Mystery Progress and the Start of the Rainbow Scrap Challenge!

I started my Rainbow Scrap Challenge for 2022!  I am doing Bonnie Hunter's Log Cabin Love in Quiltmaker but took out the HST in the center and put in a square.  I forgot how crazy these can be to sew.  I remember Bonnie's tip that you should always sew over two seams when you add a log.  I did a little unsewing and decided next month I will be labeling them in order of how they go...I do not like that the magazine labeled two with each letter so you have to figure out which color goes next and it is not super easy for me!  Slows me way down.  

I plan to make four of each color so I will have a decent size quilt at the end.

I also made four of the butterfly bush blocks.  I am planning to make two doll quilts from these.  One for Lily and one for another lucky little one.  They are fun to make!  Linking up with the Rainbow Scrap Challenge.  I hope you are sewing along!

As for R Trail....we were lucky enough to get another clue (and not the reveal) this week.  Here is a reminder of what the first blocks look like.  

                                        

I got everything cut Friday.  I made three of the B blocks on Saturday.  

Today I sewed more...I think I have seven to go.  I needed a break so I decided to blog.  

Barb put her mystery away for now but is finishing up the Attic Stars quilt from NYE.  Here are her blocks so far.  I cannot wait to see the top!

Kathy and I went to a bunch of free little libraries yesterday and traded out lots of books.  Hazel made out like a bandit!
                             

I got these.  

                                    

I just finished "Bitter Orange" this morning.  Such a trippy book!  I really liked it though not sure I know what is what from it!  

                                                

I got these from Goodwill and then realized that I just finished listening to "The Address" and loved it so I wanted more Fiona Davis books.  Oops, all but that one.  Haha!

My cousin sent me this picture of Bella with her baby quilt I sent her years ago when she was born.  She still uses it!

                                            

Ups and Downs is a Flimsy!

I have about a third of the blocks left for clue six of R Trail.  Making progress and on track for the next clue Friday.  Hoping it is not the reveal as we have a lot left to go!

I purposely made this quilt my #12 UFO since that was the first pull in the American Patchwork and Quilting UFO draw.  I decided to copy Bonnie's border on her Scrappy Mountain Majesties instead of a plain border or more mountains around the outside.  I would have loved the mountains, but I would have had to make another whole set of them.  So yay on an easy cross off!  

 I started reading "The Oddysey" yesterday with the Ecclectic Book Club.  On the third book and liking it SO much better than "The Illiad."  I am also reading "Hamnet" with a small group and loving that one!  

Progress on Three Mysteries and My Favorite Books of the Year!

New Year's Eve (New Year's Day in New Zealand where Debi from mysteryquiltsanonymous.com lives) Barb and I started sewing around 2 PM my time.  Hazel was here and napping so I managed to get through clue one before she woke up.  Clue two was a SLOG since Hazel wanted to be near me (Bumpa had the day off and tried to entertain but she is used to me being with her and wanted to see what was happening in the room next to her) and we had to make fourteen blocks total for the clue!   

After Hazel left, I continued sewing til this second clue was done and I hurt everywhere.  I do not have the stamina I used to.  Into the tub I went and the mystery had to wait.

New Year's Day I got up and got to sewing the Merry Mayhem Ups and Downs mystery #146 at 9 AM my time.  Barb joined me a few hours later--she fell back to sleep!  I listened to my audiobook arc "The German Wife" and cut and stitched away.  Clue one (above) was simple and so I started working on R Trail clue six.  Clue two and three had us sewing the strips into these blocks.  I got that done and finished the prep for R Trail. ( I had cut and sewed what I needed to on NYE morning before Hazel came to visit).

The next to last clue was putting it into rows.  We had several layout choices.  I had made this pattern previously (Bonnie's) and wanted to do a different layout.  I chose this one and put it together.  I had to think on the borders--they can be two plain ones or more of these blocks around the outside.  Would love to add more blocks to it or to the outside since I have more left in the layer cake, so I did not add borders and decided to wait to commit.

Then I went back to Ups and Downs and completed these blocks.  After that I went to bed!

Here is Barb's!  

Today I got the last blocks made (below) and cut the setting triangles.  

Here are all the parts all stacked up.  The layout is really nice though it is on point and I just do not have it in me to lay it all out on the floor and get up and down to sew it.  It will wait.  

So my next sewing will be Bonnies' R Trail.  I laid out the first one to see what it would look like.  We have to make quite a few of these blocks and the next clue is Friday.  I am hoping to keep up, but we shall see.  

I wrote up my new UFO challenge sheet though I do not have many UFO's I put things that I have cut and prepped, the two new mysteries above, blocks that were donated to me, etc. so I can have a focus each month if I like.

I am participating the Rainbow Scrap Challenge again this year and picked out Log Cabin Love for my block.  I also plan to make some Butterfly Bush blocks--enough to make Lily a doll quilt.  

 I really enjoyed the book above (just finished it today) and am looking forward to the second book in the series.

Pretty happy with my books read this year.  I did not start CRAZY reading until about October so most of my books came at the end.  Here are my favorites of the year!  I somehow forgot one of the best when making this list from my Goodreads--"The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo." I already want to reread that one which is rare.

Happy new year!

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!