Goodies from the mailman...

Amazon.com's recommendations are sometimes off-the-chart weird, or they keep trying to get you to buy religious books because you bought a theology textbook as a gift for your sister three years ago and won't believe it's not your top interest any more. I don't usually pay attention to them, but last week some items caught my eye.

Their first recommendation was right on the money, and it was in my shopping cart in a flash. All I can say is WOW.

Yes, that's a crutch. I'm a klutz.

I didn't hear about the Red & White Quilts exhibit until it was well underway in 2011. If I'd known it was this spectacular, I would have dropped everything and hopped a plane to NYC, with a stop in the borough to grab my best friend who pushed me down this quilting rabbit hole in the first place during a visit to a Brooklyn quilt show twenty years ago. I'm truly sorry we missed seeing it in person.

For anyone to have collected 653 unique red and white quilts in their lifetime is impressive enough; to see them all exhibited at once in the way they were must have been truly staggering. They've taken a picture of every single quilt for this book, and it's mesmerizing. Amazon's "Look Inside" feature gives you a good idea of what to expect: hours of pouring over what really is an infinite variety of two-color quilts. It's right up there with Nancy Crow and Gee's Bend for inspiring coffee table books. I'm not much of an endorser of anything, but I'd say treat yourself and get this one wherever you can, you won't be disappointed.

I'm not sure what led Amazon to entice me with this second book, but I bit and ordered it. It breaks down the construction of intricate Islamic tile designs with some history and design illustrations. Thumbing through it, I'm translating some of the patterns into English Paper Piecing in my head. It comes with a CD-ROM and basic patterns to jump-start some ideas. Lots of possibilities in there.

Unfortunately, I was so excited about the arrival of these books that I missed the last two steps down to the lobby and pretty much ended up in the mail lady's lap -- the poor woman thought I'd hit my head because of the string of expletives coming out of my mouth as I lay on the floor. I sprained one ankle pretty badly and tweaked the other one (fortunately not enough to totally incapacitate myself). Nothing was broken, but lots of swelling and some tendon damage will keep me off my feet for at least the next two weeks, if not longer. So not much sewing going on here, but I have Netflix and some awfully good reading material to keep me occupied!