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Review and giveaway: A Healing Heart

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A Healing Heart_Abingdon Press_cropped

Disclaimer: I was given a copy of this book by the publisher to review. But as always, all opinions expressed here are 100 % my own. 

Review: A Healing Heart by Angela Breidenbach

Admittedly, this is not a book I would have picked up myself, but I’m glad I had the opportunity to read it. It’s a good story with believable characters I grew to love. This is especially true of the main character, Mara.

I immediately felt a kinship to her, as she finds herself – after the death of her husband – trying to do it all. Feeling overwhelmed, she’s running the small but growing business they started together and
raising their three kids.

In a state of raw grief all this becomes too much for her. A series of physical setbacks gives her some perspective and divine intervention brings the right person into her life at the exact right time. Will she regain her equilibrium? You’ll have to read it to find out.

Though written from the Christian faith, the author is never preachy or dogmatic. The text touches on universal themes that apply to those of any faith, such as why bad things happen to good people and forgiveness.

Giveaway: Enter to win a copy of this book

The publishers have generously given me a copy of the book, A Healing Heart, to give away to a lucky Craft Gossip reader. To get a chance to win a copy of this book, leave a comment on this post and tell me if you have ever ended up loving a book you didn’t expect to. If so, what was it?

Contest ends November 6, 2014. Only US and Canadian entrants are eligible due to shipping costs.

Comments

  1. I wish it happened more often – I get too stuck in my favored genres! Also, I tend to have a pretty good sense about books so I can generally tell if I will like something or not – the only examples I can think of where I was wrong about a book were really promising ones that I ended up hating! Haha!

  2. The Harry Potter books ! I wasn’t sure about all that magical stuff… But it’s been a love story since the first lines. I’m a HUGE Harry Potter fan 🙂

  3. I can’t think of the titles right off the top of my head, but it has happened and what a wonderful surprise.

  4. Kind of embarrassing but I loved twilight when I read it.. it just sucked me in! It doesn’t even come close to how much I love Harry Potter though!

  5. Well kinda every book. I actually can’t think of one I didn’t like or just hated. My most favorite book I read again and again is The Shack.

  6. The Twilight series – not into that type of book, but totally surprised and had to read all 3.

  8. I’d love to read this book. My all time favorite has been Beyond Heartache by Margaret Jhonson.

  11. I love to read. I was really liking the book “The Giver” and them the end left me hanging. Not fond of that. I’d love to read this book. Thanks

  12. the Twilight series being one of those I thought OH BOY another teenager book, by the 5th chapter I was totally hooked and had to go back to the store the next day to buy the next two books. It was very hard to wait for the last books to come out. I really enjoy finding a book that I pick up and can enjoy all the way to the end, especially one I wasn’t sure about to begin with.

  14. the traveling pants…i read them with my then teenage daughter…i love the bonding time discussing the books!

  16. I tend to pick up books I think I will enjoy so I guess I can’t say I’ve been surprised that I enjoyed them.

Have you read?

Woodland Whimsy Fabric Collection by Jennifer Pugh

There is something especially lovely about a winter fabric collection that feels seasonal without immediately shouting Christmas. Woodland Whimsy by Jennifer Pugh for Wilmington Prints is filled with forest animals, mushrooms, classic plaids, dots and softly textured coordinating prints.

The colours have a warm, storybook quality, making the collection perfect for quilts that can stay out long after the Christmas decorations have been packed away.

What Is Included in the Woodland Whimsy Bundle?

The Woodland Whimsy Fat Quarter Bundle includes:

  • 15 coordinating fat quarters
  • One 23-inch scenic fabric panel
  • 100% quilting cotton
  • Fabrics designed by Jennifer Pugh
  • Prints manufactured by Wilmington Prints

Each fat quarter measures approximately 18 x 21 inches.

I particularly like that the scenic panel is included with the bundle. Fabric panels are wonderful when you want an impressive focal point without spending several evenings piecing tiny blocks while wondering why you chose such a complicated pattern in the first place.

The panel could become the centre of a lap quilt, wall hanging or child’s quilt, with the coordinating fat quarters used to create simple patchwork borders.

What Could You Make With Woodland Whimsy Fabric?

This collection would work beautifully for:

  • A woodland animal lap quilt
  • A cosy winter wall hanging
  • A child’s storybook quilt
  • Patchwork cushions
  • Quilted reading mats
  • Fabric storage baskets
  • Winter table runners
  • Handmade gifts for nature lovers

You could also separate the smaller prints and use them in scrap-friendly projects. Our collection of eight fat-quarter-friendly quilt patterns offers plenty of ideas for putting coordinated fabric bundles to work.

For something smaller, the gentle woodland prints would be lovely in a seasonal mini quilt. This free mini snowflake quilt pattern could easily be adapted using the collection’s winter colours.

Is the Woodland Whimsy Bundle Worth Buying?

The bundle gives you a ready-made colour palette, a useful assortment of coordinating prints and a feature panel in one package. That takes much of the guesswork out of planning a quilt, particularly if choosing coordinating fabrics is the part that usually sends you wandering around the fabric shop for an hour.

The prints are playful enough for children but not so juvenile that they cannot be used for adult quilts and winter home décor. That versatility is probably the collection’s strongest feature.

The bundle was listed at US$62.98 when checked and is expected to ship in October 2026. Prices, availability and shipping dates may change, particularly with a new fabric release.

If you love woodland animals, gentle winter colours and fabric that feels as though it belongs in an illustrated storybook, this is a charming collection to add to your sewing list.

See the Woodland Whimsy Fat Quarter Bundle at Fat Quarter Shop.