Books Read - December, 2015

1. Cruising in Your Eighties is Murder by Mike Befler
2. A Christmas Escape by Anne Perry
3.  Home by Nightfall by Charles Finch
4. The Crossing by Michael Connelly
5. The Sundown Speech by Loren Estelman
6. Away in a Manger by Rhys Bowen
7. Trap by Robert Tanenbaum
8. Forensics by Val McDermid (NF)
9. Holidays on Ice by David Sedaris (NF)
10. I Was a Child by Bruce Kaplan (NF)
11. Once Upon a Time: A Short History of the Fairy Tale by Marina Warner (NF)
12. Invisible: The Dangerous Allure of the Unseen by Phillip Ball (NF)
13. A Shadowed Evil by Alys Claire
14. Tricky Twenty-Two by Janet Evanovich
15. Ordinary Days: Family Life in a Farmhouse by Dorcas Smucker (NF)
16. In War Time: A Study of Civil War Era Quilts by American Quilt Study Group (NF)
17. Suddenly Sixty and Other Shocks of Later Life by Judith Viorst  (NF)
18. Itty-bitty Quilts by Mari Martin (NF)

Books Read - November, 2015

1. French Kids Eat Everything by Karen Le Billon (NF)
2. Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter
3.  9 Months of Knitting: Exquisite Knits for Baby and Family by Alexa Ludeman (NF)
4. Shark Detective! by Jessica Olien
5. Aqua Alta by Donna Leon
6. The Golden Egg by Donna Leon
7. Death in Brittany by Jean-Luc Bannelec
8. The Witch's Grave by Phillip Depoy
9. Sleep Like a Tiger by Mary Logue
10. The Day the Crayons Came Home by Drew Daywalt
11. Living with your Kids is Murder by Mike Befeler
12. Retirement Homes are Murder by Mike Befeler
13. The Art of Travel with a Sketchbook by Mari Le Glatin Keis (NF)
14. The Big Book of Scrappy Quilts by That Patchwork Place (NF)
15. The Company She Kept by Archer Mayor

Books Read - October, 2015

1. Murder Comes Calling by C.S. Challinor
2. Suffer the Little Children by Donna Leon
3. A Pattern of Lies by Charles Todd
4. Death in a Strange Country by Donna Leon
5.  The Time Traveler's Guide to Medieval England: A Handbook for Visitors to the Fourteenth Century by Ian Mortimer (NF)
6. A Sea of Troubles by Donna Leon
7. The Drowning by Camilla Lackberg
8. Robert B. Parker's The Devil Wins by Reed Farrell Coleman
9. The Drowned Boy Karin Fosum
10. Speaking in Bones by Kathy Reich
11. The Murderer's Daughter by Jonathan Kellerman
12.  The Beat Goes On by Ian Rankin

Books Read - September, 2015

1. The Nature of the Beast by Louise Penny
2. Dressed for Death by Donna Leon
3. In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware
4.  Best Served Cold by Sally Spencer
5. Long Upon the Land by Margaret Maron
6. Better than Before: Mastering the Habits of our Everyday Lives by Gretchn Rubin (NF)
7. The Devil's Hearth by Phillip DePoy
8. Malice in the Palace by Rhys Bowen
9. X by Sue Grafton 
10. Lost in Translation: An Illustrated Compendium of Untranslatable Words from Around the World by Ella Frances Sanders (NF)
 

Books Read - August, 2015

1. Faces of the Gone by Brad Parks
2. The Player by Brad Parks
3. Liberated Medallion Quilts by Gwen Marston (NF)
4. Mom and Me Knits by Stefanie Japel (NF)
5. That Perfect Stitch: The Secrets of Fine Hand Quilting by Dierdra McElroy (NF)
6. Painting Nature in Pen and Ink with Watercolor by Claudia Nice (NF)
7. Hand-appliqued Quilts: Whimsical Designs and Simple Techniques by Tonye Belinda Phillips (NF)
8. American Folk Art Quilts by Maggie McCormick Gordon (NF)
9. Lively Little Folk Art Quilts by Gwen Marston (NF)
10. Vintage Quilts by Bobbie Aug (NF)
11. Quietly in Their Sleep by Donna Leon
12. Brush Back  by Sara Paretsky

Log Cabin Variation Quilt

A few years after I married, my husband's grandmother gave me many quilt tops, fabrics, and quilt patterns which had belonged to her sister, Clara Bentley Wooster.  This quilt top was one of them.  The edges were frayed and there were a few loose seams, but it was otherwise in excellent condition  I hand quilted it.  It is 45" x 54" and the blocks are 3".

There are a wide variety of fabrics in this quilt, some much older than others, which makes it a challenge to date.  It's one reason I brought it to be appraised when I went to the Antiques Road Show.  The textile expert told me what I'd suspected--that it is circa 1920.  Yes, there are some much older fabrics mixed in but scrap quilts are dated by the oldest fabrics and the ones in this quilt are 1910-1920.  I suspect she may have traded fabrics with others (the papers I have indicate she did just that in the 1930s and 1940s) and my husband claims he can recognize some of his great-aunt Clara's apron fabrics and some of her husband's shirt fabrics in this quilt.

Not long ago I posted a photo of this quilt on Quilts--Vintage and Antique which has among their members appraisers and antique quilt dealers including many names I recognize and respect.  The consensus was that circa 1920 was a good estimate.

A few years ago someone, seeing a photo of this quilt and intrigued by its construction, made her own version of it.  That can be found here. 

Books Read - July, 2015

1. About Face by Donna Leon
2. The Stranger by Camilla Lackberg
3. The Stonecutter by Camilla Lackberg
4.  A Minister's Ghost by Phillip DePoy
5. The Good Cop by Brad Parks
6. Little Black Lies by Sharon Bolton
7. The Girl Next Door by Brad Parks
8. The Girl of His Dreams by Donna Leon
9. Through a Glass Darkly by Donna Leon
10. Don't Go Home by Carolyn Hart
11. A Widow's Curse by Phillip DePoy
12. Wholecloth Linen Quilts: Patterns and Designs by Cindy Needham (NF)
13. The Drifter's Wheel by Phillip DePoy
14. Wicked Charms by Janet Evanovich
15. Eyes of the Innocent by Brad Parks
16. Faces of the Gone by Brad Parks

Books Read - June, 2015

1. The Preacher by Camilla Lackberg
2. The Ravens by Vidar Sundstøl
3. A Pale Horse by Charles Todd 
4. The Lost Boy by Camilla Lackberg
5. Cold Betrayal by J.A. Jance 
6. Abattoir Blues by Peter Robinson
7. 60 Quick Baby Knits by Sixth and Spring Books (NF)
8. How Not to be Wrong: The Power of Mathematical Thinking by Jorden Ellenberg (NF)
9. Once Upon a Flock: Life with my Soulful Chickens by Lauren Scheuer (NF)
10.  Remains of Innocence by J.A. Jance.
11.  Drawing Conclusions by Donna Leon
12. The Ghost Fields by Elly Griffiths
13. Someone to Watch Over Me by Yrsa Sigurðardóttir
14. Kickback by Robert B.Parker
15.Drawing Conclusions by Donna Leon
16. Welsh Quilts by Jen Jones (NF)
17.  Beatrix Potter by Linda Lear (NF)
18. The Body in the Birches by Katherine Hall Page
19. Beatrix Potter's Letters by Beatrix Potter (NF)
20. Death and Judgement by Donna Leon
21. Uniform Justice by Donna Leon
22. At Home with Beatrix Potter by Susan Denyer (NF)
23. Sibley's Birding Basics by David Sibley (NF)
24. Quilt Road by Kaffe Fassett
25. 200 Fair Isle Motifs by Mary Jane Mucklestone (NF)
26.  Beatrix Potter's Journal by Beatrix Potter (NF)
27. Country Gardens by Kaffe Fassett
28  The Complete Tales of Beatrix Potter by Beatrix Potter (NF)
29. How to Keep a Sketchbook Journal by Claudia Nice (NF)
 

Books Read - May, 2015

1. The Dead Don't Lie by Stuart Kaminsky
2. Lieberman's Law by Stuart Kaminsky
3. The Chisllers by Brendan O'Carroll
4. The Big Silence by Stuart Kaminsky
5. The Probable Future by Alice Hoffman
6.  Reykjavik Nights by Arnaldur Indriðson
7. Terror Town by Stuart Kaminsky
8. Winter at the Door by Sarah Graves
9. The Tale of Beatrix Potter: A Biography by Margaret Lane (NF)
10. Buried Angels by Camilla Lackberg
11. The Knitter's Curiosity Cabinet by Hunter Hammersen (NF)
12. And Sometimes I Wonder About You by Walter Mosely
13. Thin Air by Anne Cleaves
14. The Darkest Room by Johan Theorin
15. Bearing Secrets by Richard Barre
16. Dead of Summer by Mari Jungstedt
17. Gathering Prey by John Sanford
18. Blackbird House by Alice Hoffman
19. There Goes the Bride by M.C. Beaton
20. Defender of the Innocent by Lawrence Block
21. The Red Garden by Alice Hoffman
22. Deeds of Darkness by Edward Marston
23. Land of Dreams by Vidar Sundstøl
24. Only the Dead by Vidar Sundstøl
25. The Magic Years of Beatrix Pottery by Margaret Lane (NF)
26. Beatrix Potter's Art: Paintings and Drawings by Beatrix Potter (NF)
27. Beatrix Potter's Letters by Beatrix Potter (NF)
28. The Art of Beatrix Potter by Beatrix Potter (NF)
29. Beatrix Potter: A Life in Nature by Linda Lear (NF)
30. Beatrix Potter: A Journal by Beatrix Potter (NF)
31. Beatrix Potter: Selected Letters by Beatrix Potter (NF)
32. Someone to Watch Over Me by Yrsa Sigurdardottir

Books Read - April, 2015

1. Edge of Dreams by Rhys Bowen
2. A Ticket to Oblivion by Edward Marston
3. Demons by Bill Pronzini
4. Echoes from the Dead by Johan Theorin
5. End in Tears by Ruth Rendell
6. Not Quite Kosher by Stuart Kaminsky
7. Blacklist by Sara Paretsky
8. Money, Money, Money by Ed McBain
9. Lieberman's Day by Stuart Kaminsky
10. The Young Wan by Brandan O'Carroll
11. Blood on Snow by Jo Nesbo
12. The Mammy by Brandan O'Carroll
13. The Granny by Brandan O'Carroll
14. Lieberman's Choice by Stuart Kaminsky
15. Lieberman's Folly by Stuart Kaminsky

Books Read - March, 2015

1. A String of Beads by Thomas Perry
2. Hush, Hush by Laura Lippman
3. Being Mortal: Medicine and What Happens in the End by Atul Gawande (NF)
4. Busy Body by M.C. Beaton
5. Motive by Jonathan Kellerman
6. Whiskey Island by Les Roberts
7. Cleveland Creep by Les Roberts
8.  Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain (NF)
9. Small Victories by Anne Lamott (NF)
10. The Crimes of Jordan Wise by Bill Pronzini
11. Hardcase by Bill Pronzini
12. Judgement Day by Sheldon Siegel
13. Sidetracked by Henning Mankell
14. Demons by Bill Pronzini
15. A Ticket to Oblivion by Edward Marston
16. The Edge of Dreams by Rhys Bowen

Baby Sweater

I've just finished this sweater for my grand-daughter, Isabella Rose, who'll be celebrating her first birthday next month.  It took me a week of knitting. The yarn is from Sweet Georgia Yarns in DK, colorway Cherry. The pattern is Caleb from Berreco Knits.

Books Read - February, 2015

1. Hiss and Hers by M.C. Beaton
2. Dead Man's Folly by Agatha Christie
3. A Week in Winter by Maeve Binchy
4. The Blood of an Englishman by M.C. Beaton
5. A Pleasure and a Calling by Phil Hogan
6. The Harlequin Tea Set and Other Stories by Agatha Christie
7.The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
8. Shake Hands Forever by Ruth Rendell
9.An Unkindness of Ravens by Ruth Rendell
10. A Pocketful of Rye by Agatha Christie
11. Great Catherine, the Life of Catherine the Great, Empress of Russia by Carolly Erickson (NF)
12. Death of a Liar by M.C. Beaton
13. Crash and Burn by Lisa Gardner
14. The Terrorist Next Door by Sheldon Siegele
15. The Accidental Universe: The World You Thought You Knew by Alan Lightman (NF)
16. The Cleveland Local by Les Robers
17. All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
18. Breaking Creed by Alex Kava

Books Read -- January, 2015

1. You Know Who Killed Me by Loren Estleman
2.  Close to the Bone by Lisa Black
3. A Christmas Blizzard by Garrison Keillor
4. The A.B.C. Murders by Agatha Christie
5. Murder in the Mews by Agatha Christie
6. Dumb Witness by Agatha Christie
7. The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie
8. Elephants Can Remember by Agatha Christie
9. The Tuesday Club Murders by Agatha Christie
10. You are Now Less Dumb by David McRaney (NF)
11. The Price of Innocence by Lisa Black
12. Appointment with Death by Agatha Christie
13. The Big Four by Agatha Christie
14. Murder in the Manor by Agatha Christie
15. On Account of Conspicuous Women by Dawn Shamp
16. Survival Lessons by Alice Hoffman (NF)
17. As the Pig Turns by M.C. Beaton
18. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie
19. Loves, Lies,and Liquor by M.C. Beaton
20. My Favorite Things by Maira Kalman (NF)