J.W. Jackson Martha’s Vineyard Mystery Series

    Wow!  I can’t believe how fast I’m going through the books!  When you find a good author it is really hard to put the books down.  If you’ve been following my blog, you know I’ve been reading The J.W. Jackson, Martha’s Vineyard series by Philip A. Craig. 

I like to read series books in order because I don’t want to miss anything.  This series can be read out-of-order and the books would still be great, but he does write them with references to previous experiences.  Each of his books are fresh and new with many of the same characters, but new and totally different problems. 

I’ve finished three more books in this series; #1o A Fatal Vineyard Season, #11 Vineyard Blues, & #12 Vineyard Shadows and I am almost finished with book #13 Vineyard Enigma.  Each of these books were just as good as the last.  To pick a favorite would be very hard.  I’m not going to give a synopsis of each of these books, because once you start reading this series you will be just as interested in reading the next book as I am.  I love these cozy mysteries.  Happy Reading.  Kathryn

Weighted Pincushion Organizer

I love pincushions, especially functional ones.  When I was at my LQS taking a class, I noticed a few of the women had a pincushion next to their machines that also held their scissors, ripper, and a couple other tools of the trade.  Some of them also had a scrap basket attached to it too.  I had seen patterns for this type of pincushion on-line, but when I saw them in person I fell in love.  I just had to make one for myself! 

The pattern I used is found on Sew, Mama, Sew! designed by Elizabeth Hartman in 2009.  This pincushion has become my favorite.  I love having my scissors, marker, ripper, pins and needles always in the same place.  Before I couldn’t remember which side of the machine I had set them down and I was always misplacing things.  I did not want my thread basket attached.  I like having it sit next to my machine.  Don’t you just love the spool of thread design around the top.  It’s just one of the special stitches on my Janome Horizon.   

I also like the strip down the center of the pincushion for needles.  If I only use a needle a little and I want to switch to a different needle, I don’t want to put the used one back in with the new.  This way I have my needles handy and I know which ones have been gently used.  My pincushion is lightly stuffed with a small amount of the finest steel wool to keep my pins sharp along with stuffing and weights used for toys and stuffed animals I had on hand. 

If you are in need of a pincushion yourself, or just like to make them, this is it!  I love mine and the pattern was easy to follow.  Happy Sewing!  Kathryn

A Shoot on Martha’s Vineyard

A Shoot on Martha’s Vineyard is book #9 in Philip R. Craig’s Martha’s Vineyard series.  In this book Hollywood comes to the island to shoot a movie.  Jeff is hired to show a film scout around the island.  While showing film scout, Mondry, around he has a physical run-in with Lawrence Ingalls who is a biologist for the State Department of Environment Protection.  Later Mondry is found dead on the beach next to his car and Jeff is the one to find the body.  Jeff is now the main suspect in Mondry’s murder.   So, along with taking care of his new son with his wife, Zee, and playing tour guide for Mondry, Jeff also ( against the police warnings) sets out to clear his name. 

If you haven’t read this series and love cozy mysteries as much as I do, add this author and series to your reading list.  It is one of the best series I’ve read.  Off now to start book #10,  A Fatal Vineyard Season.  Happy Reading.  Kathryn

A Deadly Vineyard Holiday

You know the popular saying from the movie “You had me from Hello”?  Well, that’s how I feel about this Martha’s Vineyard series I’m reading by Philip R. Craig.  Every book so far has had me from the first page.  I just can’t put them down! 

In this book, A Deadly Vineyard Holiday, J.W. meets the Presidents teenage daughter on the beach while fishing.  She is running away from her secret service agents because she just wants a normal holiday vacation like every other teenage girl, but that is a little hard when you are the daughter of the President of the USA.  It is even harder when it seems someone is out to harm her.  Fearing that the “someone” may be one of those assigned to protect the President and his family, a decision is made to have her stay with Jeff and Zee a few days. 

I’m sure you will enjoy this book as much as I did.  I’m off now to start the next book in the series, A Shoot on Martha’s Vineyard.  Happy reading!  Kathryn

Fall Appliqued Placemats

I finished my fall placemats and it’s still fall!  I wanted placemats that went with my wall hanging and table runner, but I also wanted them to be a little different.  The patterns are from all over.  The flowers and the squirrel are from the same book I used for the table runner, The Quilter’s Home Fall by Lois Krushina Fletcher.  I drew the pumpkins freehand and found the birds, cat and scarecrow online.  For the tree and leaves I used a design by Heather Hale.  I guess I just did a little of this and a little of that – just doin’ my own thing, as usual.   The finished placemats measure 15″ x 21″.  

I would love to start on a winter set; wall hanging, table runner, and placemats, but I’m not sure I will have time.  I’ve got to get busy on making my Christmas gifts.  Happy Sewing & Quilting.  Kathryn

Death on a Vineyard Beach

My mind is saying “step away from the books”, but I’m having a very hard time putting down this Martha’s Vineyard series by Philip R. Craig.  In this book, Death on a Vineyard Beach, newlyweds Jeff and Zee sailed up to Boston on the Shirley J to enjoy a couple of days taking in a baseball game and a Concert. 

The couple were given the tickets to see the opera Carmen as a wedding gift.  It was on the way out of the matinée that changed their relaxing honeymoon.  Jeff prevents a murder of a mob boss who also lives on Martha’s Vineyard and is hired by the mob boss, Luciano Marcus, to find out who is trying to kill him.  Because Jeff and Zee saw the shooter and may be in danger themselves, Jeff takes the job.  Besides, the money is nice too. 

As with all of the books in this cozy mystery series, there are many twists and turns.  Another well-written, good book.  I’m off to read the next book, A Deadly Vineyard Holiday.  Happy Reading.  Kathryn

Spring Basket Quilt Top

I am finally quilting my Spring Basket Quilt top!  I’ve had the top sewn, pieced and ready to sandwich since July, but I’ve just been busy doing other sewing.  I guess you could say I’ve been procrastinating.  I love sewing and creating, and I love quilting small projects.  It’s just the big ones overwhelm me.  I can see why some of us have many quilt tops done and ready to finish, but just don’t seem to get to them.  This is a gift, so I have to finish it.

This week-end I put 4 large tables together, that we borrowed for a fall get-together we recently had, in the garage.  It was a perfect fall day and being we just had the gathering, the garage was nice and clean.  We will have to have a get-together next time I want to sandwich a quilt.  Anyway, I enlisted the help of my family to finally get the quilt top sandwiched.  It is my first attempt at using spray glue to hold the layers together.  I am sold on this method!  It worked great. I used Warm & White cotton batting.  I made sure my layers were smooth and wrinkle free before I started to sew.  Now I am not getting picked with pins.  I think it may take me a while to get it finished, but I’ve got time.  Happy Quilting!  Kathryn

The quilt top is about 100″ x 130″ and is so heavy!  I wanted to do some fancy stitching, but I’m not sure I will be able to.  I love using my new machine (Janome Horizon 7700) for quilting.  The large throat space is so nice.

A Case of Vineyard Poison

I just finished another of Philip R. Craig’s Martha’s Vineyard Mysteries.  This one, A Case of Vineyard Poison, takes place 3 weeks before Jeff and Zee’s wedding.  Have you ever wished money would just appear in your bank account?  Well, that’s what happened to Zee.  When they stopped at the ATM for Zee to get some cash she noticed that the balance on her receipt was much higher than it should be – 100 thousand higher!  With no banks open until Monday, she couldn’t acquire as to why – probably just a computer glitch is their thought.  By the end of the week-end the money was gone from her account.  Easy come, easy go.

Put the mysteriously appearing and disappearing money together with Jeff finding a young woman dead in his driveway and you have the makings of a great mystery.  Another very good cozy mystery by a very good author.  I am really enjoying this series.  Off to read the next book, Death on a Vineyard Beach.  Happy Reading.  Kathryn

Pillowcases

While browsing the web, I saw that  American Patchwork and Quilting was asking for 1 million pillowcases to be made for a good cause.  The cause can be for foster children, cancer patients, domestic violence victims – any of a number of different causes – you pick.  What a great idea!  And, with Christmas coming up organizations love every little bit of help they can get.  Don’t know how to make a pillowcase, that’s o.k.  The site has many different pillowcase patterns available to choose from.  There is even a video on how to make the “roll it up” method.  I also like this video on making a pillowcase.

 This year I gave pillowcases to my grandsons for their birthdays.  Next year I think I will make the girls each one.  They are cute, fun, and the kids seem to like them.  Best of all they are made with love!  Happy Sewing!  Kathryn

The Double Cross

I think this is the best book yet in Clare O’Donohue’s Someday Quilts Mystery series!  The Double Cross takes Nell Fitzgerald and a few of her quilting group to a Bed & Breakfast in upstate New York to teach a week-long quilting class.  When they get to the Inn, they find the place in a very rundown state and the group of people signed up to take the class are not your typical quilters.  The B&B owners are childhood friends of one of the ladies in Nell’s quilting group, but they have not been in contact with each other for more than 40 years. 

The women are wondering if they should have come when things start to disappear and one of the B&B owners is found dead, covered with a quilt, and a gunshot wound to the heart.  Naturally Nell and her group are obsessed with finding out who did it when the police are focussed on one of their own. 

The Double Cross is a quilt block and the perfect name for this book.  I’m not going to give too much away, but I highly recommend this book.  There is one more book in this series, The Devil’s Puzzle, which came out this year.  I must find this book.  Happy Reading!  Kathryn