Picnic Time and Spoiler Alert

First of all, several commenters asked me what book I was talking about the other day. At the end of this post, I'll tell you the name, so if you don't want me to ruin the ending of a book you may have on your reading list, skip the end of this post, okay? It's not that it's a BAD book--it's just that I was annoyed by the ending; you may have a different opinion and I don't want to spoil it for you.

Second, I've kind of gotten away from talking about quilts for the last couple days, but I didn't want to forget to show you the finished picnic quilt and tote. Last Sunday was open house/meet the teachers at Bearpaws & Hollyhocks, and since that's the next class I'll be teaching (aside from this weekend's Baa Baa Black Sheep/wool class), I was hoping to get it done to bring with me--and I did! Well, except for the binding, and I've been working on that a little bit at a time.

A close up of the tote (front and back look pretty much the same):

And the inside--

I wanted to make it nice and roomy with several pocket compartments for holding napkins, utensils, and everything else needed for a spring or summer picnic. I even included an inside tie to hold a bottle of water, wine, or soft drink. (And, although I don't have it in the tote in this photo, Hubby bought me a plastic insert for the bottom of the tote for sturdiness and stability. Once he rounds off the corners, I'll make a cover for it and pop it in.)

I'll need to make some demonstration pieces of the tote for my class, and I thought I'd make a patriotic red/white/blue version for a 4th of July picnic--AND I'm currently working on a red, white, and blue quilt using Minick & Simpson's Bar Harbor fabric. (Remember what Hubby did to my red, white, and blue quilt?! Now I'll have a replacement!)

Ready for the spoiler? Many of you have obviously read the book already and guessed correctly--it was the Friday Night Knitting Club. I understand from a few of you that the sequel is much better and ties up loose ends, but I don't know if I'd ever be curious enough to read it. We'll see. I just finished a British police procedural/mystery about a serial killer--funny how THAT didn't bother me at all!