Jamestown Landing--Part 2

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

I'm still assembling units for my Jamestown Landing quilt. When you need over eight hundred HSTs, it can take some time!

HSTs sewn and cut

HSTs pressed and trimmed

I think these rascals may be too small to save, even for a Bonnie Hunter quilt!

I'm still working on them. :)  I'm also doing the 4.5" string blocks, but more about that at a later time.


Back to trimming!

Allietare--Fifth Clue

We're up to week five of the 2015 Bonnie Hunter Mystery Quilt--Allietare.


This week was a fairly easy clue--after last week, I think we all needed easy! No cutting--just assembly of things we already had.

Clue Six comes out on New Year's Day--happy sewing, everyone.




You can find Bonnie's instructions for Clue 5 HERE.

My first completed clue is posted HERE.
My second completed clue is HERE.
My third completed clue is HERE.
My fourth completed clue is HERE.


I'm linking to the Monday Mystery Link-Up, Part 5 at Quiltville.

Allietare--Fourth Clue

Week four of the Bonnie Hunter Mystery Quilt for 2015--Allietare.



Red, black, and neutral this week to form these trapeziodal units.

They took some time, but I stopped along the way for some refreshment.

This is a Vernaccia--a Tuscan white from San Gimignano. Bonnie's blog entries from her visit there can be found HERE and HERE.





My lovely step-daughter sent beautiful flowers to me for Christmas (Thanks, again!). The first thought I had? Allietare flowers!

If Bonnie had been the florist, I'm sure she would have chosen a range of neutrals rather than only white. :)

Clue Five comes out the day after Christmas. Happy Holidays everyone.




You can find Bonnie's instructions for Clue 4 HERE.

My first completed clue is posted HERE.
My second completed clue is HERE.
My third completed clue is HERE.


I'm linking to the Monday Mystery Link-Up, Part 4 at Quiltville.

Another New Book

When I saw this book on the blog, Jo's Country Junction, I knew I wanted to have it--who doesn't have fat quarters needing a quilty home?

Click to order your own copy!

75 Fun Fat-Quarter Quilts. Complied by Roxane Cerda. Lafayette, CA: C&T Publishing, 2015.

The idea is wonderful--14 designers, each demonstrating variations of a quilt design. There are thirteen different quilt patterns included, yet with the different layouts and color choices, it feels like there are many more.


Jo Kramer and her daughter, Kelli Hanken, took the Churn Dash block and created seven different really lovely looks with it. You can see some of them HERE.


I recommend this book--such great ideas--and I really like the concept of variations on a theme. The instructions and diagrams are clear and easy-to-follow.


And, also cool, Jo and Kelli signed my copy!

I am not a paid reviewer; I simply like to pass along great things/ideas I find. Best wishes and may your seams be straight . :)

Allietare--Third Clue

Gold and neutral four-patches this week in Bonnie Hunter's Mystery!

I added a little fun:

A British pedestrian and a French hen!

What a great mystery--the steps are doable in the time allotted, and the units aren't complicated to create!

Thanks, Bonnie!



You can find her Mystery Monday Link Up for Clue 3  HERE.

My first completed clue is posted HERE.
My second completed clue is HERE.

In the Lab--Jamestown Landing: Part 1

I'm experimenting in the sewing lab today.


Last Christmas, my daughter's family gave me a copy of Bonnie Hunter's String Fling. (Thanks, again!)

Click HERE to preview the quilts and order the book.

I've been through it several times and want to make nearly everything, but I kept coming back to "Jamestown Landing."

Click HERE for a link to the image site.

I don't like blue very much, but I thought I would really like to make it in reds, so I've been seeing how the units go together.



I've foundation pieced before, but never on telephone pages as Ms. Hunter does, so I gave it a try.

It worked like a charm!




The quilt also needs HSTs (lots of them!), so I paired some fabrics and made them the 8-at-a-time way and then trimmed them down.

Because of the squares I began with, this created a bit more waste than I would have liked, but I already had the squares cut, and scrappy means using what you have, right? This method also means that I have eight HSTs that are alike, but I think in the grand scheme of things, that isn't going to show up very much!




After a couple of hours of play, here's what I have:

Just a fraction of the numbers I will need, but now that I've been through the process, I can prepare the components for more and work on them as I get the chance.


That's it from the Mad Quilter's Lab today!

Christmas Strings Part V--Finished!

I finished the Christmas String quilt.

Lots of little pieces--lots of holiday cheer.

The backing is the same red I used on the front, and the binding is patterned with pinecones on a dark green ground. The green stars in the quilt have glitter--I wonder how it will wash? Everything we own that goes through the washer and dryer may be festive for a while! :)

It is so nice to post a finish instead of a WiP. Now off to the wash.

I'm linking with A Quilting Reader's Garden, and Fiber Tuesday at The Quilting Room with Mel.

Allietare--Second Clue

I finished clue two of Bonnie Hunter's mystery quilt, Allietare.


You can find her link HERE.

My first completed clue is posted HERE.


Red, grey and neutrals--I got the burst of color I wished for.

 I couldn't resist adding a little whimsy:

Sock Monkeys!

I'm having a great time with this--ready for next week!

I'm linking with Bonnie Hunter's Allietare! Mystery Monday Link-Up, Part 2. 

Allietare--First Clue

I got my first clue done for Bonnie Hunter's Allietare mystery quilt. 

You can get the introduction here and the first clue here.

Lots of little pieces! These are smaller units than I usually work with, so I'm doing something new already--I wanted to learn from and refine techniques with the mystery.

Not a lot of color yet, but the grey/neutrals are quiet and calming.

My fabric choices are in this earlier blog post: Fabrics

Can't wait to see what is in store next week!

I am linking with Quiltville's Mystery Monday, Allietare Part 1.

Christmas Strings Part IV

It seems I've been working on this quilt forever!

Auditioned borders and bindings today--I decided to go fairly conservative and use the red I used in the quilt for the border as well. I chose a dark green/brown for the binding.

Now to measure, cut, and apply!

I'm linking with Confessions of a Fabric Addict. 

Allietare--Bonnie Hunter's 2015 Mystery

I promised myself that if Bonnie Hunter's mystery this year was based on colors from her trip to Tuscany, I would participate. It is! You can find her introduction here.



I went through my stash and pulled some fabrics this morning.

Reds

Golds

Neutrals

The grey and the black at the bottom will be constants.

I'm sure I have chosen more than I need, but I can pick and choose among them as the mystery progresses. First clue: Friday, 27 November 2015. I can't wait!

Trunk Full of Quilts

 

Soma from the blog Whims and Fancies is holding an online trunk show. It's a chance to post your favorite quilts and to see the wonderful quilts created by other bloggers.







Here are some of my 2015 favorite finishes:

Churn Dash and Greek Cross

I-Spy Bowtie

Autumn Path (Bricks and Stepping Stones)

Flowing Flowers

Calico Sunny Lanes

Shoo-Fly Variation

Paisley Mystery Quilt

Random Ohio Stars

Check out all the beautiful quilts in this online trunk show at Whims and Fancies. You will be astounded at the variety and beauty of the quilters' works.

Random Ohio Stars--Finished!

I've been working on this one for a while, but thanks to the challenge from Jo of Jo's Country Junction, it is done. <applause>


I always loved looking at this pattern--it can be found on Bonnie Hunter's blog. Something about the combinations of sizes and fabrics really speaks to me.

Here are a few detail photos, including one of the borders and binding.

I even pieced the back, using my trial blocks and some that lacked a sufficient contrast between fabrics.

Thanks so much Jo for the impetus to finish. Onward and upward!


I'm linking to Jo's Country Junction UFO Challenge and Prairie Sewn Studios.

Another Mystery Quilt

I really love making mystery quilts! On a forum to which I belong, a lovely lady drafts mysteries for the readers to do--free of charge! She gives great instructions and feedback, and the journey is always fun.


This mystery quilt is from Feb/Mar 2015. I got the quilt back from the longarm quilter in April, but since it is so big (90" x 120"), I had trouble getting a photograph. Finally, I just did the best I could, so I could be sure to have a record of it after it is given as a gift.

Here are a couple of close-ups. The triangles and the border of each block are all done in various colors of paisley.

In this shot of the four patches before they were sewn with the other elements, you can see that the red is a marbled fabric and that the neutrals are several different fabrics.

Here you can see the blocks--two four-patches and two HSTs.

The blocks were bordered and sashed,

then sewn together.

As usual, I had some help with the quilt. Nothing slides around while my quilt stabilizer, Dac, is on duty!

This is a tale of the quilt that grew and grew. I thought I was done, when she (the quilt) told me she needed a border: "You're not going to send me out into the world with just this skinny little sashing, are you?" So, though she was already huge, I added a paisley border--I think she was right; she DID need it.


This is one I had to send out to be quilted--there is no way I could have done the quilting at home on my domestic sewing machine. My quilter, Penny, also did the binding. When the quilt came home, she just felt done--and she was.


This is planned as a special Christmas gift.  I'm sure the quilt will love her new home, and I think the recipient will love her as well.




I'm linking with Cooking Up Quilts: MCM #41 and Quilt Story: Fabric Tuesday #254 .