circles is very encouraging as well.

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I am definitely trying this triple zig-zag machine stitched quilt binding technique.

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Friend Jaye told me about the tutorials on Kokka Fabrics, and I think I'm going to try this one for a really interesting looking head band (crossed top hair turban).

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February Cornucopia

 

February is always disorienting to me, after the busy start to a new year, winter is still here on some days, but on others not so much. And still the Magnolias bloom. Here's the February Cornucopia post, a collection of links to things online that I've noticed, enjoyed, found useful or entertaining.

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Spineless Feathers is a great free motion quilting design demonstrated in another well-done ChristaQuilts video. Definitely going to try this one!

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This image really cracked me up, the longest sock monkey in the world. Fifty feet!

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In case you need an excuse to hang out on Pinterest, I thought some of the things on the official Janome Pinterest boards were interesting.

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It's Oscars season, so that means trying to watch many of the movies nominated before the awards are given. I want to recommend a watch of these two short films that are nominated, A Friend of Dorothy, available here on YouTube, and The Singers which is available on Netflix, here's a preview of it on Youtube. Both are just so human, very moving and just plain lovely.

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I listened to several audiobooks this month, all thanks to the app, Libby and my local libraries. I'll recommend two of them here:

The Family Roe - a deeply reported book about the woman who was the Roe plaintiff in the famous Supreme Court decision, a surprisingly moving family portrait. 

The Winter Goddess - a great new version of the story of Cailleach, the goddess of winter in Irish mythology.

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In one of my college email newsletters I learned about a UC Santa Cruz alumnus who made a documentary film about a surfboard created out of 10,000+ cigarettes picked up on the local beaches.

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January Cornucopia

 

That was such a great January (right? I hope it was!) again it has passed us by in a post-holiday whirl. But along the way I added to my cornucopia of links for the month. All the things I've enjoyed online, reading, seeing, listening, etc.

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How about using EQ8 to draft your own Snowflake design, kind of like the paper folding and cutting idea that we've all done. This is a great video illustrating how to do it.

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In case you're missing seeing music videos on MTV (honestly when's the last time any of us turned on MTV?), here's an interesting site, that is always running all those music videos, interspersed with ads from back in the day for Blockbuster, etc. The first video I caught was Depeche Mode so I was happy.

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Really interesting essay about Arizona that coins the term "thermochauvinism" which makes thinking about heating Minneapolis vs. cooling Phoenix so much clearer.

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On the one year anniversary of the horrific firestorm in LA, this article by David Wallace-Wells is worth a read, Which City Burns Next?

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I continue to enjoy Christa Quilts free-motion quilting design videos, they're short, well-filmed, and have very clear instructions. Super useful and inspiring.

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I like the Etsy color of the year, and the newly introduced, texture of the year. Both are 👍👍👍

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Great article about Craftivism in the US from The Guardian. Yarn-bombing, knit-in's, hat designs, etc.

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American Patchwork & Quilting magazine has a really interesting block-of-the-month  going on with a free quilt design which is available in an EQ8 format so you can re-color it before you start sewing. This started in October 2025 and is running through June 2026 so there are 6 blocks available for downloading.

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I found this photo illustrated tutorial on a disappearing 4-Patch from Boersma's to likely be very useful

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I was really pleased to see Transmissions Quilts mentioned in the Oliso newsletter. This looks like such a great collaborative and supportive project to get involved with and support.

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This interview with Isabel Allende is so wonderful, and not just because it was at UC Berkeley (Go Bears!) She's one of my favorite authors and it was great to hear from her about creating art in authoritarian times.

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The annual list of transgender Girl Scouts to support is up, go pick one (or more) to buy your cookies from this year.

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Listening to: 

• Burn Order - Rachel Maddow's newest story/6 episode podcast about Japanese Internment camps in the 1940's  
•  What's The Plan? a podcast from the founders of Indivisible.

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December Cornucopia

For the very last cornucopia post of the year, here's a picture of some of our outdoor holiday lights.  In this blog post are links to all sorts of things that I watched, read or listened to online this past month. Maybe it will help you count down to the new year which is coming up fast!

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I loved watching this short BBC video about the Italian city of Prato, where they have a huge industry in fabric recycling. Fascinating!

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Sewing Room Declutter challenge starts tomorrow. Sign up for free daily prompts. I'm trying it this year.

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I liked this blog post about using a really pretty paper-pieced orphan block and made fabric on the back of a By Annie Project Bag 2.0. 

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You've no doubt heard about the very odd Pantone Color of the Year choice, but how about the Etsy Texture of the Year?

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I have always enjoyed reading The Onion, the satirical online (and now again in actual newsprint) "newspaper", but this one about Joann Fabrics had me howling with laughter.

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I'm really looking forward to the 30 Days of Drawing starting on January 1, with the Grown-Up Table of Draw Together.

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In February, the Quiltfolk Adventure Workshop is going to Sweden, and the quilt that will be taught is really beautiful, can't wait to try it out.

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November Cornucopia

 

The end of November has arrived, and so it's time for a cornucopia post. Here's a gathering of all the stuff I enjoyed reading, watching, seeing or listening to online this past month.

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A new zipper has been invented! Not for home use yet unfortunately, as it requires a special sewing machine (made by YKK and Juki) but it's super cool and inventive. 

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Probably too late for making for this year, but I thought this new twist on an advent calendar was pretty cool.

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Putting Pieowa: A Piece of America, on my to-watch list, as it sounds like a great documentary blend of quilt making and pie making.

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An Ecology of Quilts at the Folk Art Museum in NYC looks like a good exhibit to go see in person, but all the quilts you can see online are definitely worth a look.

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A great table runner design made out of big HSTs, and it's free to boot.

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A free quilt design from Art Gallery Fabrics, given as a Thanksgiving thank you, that is really quite striking, I'm putting it on my to-do list.

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I've just become a subscriber to The Flytrap, a worker-owned feminist media group. I'm enjoying the very good reporting and writing. Independent media is really so important these days.

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I think I've posted about comedian Josh Johnson before, but this interview with former Daily Show host, Trevor Noah is really worth watching. The two of them together in conversation is both hilarious and so thought-provoking. 

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I enjoyed listening to the most recent Rivers of London book (Stone & Sky) as well the most recent Thursday Murder Club (The Impossible Fortune). Both books were great, but the two narrators continue to be excellent. They're at-the-top-of-their-craft good, such a great variety of voices for the characters which really helps tell the stories. I love love love the Libby app, it works so well for me.

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Sew Share is a new sewing forum that I'm trying out, thanks to a heads up from Folkwear Patterns. You can find and friend me here.  

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I loved reading about the new discoveries found through the world-wide use of a super fun to use UC Berkeley-made app, iNaturalist. One of the world's largest biodiversity datasets is no small achievement.

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Due to the release of the second Wicked movie, here's a great post from The Internet Archive blog about The Wonderful Public Domain of Oz.

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October Cornucopia

Boo! Hey Happy Halloween! And happy end of October, here's a cornucopia post of things I've enjoyed or wanted to share from this month's online adventures.

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This exhibit in Portland, Oregon looks really interesting, Follow the Thread: The Fabric of the Hellenic Spirit.

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Spend an hour visiting a great exhibit of art quilts, SAQA Global Exhibition Color in Context: Blue.

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A great resource for inspiring art quilt discussion panels and weekly presentations is the SAQA Textile Talk YouTube channel. There's more than 250 videos up there to choose from.

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Mancuso Bros special challenge exhibit, Celebrating Women is well worth a look.

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I've known about using masking tape for painting for ages of course, but how about making art entirely out of masking tape? Or this tape artist? Very cool!

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September Cornucopia

Will another rose have bloomed in my garden in September? Probably, but I'm not betting on this particular bush as it's rather new. But welcome to a monthly cornucopia post which is filled with links to a random tour through all the many things I consumed online this past month. Some are useful, or beautiful, or interesting. A few are all three, but I hope you enjoy.

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This has apparently come back around once again to be updated, Sunbonnet Sue.

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A new process for making fabric out of wheat straw and oat husks that would replace reliance on oil-based polyesters, fascinating.

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How the insane tariff regime is affecting knitting (and I'd imagine the same about fabric/quilting).

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I'm sharing this link to a preview article in Selvedge because of the picture of the absolutely beautiful vintage coat by Paul Poiret. Really, it was the textile print that truly grabbed me, by Raoul Dufy.

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August Cornucopia

Well, that was August, and it was no doubt warm and wonderful and full of fun. Hopefully this August cornucopia will be a bit more full than last month's was. What's a cornucopia post? Well, I like to gather the links to various media and online stuff that I've enjoyed or consumed over the previous month which may or may not be quilting or sewing related, to share with you (and to help myself find them again!).

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This podcast, Sew and So is funded by Bernina but is useful to all "sewists" (I really never gelled with that term even though it is preferable to sewers) and quilters.  That's where I heard about a new movie, Sew Torn which sounds like it would be very worth watching.

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I love this idea of distributing used and new sewing machines to all sorts of people who apply to the Sewing Machine Project. This includes refugees that come to our country. To have something familiar to do, that uses your hands and mind and is useful as well as a way to support your family is a great supportive combination.

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The photo illustration alone made me want to make this recipe, and it was very very good. Pea and artichoke dip with pickled onions.

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Maybe I knew and had forgotten, but EQ8 has a page of very useful instructions videos on how to various different actions in the program. Quite helpful! They are hosted on their YouTube channel.One is intriguingly titled as "Draw Wacky Log Cabins" and I'm very curious about what that even means...

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Some great free-motion quilting demonstration videos from Christa Watson that demonstrate motifs from her very useful book, 99 Machine Quilting Designs. It really helps to see the quilting done on video.

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A really beautiful and moving exhibit of Palestinian embroidery--tatreez.

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I haven't watched it yet, but on Roku Streaming, you can watch the Great British Sewing Bee, (without a Roku device on your computer.) If it's anything like the Great British Baking Show, I'm really looking forward to it. Usually I don't care for reality competition-show tv programs, but the GBBS model works for me.

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This is very entertaining, a woman growing a dress in her yard. In a series of Instagram video posts, Eve Ogden Schaub is going step by step growing flax and learning to harvest and spin and weave it into useable fabric.

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The Stuff You Missed In History Class podcast has a great two part story on the history of Paper Patterns. And then there's one about the Sewing Basket.

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July Cornucopia

 

July has come and gone once again, and we've survived the heat (likely), and all the hubbub of summer so far. Here's a cornucopia post to wind up the month, links to all the media, websites, etc. that I've enjoyed and want to pass on to you dear readers. That's what the pomegranate blossoms on my tree looked like at the beginning of the month, they've probably lost all their petals by now and are forming up fruit.

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The blocks for the free Patchwork Palooza are pretty great so far, you're not too far behind to catch up. You get a new one each week through the first week of December.

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Quilt n' Learn is hosting the Tour de Fabric this summer which is a free event with live talks and classes as well as sew a longs. It's been pretty interesting and I've learned some new stuff.

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The new Superman movie was...Super! Very fun, and prompting some interesting conversations and essays like this one.

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June Cornucopia

 

Hopefully it has been a beautiful June for us all, full of nice sunny days, all the flowers blooming and only good or great things happening. This is me crossing my fingers for the very best June Ever here at the beginning of the month. To keep myself from being too worried about June not going swimmingly, here are links to a lot of the things I enjoyed online this month.

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Perhaps a reason to visit North Carolina, a new museum for Costume Jewelry. How fun!

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This is a pretty good use of the power of an app, Magic Markup helps visualize your pattern sewn up in a certain fabric. It is part of the Stash Hub app which looks like it would be very handy.

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Mx. Domestic has a great new self-designed collection, so much great variety,  very tempting!

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Perhaps a cure/treatment for Long Covid. 

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Wonderful use of resources, both saving California's kelp forests and also making an interesting and beautiful tile out of purple sea urchins.

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The Microsoft BSOD (Blue Screen of Death) might be permanently going away. This is a funny look down memory lane of how and why the BSOD persisted for so many years and why it might change.

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A very handy 20 minute video of some useful serger tips.

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Another great SAL this year from Andover Fabrics, Patchwork Palooza, free weekly block patterns from  July 10 - December 4, 2025.

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May Cornucopia

 

Well, that was certainly a merry merry month of May, wasn't it? At least I hope it was! Regardless, here's a cornucopia post of links to all the things I enjoyed online this past month.

 I had to look up where the "merry merry month of May" thing came from in my brain, and yes of course it's Elmer Fudd and not the 15th century poem.

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This interview with author John Green about his newest book, "Everything is Tuberculosis" was really worth listening to, and now the book is on my Libby hold list.

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This combination of two comedians I greatly enjoy, where Mike Birbiglia is interviewing Josh Johnson was super entertaining.

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I can't wait to watch this movie, "I Know Catherine, the Log Lady," which is about the actress who played my favorite character on the tv show, Twin Peaks, "The Log Lady." Yes, I absolutely went as the Log Lady for Halloween one year.

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A good illustrated breakdown on using directional prints in making Flying Geese.

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The MQG challenge this year for Windham Fabrics color palette is really great. I've got some fabrics ordered, and I'm starting in on a design.

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Another podcast to check out, Handmade History. I found this via the Folkwear newsletter as they've sponsored a couple of episodes, like this one on Indonesian Batiks.

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This artwork by Lithuanian artist, Severija Inčirauskaitė, of beautifully done embroidery and cross-stitch on cast-off rusted metal pieces is deeply affecting.

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Be sure and check out Material Girlfriends free 3-yard quilt pattern, this month's is called 3 YD Papa. Download it by June 2nd.

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Definitely on my to-watch list on Netflix, The Quilters.

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I don't know if this video will still be available in June, but just in case it is, here's a link to the on-stage interview with author Percival Everett at UCSC the day before he was announced as the Pulitzer Prize winner for his truly amazing book, James. Very enjoyable interview, deep, thoughtful and funny. Just like the book which I highly recommend reading.

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Really wonderful exhibit in Washington DC, Freedom to Be.

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Will this be the summer that I make myself a bucket hat? Maybe so, especially with this free pattern.

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Diné weaving has always fascinated me, so I enjoyed this interview with Marilou Schultz about her weaving process and adapting it to be able to make pieces that depict the intricacies of computer chips 

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April Cornucopia

 

End of April, and here's a cornucopia post filled with links to the various things I read, watched, listened to or just generally consumed.

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Amanda Gorman wrote a beautiful poem about the LA Fires, which was published in Sunset magazine's special fire issue, along with a poem written after the SF earthquake and fire they'd published back in 1906. Really interesting to see the two poems presented together, with 100 years between them. I really enjoy the illustrations surrounding the 1906 poem by Maynard Dixon.

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Bobbins! You don't think about them too much, until you start having stitch issues on your machine. This video is a good explainer of bobbin care, and the different types of bobbins and why and how to tell them apart. Turns out there are a whole lot of model specific bobbins on the market now. 

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March Cornucopia

 

Here's the March Cornucopia, brimming to overflowing with links to all of the interesting, beautiful, challenging or useful things I consumed online this past month.

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Even though we don't have PIQF happening in Santa Clara next year, I'm still considering entering a quilt for the exhibit, Celebrating Women- A Quilter's Perspective, that will be shown at three of the Mancuso Brother's shows on the East Coast.

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I'm trying out a new word puzzle game called Eight Tile, it's possible I tried this earlier, but I'm at it again. 

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If you sign up by April 6, you might win some Spring goodies from Hey Quilter. There's also free patterns on offer as well.

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Good tips here for taking better pictures of your textile art with your phone camera.

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From Craft Industry Alliance, an article about the shuttering of Jo-Ann's Fabrics and the effect on independent shops.

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A thought-provoking essay on The Real Work of Mid-Life.

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Another interesting fiber related podcast Haptic & Hue - Tales of Textiles, here's an episode on the 5,000 year old use of Pleats.

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On Loving Your Country - Sherilyn Ifill, a powerful and beautiful essay about Selma, Civil Rights and now.

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My current favorite comedian I'm enjoying online is Josh Johnson and this set where he talks about the importance of creating community is a real treasure.

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February Cornucopia

 

A picture of my blooming Lenten Rose. The flowers point downwards, so you have to pick them up to see their lovely faces. Just like so many other things...and people sometimes. Here's the cornucopia post for February, it's all links. Links to things I read, watched, listened to online and thought they were worth sharing and/or remembering. Enjoy!

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"Gluesticks are my Xanax." CNN covers "junk journaling." Love to see it.

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In an effort to get out of the Amazon universe, I switched over to The Storygraph to track my reading. It easily imported my many many years of GoodReads data. It's a lovely interface (with no ads!) and I really like using it. You can find me here.

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Another new fibre arts podcast to check out, from Fibre Artists Take Two, Friday Feature Artist. They also have these and more interviews on their YouTube channel.

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Do you have an account on the Internet Archive? I don't know why, but I've never really utilized this amazing resource, but they have everything on there, for free. Like this beautiful book on drawing from 1916. Just in case either your public or private library doesn't have such a thing to use...

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Here's another interesting "color of the year" predictor over on Pinterest. I like this color palette A Lot.

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I'm liking the new photo sharing app, Flashes For Bluesky, introduced recently that looks and functions like Instagram without the algorithm, and it links up to cross post with your BlueSky account if you want it to. If you've used Instagram, you'll know how to use it.

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I've also been using PixelFed, another photo sharing app which is non-Meta or X/twitter affiliated. I've been posting out and about nature or built environment pictures. It reminds me of a cross between Instagram and Flickr.

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KaleidaCam is one of my favorite photo apps, I play with it all the time, and I just bought a 99¢ add-on pack for a couple more options and I'm re-intrigued all over again. A cheap date I am, yes indeed.

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Books I've listened to or read on Libby this month, I'd recommend them all:

1. Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel - the voice acting by Simon Slater on this one was very well done
2. Foxglove Summer by Ben Aaronovitch - another great Rivers of London story
3. Fourteen Days - Margaret Atwood and 35 other authors weave a beautiful tale set in an apartment building in NYC during Covid lockdown.
4. The Nickel Boys - Colson Whitehead - devastating and beautifully told
5. The Siren's Call: How Attention Became the World's Most Endangered Resource - Chris Hayes
6. What Abigail Did That Summer - Ben Aaronovitch - a different main character in a Rivers of London story
7. The Furthest Station - Ben Aaronovitch - a short one for this series but I'm a completionist
8. The Man Who Died Twice - Richard Osman - I think I liked this one even more than the first in the Thursday Murder Club series
9. System Collapse - Martha Wells - and now I'm sad that I've read all of the MurderBot Diaries so far

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StoryGraph is really working out well for me as an alternative (ie non-Amazon related) to GoodReads. 

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Good essay from Rebecca Solnit about blame shifting.

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I love anything Wizard of Oz related, so this was super interesting, The Feminist Who Inspired the Witches of Oz.

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We are admitted Costco-Maniacs around here, so I enjoyed this podcast episode of Acquired about The Complete History and Strategy of Costco.

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A wonderful short story by Premee Mohamed, Everyone Keeps Saying Probably.

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January Cornucopia

The first cornucopia post for the new year is here on this last day of January. One of the reasons that I like doing these cornucopia posts, they help me close tabs on my laptop as I'll put a link on these posts. The ones that are actually worth sharing with you that is.

The above picture is of the weak January raincloud filtered sunlight as seen through a piece of dried roasted seaweed in a moving car. I thought it ended up showing an interesting mix of color and texture. 

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This emoji that I'm using for a divider in this post is named "anger" but I don't think it looks like at all like that. It reminds me of embroidery stitches. So--to be clear--I'm not dividing this post with anger but with beautiful stitchery.

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JennB. has done the experiment (and the math) and proven how to successfully add borders to a quilt top without ending up with waviness. 

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I'm enjoying Nadia Embroidery's posts on Substack, a very interesting and beautiful follow if you like embroidery.

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I really like this Flower Breeze block, this video tutorial is a great explainer.

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A daily embroidery journal, over several years, very impressive and beautiful.

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I really like this free quilt pattern from Art Gallery Fabrics: Full Bloom 

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UC Berkeley's free earthquake app is pretty cool: My Shake

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I'm really enjoying the 30 Days of Drawing with WendyMac this month. I'm trying to do it on my iPad which has been a real challenge for me.

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The 2025 Declutter Challenge that Just Get It Done Quilts is hosting has been very useful. 

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I enjoyed listening to the first episode of The 100 Day Project podcast.

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This episode of The Smithsonian's podcast, There's More to That about How to Use Renaissance Paintings to Improve the Farming of Tomorrow was really worth a listen.

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I saw this great idea for doing a crocheted granny square for each book that one reads during the year based on the colors in the book cover. This would take a whole lot more colors of yarn than I have on hand (and I'm Not Buying Yarn). 

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A completely ridiculous game, "Click the Clicking Clicker." A fun and relaxing almost soothing relaxer.