needle and thREAD...

I haven't sewn anything this week. I plan to make Miss Courtney a few new capri pants. I will share those next week. Today's entry has another dress I made for Miss Courtney's graduation festivities. I made her a sun dress using Simplicity # 2227. I have no idea where the fabric came from. I think JoAnn's but I really don't remember. Most of the fabric I am using for the sewing I am doing these days is coming from my stash which is pretty substantial.

Here is the finished dress. I added six inches to the length of it and it still wasn't quite enough for my long legged girl. I spent the day pulling her dress down. Not so cool. So the plan is to shorten it this weekend and turn it into a longer summer top. I love the fabric filled with so much color.

I also might change the buttons to a yellow color to give it more pop. the orange ones I used kind of fade into the pattern. What do you think? Yellow or white buttons? Keep the orange?

Here is Miss Courtney wearing the frock on her way home from Graduation practice. She is wearing a lovely orange cardigan with it. She also has a teal cardigan that would look lovely with it as well. I shared this on Instagram the day I took it.

It has an elastic back that makes it so much easier to get on her. Yes, elastic is my friend!

Now I need to pick a pattern to see what beautiful things we can do with these fabrics. I love the bright happy colors. So exciting...

Now for what I am reading.

During the summer i read a lot of fiction. This week I found the time for two of my favorite authors. Vince Flynn and David Baldacci.

"Kill Shot" is Vince Flynn's latest Mitch Rapp novel. This is the second pre-quel for the Rapp character. As I said last week, I love political thrillers and Flynn writes some of the best out there. These books can be a bit graphic when it comes to the violence of war and what is necessary for our CIA operatives to get the right information out of terrorists. So be prepared for that.

The Book Description from Amazon:

In the year since the CIA trained and then unleashed him, Mitch Rapp has been steadily working his way through a list of men, bullet by bullet. With each swift and untraceable kill, the tangled network of monsters responsible for the slaughter of 270 civilians in the Pan Am Lockerbie attack become increasingly aware that someone is hunting them. Rapp is given his next target, and finds the man asleep in his bed in Paris. In the split second it takes the bullet to leave Rapp’s silenced pistol, the trap is sprung and he finds himself in the fight of his life.


The next morning, nine bodies are discovered in one of Paris’s finest hotels—among them the Libyan oil minister. Back in Washington the finger-pointing begins in earnest as no one wants any part in what has become an international crisis and potential embarrassment for the CIA. Rapp’s handlers have only one choice—deny any responsibility for the incident and pray that their newest secret weapon stays that way.


What I enjoyed about this book is the evolution of Rapp and gives more insight into why he makes the choices he does in earlier books. For me a good book is all about character development in addition to a plausible plot. Flynn is a master storyteller that understands the art of pacing, especially important in a thriller. I have enjoyed each of his books and can't wait for the next in the series.

David Baldacci is a native Virginian that burst on the scene  with his first novel "Absolute Power". It was the first time I had read a thriller that had so many different characters and changing points of views. Like Flynn, he understands the importance of pacing and slowly revealing the twists in the plot.

In "The Sixth Man" we follow two characters from previous works Sean King and Michelle Maxwell, both former Secret Service agents that now run their own private investigation firm.

Book Description from Amazon:

Edgar Roy-an alleged serial killer held in a secure, fortress-like Federal Supermax facility-is awaiting trial. He faces almost certain conviction. Sean King and Michelle Maxwell are called in by Roy's attorney, Sean's old friend and mentor Ted Bergin, to help work the case. But their investigation is derailed before it begins-en route to their first meeting with Bergin, Sean and Michelle find him murdered. 


It is now up to them to ask the questions no one seems to want answered: Is Roy a killer? Who murdered Bergin? With help from some surprising allies, they continue to pursue the case. But the more they dig into Roy's past, the more they encounter obstacles, half-truths, dead-ends, false friends, and escalating threats from every direction. Their persistence puts them on a collision course with the highest levels of the government and the darkest corners of power. In a terrifying confrontation that will push Sean and Michelle to their limits, the duo may be permanently parted.


What drew me in with this novel was the relationship between the hero and heroine. It is contentious at best. They have a love/hate thing going on. It takes some time to sort through things but you finally get to the root of their issues and  all the while the reader is drawn in to another adventure filled with high stakes and fabulous twists.

Looking forward to seeing what everyone else is sewing and reading. Until next week...

...head on over to In the heart of my Home for more needle and thREAD...Inspiration awaits!