Attic Stars, Ruby Jubilee and Favorite Books of 2021!

I decided that when R Trail is over I will start Ruby Jubilee from Quiltmaker.  It is a mystery of sorts with blocks from Bonnie Hunter, but designed by someone else.  I have always wanted a red and white quilt.  I picked up Kona Cotton white at the door of JoAnn's.  I got a smoking deal too so that was nice.  I really should have just gone scrappy with what I have, but I mostly seem to have cream lights left and so...For Christmas Kathy got me a bunch of half yards of red for this quilt and I added to it from what I already have so I think I am set for fabric for this quilt.  At least until we get to the backing.

Yesterday and today I have been cutting up the clues for the Quilt Mystery Anon's group's New Year's Eve mystery--Attic Stars.  The leader lives in New Zealand so it is her New Year's Day but starts at 2 PM here for me on NYE.  I hope I can keep up but if not, I can get it done down the line.  We already have our roast and organic soup (so I will not get a migraine) is on the way today for our Burgundy Beef.  I used to always have a migraine for the NYD mystery because we always ate this on NYE....with regular soup which I cannot eat.  Not sure what preservatives they put in our food, but my body will not tolerate them! 

Yesterday I also finished up Clue 5 of R Trail.  Tomorrow we get a new clue, but it will be waiting through the other two mysteries.

We did make it to Goodwill midweek and I found these three books.

I am almost half way through "Year of Wonders" and loving it.  It is about the plague the end of the 1600's.  Sounds worse than Covid.  Still loving my new quote mug! 

I complied all of my five star reads from 2021, and here they are!  I have read 127 books (I believe so far) this year and these thirteen were the best!

Hope you are enjoying sewing or reading or both as we bring 2021 to a close.
 

Merry Mayhem Mystery Prep and More!

Hannah (and Jeremy) loved the Pine Tree Point RSC quilt they got for Christmas.  Hannah gave me some fun stuff too.  A book and a mug that were on my list--I have read all but four or five of the books on this mug so I plan to read the rest this year.  I just need to get my hands on them.

Yesterday I finished clue four of R Trail.  Lots of counting and recounting happened in order to get to this point, but done!

I completed my book challenge scratch off for the year.

Hannah and Jeremy got me Parks!  So excited to have this game as I accidently bought a different National Park game (which I have sent on to Coleman and family) because it was not what I was thinking!  

Kathy and I played this one last night.  It was fun, though we do not have it all down yet.  We plan to watch more videos and play again soon.  Have not been gaming as much since I am reading and sewing.  I miss it!

This last picture is sideways, but today Barb and I prepped for the Merry Mayhem New Year's Day mystery quilt.  It only took a few hours so if you want to join in you have plenty of time to catch up!  Free clues until after the mystery then you have to purchase the pattern.  I found a layer cake to use for this one (Kathy had me get myself fabric for Christmas) and the one I liked that was not an arm and a leg was a Christmas one, so someone else will be getting a Christmas quilt next year.

This was last year's Merry Mayhem mystery...still not quilted.
 

This was from the year before.  

Are you doing any mysteries for the new year?  I LOVE mysteries!

Clue 4--the One that Almost Made Me Behind

Clue four of R Trail is a doozy.  I was pretty sure this one was the one in which I would get behind even though we have three extra days before the next clue.  However after finally getting all of it cut (I cannot find, or used up, all of my strips of the size needed for this clue so I had to cut a zillion strips before cutting the triangles...had I realized I would have replenished.  Maybe I misplaced them, but think I used them all for Winter Blues (in Green).) I set a goal of X amount per day so that I could be done by the next clue.  I got behind, but yesterday caught up again.  I did not count today in my figuring because I knew we were going to be at my daughter's and I would be more than tired but I decided to get in here and sew for an hour (while watching Wheel of Time episode 5) so now I feel a little ahead.  So right on track to keep up!

Also still reading and listening like crazy.  Malibu Rising was a little soap opera-ish, but I enjoyed it. 

The Flatshare is not my usual kind of book, but I really enjoyed it.  It was a romance, but the couple does not even meet in person for a super long time in the book which made it fun.

Children of Blood and Bone was decent, but I do not feel the need to read the next book in the series.  Trying to read more fantasy but I do not always love it. 

 Hazel has more than 110 spoken words (yes, we counted) and so many signs I stopped counting.  She shows me several new ones almost each day.  She is so entertaining!  Here she is showing me NUMBER, WOLF, and TREE.  Her signs are not textbook (of course) but she is consistent in them.  She already puts two signs (or words) together.  HELP OPEN (for open the gate or other things) and MORE CHEESE (her favorite food).  She just turned 15 months old yesterday.  So much fun!

Many years ago two gals (think it was Allie and Cheryl) started "Christmas Through the Year" and when she gave it up, another gal (Darlene at Quilting Daze) took it over.  I joined in for a few years at that point.  For this next year I wanted to join again and went looking for it with no luck!  I guess it faded out.  I really enjoy making something and checking it off my list each month.  Sometimes it is one thing (like an apron) and other times it is five (like a pillowcase).  So I started a list of things I have made that I may make again (so many years have passed I have a new batch of kids to sew for) and I hope to be sewing one item each month.

Things I have made previously (and that are on my blog already) pillowcases, wine bags, the Simple bag, burp cloths, dolly buntings, dolly quilts, potato bags, aprons, pencil cases, hexagon trivets, Christmas tree napkins and I am sure there is more! 

I am hoping to get started in January with a bunch of Pocket Pillows.  Shabby Fabrics has a free pattern.  I can think of ten kids at least to make this for (My oldest son's wife has six kids and one grandkid with another on the way and he has adopted the youngest child as she had a different father, so always looking for things for them and it adds up fast!).  

Does anyone know of another Christmas Through the Year type thing to help keep me motivated and on track?  

Merry Christmas Eve and Happy Holidays!

Three Quilt Finishes, a Clue and some Reading!

Pine Tree Point made for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge made its way to Arizona to Melissa who quilted it (and the B2 quilt) in a jif and mailed it back to me!  I love how both quilts came out.  This one is for my daughter and her hubby.  It is quilted with stars.  Linking up!

We got our little tree up last weekend and so far the cats and Hazel are leaving it be.

I managed to get clue 3 done for R Trail.  Pretty happy with it so far.  Clue four is out and I just made one test block which turned out great, but no energy to cut all the parts for it...we have over a week for this clue though so no worries.

I finally finished up my Mourning Crosses quilt with my Dad's shirt pieces.  I made three others for family and just never got to mine.  Luckily I quilt better now than I did then, so this one has baptist fans all over it.

I stuffed and sewed up both Hazel's H is for Happy pillows for her baby dolls, but tucked one away before getting a picture.

My book secret Santa sent me this book and I have read the first couple stories.  Strange!

Here is the BQ2 quilt I made for Rachel and Bryan.  It is quilted with flames.  They will love it!

Had a doctor's appointment for bloodwork (they are testing me for Lyme) on Thursday so since Kathy took the day off to use up her PTO, we stopped at a Goodwill nearby.  I found these books, yay!

Finished this one this morning.  I enjoyed it, but will not plan to read the sequel.  

This was the latest Once Upon a Book Club selection.  I did not really like it.  It is about a cop shooting a black boy and tried to get to you see both sides I guess.  Just too close to home and not at all "entertaining" though an important topic.  I cancelled my membership since it is expensive and I mostly resell the boxes after (though several have not sold).  I am still getting the Halloween box (shipping issues) and the special Christmas box that I ordered, but after that will only get a few here and there or used.

I listened to this book and really enjoyed it!  
 Hazel is signing and saying words like crazy now!  She is starting to put two together.  Her latest signs were TIGER, STAR, COW...she also is waving at me for attention which is super cute!

Rainbow Scrap Challenge Choices for Next Year...

Still reading a lot....finished "The Obsession" by Nora Roberts.  I was never a Roberts reader but this one was really a page turner and I enjoyed it.  

Got clue two of Rhododendron Trail cut out earlier this week.  Been more fatigued than usual most likely due to doing some deep cleaning of the living room and sewing room on Monday.  I had to do some, rest some, and Kathy helped but I was so glad to do it before we put the Christmas stuff up.  It needed it.  

Today I got the last geese sewn for clue two.  Clue three comes out tomorrow.  Hope it is easier.  I did my geese the Bonnie way since the wings were different colored and mirrored.  I just did not want to wrap my tired head around trying to figure that out Eleanor Burnes' way.  I have gotten pretty good at making geese this way after so many Bonnie quilts!

Barb worked on hers all day long the EB way and managed to mix up the cutting on the neutral and color fabrics.  She made it to the last step before discovering (sewing ALL DAY) that her geese will not be the right colors so she has to start over.  She is thinking of skipping the entire thing at this point.  Bummer, I like having someone to keep me going and Kathy is not doing it this year either.  She is still working on Frolic, though has only sewn three or four times in the past year and a half.

I am trying to decide what block to make for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge next year.  I am pretty sure I will make some butterfly blocks so I can make a doll quilt for Lily (since Hazel will get the H is for Happy) and thought it might be fun to make a few each month in rainbow colors.  Then I was thinking Chain and Hourglass or Log Cabin Love from Bonnie's Quiltmaker columns.  Barb thinks I should do Change of Heart from the current Quiltmaker.  I am leaning towards the Log Cabin Love.  Which one do you think?  Linking up with Angela at SoScrappy!

 In my health saga...diagnosed with hypothyroidism and put on meds.  Naturopath thinks I may have Lyme's so will be tested for that again soon.  A few other things were off in my bloodwork.  I saw a new PCP today and really liked her.  She put in for a walker for me.  Crazy how fast your health can go.

RT Gets a Start!

I quilted and bound both of Hazel's doll quilts.  They have unicorn fabric on the back.

                                                    

Reading a lot still.  I found this one annoying though I did want to know how it ended.  In its defense, it is a YA.  I do not plan to read book two!

We went to Hannah and Jeremy's for Thanksgiving.  I brought and made my turkey and wine gravy, and completed pumpkin pie and pumpkin roll.  My ex hubby and his sister (and her hubby) and one grown daughter (my goddaughter) and her boyfriend came too.  We played Bang! afterwards and Hannah won--if I remember right.  

My Secret Santa from my game group spoiled me with this!

                                                

My fabric color pull for Rhododendron Trail (hereby known as RT!).  I always wait til the clue comes out and pull the correct size strips in the colors and use those before I cut into the yardage.  Sometimes the yardage just gets put back on the shelf.

On Friday I made it this far with clue one.  I did get to sew with BJ and Barb on Facetime.  We had Hazel here and I had a killer headache/migraine that morning so was in slow motion all day. On Saturday I ripped the paper while watching a movie.

Ironed them all up while Facetiming Barb today.  She got her clue to the ironing stage too!

I read this book yesterday and today.  Was not what I thought it was and skim read some of the uninteresting stuff.  I also read an ARC from NetGalley "The House at the End of the Street" which was quite good.  Depressing subject matter (the south during the 60's for one timeline) but well told.

Currently reading and listening to this one.  It is a very strange version of Romeo and Juliet.  There are monsters (sea monster) and insects and lots of death from all that.  I am liking it though.

Today I also cut and sewed this little apron for Hazel for Christmas.  It is the ninth one I have made with my Phoenix Modern Quilt Guild buddy Jona's pattern.