Grand Illusion Part One

I am working on Bonnie Hunter's Grand Illusion Mystery quilt http://quiltville.blogspot.com/p/grand-illusion-mystery.html part 1.  I started later then most because I was in Connecticut for Thanksgiving week, I got to spend the week with my granddaughter, Ms Chloe Dylan aged 7 months

and  didn't get home until way late on Friday.  Saturday was run around town, getting caught up on stuff day so I didn't start until Sunday.  I am taking my time and going slow as I rushed through the first few clues for Celtic Solstice last year and my parts aren't matching up like they should.  This time I am doing 25 or so HST at a time (about what I get out of a 44/45 wide piece of fabric) and squaring them up before I move on.

Here I have 150 done and have the others cut out and ready to be chain sewn together.  I probably won't  get the yellow and black parts done before tomorrow's clue comes out but at least when I get the parts done this time I know the parts will be the right sizes.

Color me Crazy

Color me crazy but I'm starting another Bonnie Hunter Mystery Quilt next month when I get home from seeing Chloe in Connecticut.  This one is called Grand Illusion  and all the info about it so far can be found here http://quiltville.blogspot.com/p/grand-illusion-mystery.html .  I pulled a lot of the black and neutrals from my stash of fabrics but don't have that much yellow, pinks, greens or teals so I have had to go shopping.  I did luck out last week, Hancock's was having a half off cotton fabrics and I got most of what I needed there.  Picked up a few from Hobby Lobby too as they run 30% off calico and cotton all the time.

Yes the dresser behind it a mess and yes those are dog treats on the ironing board, my doggies are waiting none to patiently for them in the other room.  It's all washed and ready to press and await further instructions.

Another Month Another block and other stuff

Over on Facebook I am a member of the Friendship Quilting Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/477849245677551/, and every month we do a mystery block. We got to chose which fabric(s)  we wanted to use.  Some chose shirting, some chose everyday fabrics, some chose batiks and some brave souls chose them all :).  I chose batiks so every month I make 9 blocks to send of the pattern posted to the group and I get 9 back.  I am working on this months and I'm liking the chose of colors I picked for this month.

Since I can't spend 24/7 at the sewing machine and I like to do other stuff too I have also been crocheting dish cloths for my Etsy Shop, https://www.etsy.com/shop/WithThisNeedle.  These ones are for Christmas but I have been working on ones for Halloween as well.

I took some advice

I made part of yesterday a stay away from the computer day and decided to be creative.  Some one had said in one of the Facebook groups I belong too that you would be surprised how much you get done when you don't spend all day at the computer.  I have to admit I spend more time at the computer then I should so I took this advice to heart.

My husband's niece is getting married next month so I need a few new things to wear.  I will go shopping for some clothes here in the next week or so but wanted to make something new to take along.  Several years ago I made a vest that had all colors of fabric cut and pressed onto interfacing then free stitched all over.  I decided to try something like that again only with Hexes instead.  Well my first attempt as free stitching didn't  go as planned.  I thought well why not just stitch around the hexes kind of like a quilt without it actually being a quilt.

This is kind of what I came up with.  Going to do the other side then go from there.  This vest pattern as a lapel so I'm thinking blue for it and the back, maybe the lining too :)

Coming along, slowly but surely

So last November I stumbled upon a quilter named Bonnie Hunter http://quiltville.blogspot.com/, thanks to a cross stitch buddy named Teri Overton Way http://thisisterri.com/ and she was starting a mystery quilt based on her travels to Ireland over the summer.  I figured how hard can it be??  I've sewn and cross stitched for years and years.  Yeah, it was a bit harder than I expected.  I have never made pinwheels or chevrons before.  It was easier to master the chevrons then the pinwheels.  I finally got the 25 done that I need for this project.  Only one part to go and then I can put it all together.  Not sure if I will do many pinwheels again but you never know.  I’m always up for a challenge.  So anyway here are my pinwheels

Hopefully I will get that last part done and the top put together before the next mystery comes out.  Can't wait for that one.  Bonnie went to the UK this summer.  Been there done that so I can only imagine what she picked for her inspiration. 

Rainy day in Georgia

Well it’s a rainy stormy kind of day here in Georgia today.  So I figured it was a perfect afternoon to work on some quilt squares.  So I decided to get started on a half square triangle quilt I saw on the Missouri Quilt Companies YouTube pagehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L43Uc9H_RUA&hd=1.   I even bought the print charm packs she used; I however have tons of white Kona fabric here so decided to make my own white squares to go with the charm packs.  I am half way through the first set of 3 packs.  Once I get them sewn I will press and cut as described in the video and then go on to the next charm pack.  Here is my progress so far.

It is a nice break from working on Celtic Solstice.  I have my chevrons done, not sure if I want to go back to the pinwheels again (I had such a hard time with them last time I tried) or move on to the last set of blocks.  I know, I know I will eventually have to go back to the pinwheels.  Anyway, here are some of my chevrons.  I still have to trim and square them up.

Now I'm taking a break from sewing to make dinner, 2 of my 3 sons are here and we are having a nice Sunday dinner together.  Steaks and baked potatoes are on the menu but due to weather we will have to cook the steak indoors instead of on the grill.  Remind me to share my baked potato recipe with you all.  I don't microwave them anymore and have even made a convert out of my hubby who will pick french fries anytime.

I tried a fabric box

I decided to try a fabric box that one of the ladies in one of my Facebook quilt groups posted the directions for.  You can go here to see the instructions;  http://seaside-stitches.blogspot.com/2013/03/fabric-box-tutorial.html.

I decided to try and do 8" square, only because I wasn't paying attention and didn't cut straight on one side and had to make it smaller then the directions.

So this is the fabric I decided to go with first of all.  I kind of like the orange and lime green together :)

I was trying to figure out how to quilt it and thought about circles but couldn't get my compass to work right so I used my various sized Hex templates to draw the design on the fabric

I think it turned out pretty nice.  Then I had to build the box which wasn't as hard as I thought.  I did decide that since I made mine smaller then the one in the directions I had to make my corners smaller.  But I think it turned out fine.

Then I turned it right side out and pressed it, sewed the corners down.

Then I added my buttons and it was done.  I have decided that since I take my normal glasses off to sew and use cheaters (and seem to never remember where I put them)I am going to use this cute little box to hold my glasses :)

Another update :)

Well I started practicing to make these quilt squares from the cool pattern on my mother in laws floor the I told you all about in my last post.  I decided to use some odd pieced of fabric to; 1) figure out how many cuts I can get out of one stripe of 45" fabric cut the width I will need and 2) I also needed to figure out how to put the square together since it has 3 different shapes in one block.  Finished it will be 7" x 7" but when sewn together they will be 6.5".  So what do you all think so far?

 These are the pieces  before sewing.

One square put together.

So I have this idea

     I went to visit my new (and first) grand baby early this month.  I can report that Chloe Dylan is a cutie pie and I just love her to pieces.  After we spent a few days in Chicago we went up to Milwaukee to visit my in laws, that wasn't such a fun time.  My father in law wound up in the hospital with congestive heart failure but after 3-1/2 days in the hospital, good nurses, doctors and meds I can report he is home and doing well. But I digress.

     I have always liked the pattern on the floor of my mother in laws bathroom, yeah I know kinda weird, but I looked at it this trip in a whole new light.  I thought to myself, what a cool quilt block this would make, so I too a picture of it with my trusty phone

So then I came home and have drawn it out. No colors yet but I think I know what fabric I'm going to use

I will get back to you when I have something cut out and sewn up :)

Don't you just love mother nature???

Last week we had snow, sleet and freezing rain, and very cold temps for a few days.  Now, today, it's in the high 60's.  Last week this whole town was closed for weather, today we went shopping while up in the Midwest my family is digging out from yet another snow storm.   All things considered I think I'll stay down here in the south a few more months:)

Fun Fun Fun this past week

Well I live in middle Georgia and as you all my know from watching the news this past week we got SNOW!!!.  We didn't have the issues that Atlanta did, our people seem to be smarter here, they closed school and told most nonessential federal, state, county and city workers to stay  home.  We aren't equipped to handle this kind of ice/snow mix here.  We don't have salt trucks and we don't have snow plows so we close down the town and stay home :) This is my backyard.

So what did I do most of my day since I don't do the cold that cames with this snow, I worked on my Celtic Solstice Quilt.  I worked on Chevrons.

I have all the parts cut out and several sewn up so far.  I will do more later today or in the next few days.  the weather has turned nicer (for me anyway hubby liked the cold that came with the snow).  I may have to go outside tomorrow and help trim the Crepe Myrtles, it's getting to be that time of year.

I forgot it!!

I forgot to mention that I finished Lily of the Valley back in the summer.  I took her up to Hobby Lobby and Lynn the lady who runs the frame shop helped me pick out the mats to frame her with.  I was going to go for the greens but she said NOPE, to much green in the fairy itself, let's try to pick up the blues instead.  Boy was she right!  It turned out so nice and I even won a ribbon at the Georgia National Fair in September.  I was so please.

So I have taken Lily off the WIP portion of the list and added Angel of Love.  I will have to post a picture of that one when I'm done with her for the week. At some point I will have to start the Emerald Mermaid to go along with Lily and the Letter M I have already stitched.  I am after all a Mary who was born in the month of May and my soon to be granddaughter is also going to be here in the month of May, what great things to pass down to her.

Happy Stitching Everyone!!!!

This was easier then I thought

I am still plugging away on my Celtic Solstice Mystery quilt.  I have given up for the moment on pinwheels and will work on other parts then come back to them.  I don't know why I am having such a hard time getting the points to match. I have been sewing for way to many years and just don't get why I'm having this trouble.  I actually bite my hubbies head off yesterday when he came into my sewing room to ask me something.  I had, after 2 hours, had made 2 successfully,  I later came out and apologized.  I had very good luck with my 4 patch.

So today I will do Chevrons and then the last  part before I go back to pinwheels.  Hopefully I will get over the aggravation of doing them.

I also started cross stitching a cute little baby gift for my upcoming granddaughter.  I can't post pictures yet just in case my daughter in law or son happen by this blog post.  Also working on another baby afghan.  So I am a busy, busy lady.

Oiy I'm working on quilts again :)

I have taken up quilting again after several years of not working on any at all.  I am finding it a bit more of a challenge then I thought but am enjoying the process anyway.

               I picked a fun one to dive back into.  I am working on a Bonnie Hunter Mystery called Celtic Solstice http://quiltville.blogspot.ca/2013/10/2013-mystery-time-introducing-celtic.html.  The part giving the biggest head ache so far are the pinwheels.  I have done part 1, haven’t done part 2, took a break from the pinwheels and am working on the 4 patch.   I will have to stop at the store tomorrow and get some more green fabric as I don’t have enough for the chevrons that I’m skipped.  I guess I’ll try tackling the pinwheels again after I finish the 4 patch squares.

This is my poor pinwheel, my points don't all match right.  I had to take a break from them was getting very irritated that they weren't doing what the should.