I love a mystery!

My kids make fun of me for reading cozy mysteries.  Since I am forever protesting about violence and graphic words or scenes in modern media, they think it is ironic that I read books with "murder" in the title.  What they don't seem to understand is that cozy mysteries aren't about the murder - in fact, rarely does the reader "witness" the crime.  Cozies are all about following clues to figure out "whodunit," usually while following along with an amateur sleuth working outside the law.  This wonderful week of summer included THREE cozies for me: Boiled Over, the second Maine Clambake Mystery by Barbara Ross (I'm from Maine); Gone But Knot Forgotten, the third Quilting Mystery by Mary Marks (I LOVE this series!);

and Deadly Nightshade, the first Martha's Vineyard Mystery by Cynthia Riggs (because we spent three days at Martha's Vineyard this week). Next up on my bedside table is Taken In, the ninth Southern Sewing Circle mystery and my current audiobook is The Cranefly Orchard Murders, the second Martha's Vineyard Mystery by Cynthia Riggs.

But it isn't just in my reading that I like mysteries.  I love the idea of a mystery quilt, although, in truth, I've never actually finished one.  I'm still working on my first, On Ringo Lake by Bonnie Hunter, but the truth is, once the big reveal happens, I usually lose interest.  I haven't worked on that quilt in months!

My 2018 Temperature Quilt is a bit of a mystery quilt since the daily weather dictates what it will ultimately look like.  I think the not knowing is part of what keeps me motivated to make new blocks for that quilt every day (well, that and how easy the block I chose to make is).  Here it is from January 1 through June 11 - I have all the blocks done through June 30, but the next row includes the block with the average temperatures for July, so I can't add any more rows until July is over.

Blocks signify high and low temps for each day of the year (through June 11 so far)

As I mentioned, we spent a few days at Martha's Vineyard this week.  Beforehand, I took my dog up to NH to stay with my sister.  Visiting my sister means time with my nieces and nephew,

One of my nieces - the only thing cuter than a two year old is a two year old wearing a sweater you knit for her!

but it also means getting to see my handiwork all over their house, from sweaters and hats and socks that I have knit for them to quilts that I have made on their walls and on their beds.  They are THE BEST recipients of handmade stuff - they actually USE it!!

My mom was out of town, so I slept in her bed under one of the first bed sized quilts I ever made, a Scrappy Mountain Majesties from Bonnie Hunter's pattern

Once at the Vineyard, I stayed busy with knitting, at the beach

and on the ferry.  Sock knitting is such a perfect travel/vacation project!

And while on vacation, I stumbled upon the Friendship Album, 1933 podcast by Frances O'Roark Dowell, author of Birds in the Air (which I own and have read) and Margaret Goes Modern (which I don't yet own).  I've finished listening to the first four episodes and I am anxiously awaiting future installments of this story.  I've said it so many times, but when I'm not quilting, I love being able to read about quilts, whether in fiction or on blogs or even just scanning photos on Instagram and Pinterest.  What on earth did I do with my time before I started quilting?

I'm linking up with Oh, Scrap and Monday Making.

Remember me?

Oh, my goodness, what a week! I'm not going to go into details because that would just stress me out, but I can say, I sure am glad it is OVER! This weekend, I was so wiped out that I didn't do much. On Saturday, I took the boys to the park for 3 hours after Jason's basketball game. They rode bikes and skateboards and played on the playground equipment while I laid out on my Orphan Block quilt reading and soaking up the sun. If you are looking for a good mystery that takes place in a little town that I wish I could visit, check out Still Life by Louise Penny. To my delight, there are more in the series!

Today, I didn't really want to get out of bed. I finished the book and then hunger forced me into the kitchen. But not long afterwards, I was back on my bed, watching Gilmore Girls videos while working on my January Birdie BOM. Ah, Stars Hollow, another fictional town I would love to visit! And look, I am ALMOST done!

Look more closely and you'll see the DIRT on the block where Donald STEPPED on it. {sigh} Life with boys.

But surely, what you are hoping to hear from me is how LAST weekend went with Bonnie Hunter. So without further ado...

After work on Friday, I parceled my kids out to friends and arrived at dinner with Bonnie Hunter and the officers of the Guild only about 10 minutes late. When I walked in, it was surreal seeing Bonnie sitting there! A real live celebrity in our midst! They saved me a seat next to her, and I had a great time listening to her travel and quilting stories.

Then it was off to the trunk show and lecture. Again, my quilting buddies made sure I had a seat up front, but then Bonnie asked for HOLDERS and FOLDERS for her trunk show. I'm too short to be a HOLDER, but I did jump up to be a FOLDER and what a good idea that was. As she talked about her quilts, I got to fondle and examine and revel in them up close as we folded them. Some were new to me, but many I had either seen on her website or in her books and they were like old friends.

My face hurt at the end of the evening from all the smiling!

That night, Nancy came home with me, and we stayed up late cutting fabric for the next day's workshop and catching up. Then, we were up with the dawn to go to the workshop the next morning. I truly meant to make this workshop quilt. Here are Nancy and I in front of the Class Sample.


And here I am with Bonnie and the quilt I made for my mom 3 years ago.

But as I sat there and started sewing and cutting, I just couldn't get excited about making the same quilt, even if I do LOVE that quilt and even if it is in completely different fabrics. So, I started wandering around, and look what I found.

This isn't how you are supposed to lay this out, but I like the possibilities. Plus, no need to subcut into four pieces - fewer cuts and fewer seams to make this variation. So I started to play.


And play.

And play.

And play.

And I'm still playing.

I still don't really like all these florals, but I'm excited to clear them out of my stash. And wouldn't you know, my mom mentioned the other day that she loves florals. Hmmm, another quilt for her, perhaps?

And Bonnie sat down to play at my machine, too! I had just bought Tonya's book and mentioned how I couldn't figure out how to make an S. She volunteered to show me. I thought she meant with pencil and paper, but nope, she meant with my fabric!

This S (which I wore on my chest for the rest of the workshop) will definitely make it into one of my quilts one of these days. A treasure! Thank you, Bonnie!

I had to leave early to go to the Blue and Gold Ceremony for Cub Scouts. Here I am with my co-den leader helping to paint the boys' faces.

See their quilt hanging back there? They were so proud, and everyone kept ooohhhing and aaahhing and the boys just beamed! We're thinking of leaving the quilt on display at the church somewhere (the church is our charter organization), and I'm also planning to send some photos in to Boys Life and see if we can't be included in a future issue - all of the boys receive Boys Life Magazine, and I know they'd FLIP to see themselves in print! Thanks to whoever suggested that - genius!

Sunday was a day at work for me, but I was able to bring the kids along, and in my breaks we made Valentines for their classes.

(Cupid, he ain't!)

Then, the week began, and I swear I didn't get a chance to eat or sleep or hug my children or ANYTHING, I was so busy with work. I certainly didn't get a chance to sew. And this upcoming week is not looking much better. June, where are you? I'm ready for your long days and warm nights and quiet moments...

Prepping for Bonnie Hunter

One day until Bonnie Hunter arrives!!!

First, on Friday night, she is doing a Scrap User's System lecture/trunk show. I want to sit RIGHT UP FRONT so I can see. I learned my treatment of scraps from her website, and I love that I always have pre-cut squares ready to pop into a project.

Then, on Saturday, she is doing the Scrappy Mountains Majesty workshop. This was the quilt pattern that introduced to me to Bonnie Hunter in 2007, and I made this quilt for my mom for Christmas that year. I've been a Bonnie Hunter fan ever since.


I'm thrilled to making another one, as my mom's quilt is one of my favorites, but what theme or color scheme? Hmmmm.... Nancy is making one in Christmas fabric, so originally I thought I would, too, but only a few fabrics in I realized that I didn't have the variety of Christmas fabrics that I wanted and I didn't want to buy more. Back to the drawing board.

What I do have a lot of, and what I almost NEVER use, is FLORALS. For some reason, florals just never speak to me. What the heck? I thought. This will be a way to use up a bunch of them. So last night I started cutting, and managed to cut out all the lights that I will need, plus a couple extra (since I always make mistakes). And, in true Scrap Users fashion, whatever leftover scraps I had into either 2" strips or the square sizes that I collect - 1.5", 2", 2.5", 3", 3.5", 4", 4.5" and 5".

It was a calming and cathartic exercise, as I have been pretty overwhelmed at work, not just with the quantity of it, but also the unbelieveable things that some of our clients/customers say and do.

Tonight, I'll be back down there cutting out darks.

I hope I will like all those scrappy florals together, but even if I don't, at least I will have moved some stash that wasn't otherwise likely to move. Do you know that I found a fabric with a 1989 copyright date in the selvage? Obviously a floral that someone else didn't want and gifted to me. That's OK - I'll gladly take your discards and cast-offs, and one day, they will find their way into something BEAUTIFUL!

Mommy, can I come sleep with you?

I made a quilt for my mom a few years ago. I'm not sure if I ever took a photo of the completed top, but when my younger sister was visiting her over Thanksgiving, she took photos of it and posted them on her Facebook page. How sweet! And looking at them, I want to go climb into Mommy's bed for a nap. That's it - enough quilting for others; I need to make a quilt for MY bed!

Is it naptime yet?