Clue 2 with Bonnie Hunter

I've been here in Lewisville while my DD recovers from surgery.  During this time my GD and I have been sewing some. I finally finished clue 2 of the mystery. That seem to take forever!

Clue 2 all 100 of them!

100 half squares 10 plus pinwheels; 30 plus 4 patches

 I did cut and work on clues 3 & 4 as I plodded along on clue 2.   My DH and I will travel home Thursday after enjoying Christmas with the family.   Hope to get started on clue 5 and finish clue 3 & 4 before flying to NC to be with son & family for a week.   No sewing then I'm afraid.   You can find the other links here :  quiltville.blogspot.com/2013/12/mystery-monday-link-up-part-4.html

Sewing away on Celtic Solstice

It's linkup Monday again and time to show my progress on the mystery with Bonnie Hunter. I finally finished Clue 1.  I'm making the smaller quilt and have been cutting, then sewing, then back to cutting which is the way I work. I'm slow, but works best for me.

I worked on Clue 2 some in between clue 1, still have a way to go. as of yet.  But true to my scrappy heart when Clue 3 came out there I was back to pulling and cutting fabric for that as well as Clue 2.  Sometimes I think I should make more progress or sew faster, but I'm just enjoying the process too much.

As you see I have a few pinwheels, three in fact and 10 half square triangles for clue 3, not many, but I do have 40 plus chevrons from clue 2 done.  Just making progress.

 You can find the others with this link:  quiltville.blogspot.com/2013/12/celtic-solstice-mystery-monday-link-up_4572.htm  l

Celtic Solstice Mystery with Bonnie Hunter

My first mystery with Bonnie.  This year I wanted to participate.  I was gone to MS when the first clue came out, and last week was very busy, so I just got started.

Clue 1:  I went first to my 3.5 inch drawer for blue and orange strips and found a few, then to blue strips from Alex's quilt and finally to my stash for the blue and orange.  I had all the light 3.5 strips I needed.  I really love the strip system.  Anyway got to cutting with my Tri Rec rulers.  I done several quilts with these and guess that Bonnie will have us making star blocks, but she may surprise us.

So far I have 30 orange and blue completed.

Clue 2  I had to hunt the stash for green, not my favorite color.  I'm finding what I need but really need to add more green to my stash and quilts.  After this I will check my 2 inch square box for already cut squares, before hitting the strip 2 inch drawer and then on to the stash.  I hope this green I've chosen works.

The link back to Bonnie's site is here at Quiltville.

Machine quilting

Haven't done this in a while.  I needed a table runner for the Happy Scrappers' Christmas party.  You only get a present if you bring one.  I like getting a present, makes the party more fun.  Anyway, it needed to be quilted, so I broke out my latest tool.

The Steady Betty worked great, better than great.  I felt I had more control and it came out better than usual.

I did a simple meandering stitch.  So far so good, then I decided to machine stitch down the binding.  I really didn't think I had time to hand stitch, but as always, I had trouble getting it stitched down and look good at the same time.  But finally, finished it and was pleased with the results.  I'm looking forward to the party.

On another note, I decided to quit one of the groups I was in.  I'll miss seeing the people, but I wasn't that happy with the activities of the group.  And I want more time to do quilts I've wanted to do for so long.  Time to quit putting them off and just get started.

Baby quilt delivered

I went to MS for Thanksgiving and was able to deliver the baby quilt.  My niece Dana was delighted.

Dana looking at the quilt

Dana showing off her stomach

Looking at the back

So great to see someone so happy with the quilt.  Lelia Nelle Vance is due next week.. 

Aidan's quilt

Aidan's quilt started with a focus fabric red band black with Karate signs and symbols. I decided on rail fence blocks with blocks of focus fabrics.

More blocks made

Border auditioned on the right

By the end of day Sunday before leaving for MS for Thanksgivings   

Lotto block ends

Seems this died this last quilt guild, the Lotto block only had three takers this time.  Our treasurer pointed out it was costing us, so we quit.  We do this last block though.  I ended up with 4 blocks because I needed a table runner to trade in Happy Scrappers Christmas party.  It's a lot more fun if you participate.  I used fabrics from another 

Table runner made from 3 blocks

I found I had enough green for binding and I have to quilt this myself. 

End of the row quilt

I started with this much done before me.  The quilt measures  65 in. to begin with, which meant everyone had to adjust.  Then just looking I didn't know where to go.

I decided to stay with pinwheels to match the top, sorta, and use some bright s.

I adjusted fabric as I went along.

Finally, after getting my blocks done and used the persons material to adjust the sides.

Over all it turned out good I think, but am truly am so glad to be done with row quilt.  I am not getting into one again, unless I know the expertise of the other participants.  

Got It Done!

I know I just showed this yesterday, but it wasn't sewed together then.  

I'm not adding borders to it.  

Lily's quilt

This is the backing and binding.

These are more bow ties I found that were cut out.

I've been saving stray 3" finished blocks and will be a quilt someday.  Will be a mixture of patterns.   I always use these as Leaders and Enders as I sew.  They do add up.

Today, It's clean up the sewing room day and cut up scraps day.  The next things I have to get done are the row quilt for Slightly Bias and blocks for Apple Crisper's groups.  

In the Sewing Room

Cutting and stitching and stitching and cutting, oh yeah!  I do one thing then switch to another, but I may be making some progress on all.  Started a Chevron bright quilt for my niece's baby quilt.  My math wasn't so great at first and had to do more cutting.  Oh well, such is life in the sewing room.  Also still working on the Kaffe pyramid quilt.  It's like I can't just sew one quilt at a time, so I do two or three at a time.  Not crazy huh?  I'm having fun and that works.  

    

Hand sewing on the hexagon quilt. Slowly but surly making progress.  Need to add in some sewing time at home, not just on Wed, at the shop.  I did pick two layouts from the Internet I'm thinking about.

Then there is the Lotto block.  There were only 3 or 4 that bought patterns for the blocks, so after this there will be no more.  I think I will try and make a table runner with the left over blocks.  I think I'll do several more for the Lotto drawing, but make them scrappy.  That will give the winner a better selection.  Polly is doing the same. I like this block pattern though, it's a good one.

Bow tie Lap quilt at last!

Sounds as if I got tired of it, but that's not really the case.  When I decided to add the extra border, I got anxious to get it done.  You know how it is.  You think you've counted the right number, but alas not so and you have to make more.  In this case I had too many and had to rip a few off before adding the last border.  But anyway, It's done.  I'm still on my "do not make another big quilt" for a while, so lap quilts are my friend.  Actually, I get to go on to another project sooner.  Kinda neat.

Other things going on in Sewing Room

I have finally, maybe, given up posting to my blog on my I pad.  So, I'm having to get out the ball and chain computer.  I am totally spoiled to the connivance of the I pad.  Probably need a new one.  Anyway, this is my third post today, trying to catch up with progress.  Have been making progress and enjoying it so much.  

October Lotto block for guild

Bow tie progress. Decided to added inner border and a  pieced border

Organization of the next Leader Ender project.  Will finish 3 inches/

This is our newest swap in Apple Crispers  

Great retreat

One of my favorite retreats is Lake view in Palestine,TX.  Good friends and lots of sewing.  Includes a days visit to Common Threads Quilt Shop and The Dove,s Nest for lunch. Really good day. This retreat I got quite a bit done

.  I finished Alex' s quilt top first thing. Then I put together Cassie's quilt top.   This was a lot to get done. Then I began stitching a kit I bought of pyramids.  Had a really great time.

Crochet time

Finally got bite by the crochet bug.  First I started with Tunisian crochet and a wash cloth with three different stitches. Now I'm working on caps for cancer patients. The rest of the Friday knitting group have been making lots of caps already.   I am late to get started, but will try to help too. When I went to Dallas to see D.D and D G D and was working on a cap,

 Cap for Chemo patient

  Ashleigh saw it she wanted one too. So, I made one for her.

 Tuscany crochet

Yesterday in the sewing room

After finishing the row quilt, I cleaned up a bit.  Put up pieces I had gotten out, cut up scraps and put these away  (this is so much easier a little at a time) and thought I was going to start on Alex's quilt, however, since I think I'm a little ,or lot, ADD, I spied my leader ender project tiny bow ties and started on that. I put more together and saw what I needed to do next.  I'm really ready to finish this.

I went on and cut out enough to get this done, but the more  I think of it I would like to try a new border instead of just binding.  I probably will need more units cut out and have more sewing, but I want to try.  I also see I'm a little heavy on the pink here.

There are days in my life where I spend the day searching for things.  

One thing that really got me searching was trying to figure out what I had started cutting out for my next leader ender.  I spent a good bit of time looking on Bonnie Hunters blog for the directions.  I remembered it was 2012 challenge she had put out, but for the life of me I couldn't find it.  Now I know everyone else in the world can remember things like what they spent time cutting out of scarps, but not me.  Anyway, last night I happen to find an article she put out on tech questions and she had a link to searching on her blog.  Really learned something too.  It  seems at the top of the blog on the left is a search box above the title of the blog.  Found what I was looking for and how that helped.  Then I made a block so I would know what I was doing.

Is this cute or what.  It finishes 3.5 in.  Ready to start this one too.

In my sewing room

Lately I've done more planning for the row quilt challenge, than sewing.  I've been on the computer looking up stuff, talking to people, getting ideas and sweating .  I have no idea if the row I did is okay, but gave it my best.  The quilt had some problems I had to work around also.  So this is what I've come up with.

I did the very last row.  There is a tree and a cow on here but it so hard to see.  Working in batiks don't show up the work too well.  Looks better in person.  Hope the original person who did the chickens likes it.

Other things have been happening too.  

I attended a basket class at my friend Polly's house with two others and we made baskets.  This is my first to make and it turned out nice.  It's pretty big and roomy.  John suggested I put all my hand projects in it.  Good suggestion.  I have been making a little progress on Alex's quilt. 

Current on going projects in my sewing room

I've going into sewing room much more frequently.  It's been a real treat.  In an effort to organize scraps I landed on several projects to use the scraps and found other projects I had tried years ago..

An apple core I cut a long time ago, now re cutting and using stamp to mark.  I'll be hand sewing this.

The smaller pieces folded and placed in colors and 

the larger pieces folded and layered on top.  Only One drawer of many, but you got to start somewhere.

Cassie, my daughter in law, asked for a black and white with pink quilt.  I've cut the squares so far.  I'll use my go cutter to cut the stripes for the sashing.

Progress on Alex's quilt

My working progress

Lotto block for the Sept. meeting

Finished rosettes hexies so far

So as you can see, I've been doing this and that, but getting there on many.