Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Quiltville Mystery Quilts Parade

In order of when Bonnie offered them, here are my previous mystery quilts:
**some of these quilt patterns are still free online at Quiltville, others are in Bonnie's books**

1. Carolina Crossroads was the first mystery quilt Bonnie offered online in 2007.  I joined the quiltvillechat yahoo group after it had started so I decided to join in on the next mystery.  Finally in June of 2010 I started working on it and after about a year I finished it!  I loved Bonnie's colors so I didn't change anything and I gave it to my brother Sam and his wife Tiffany.

2. Orange Crush was the second mystery, but was actually my first!  Made in Spring of 2008--in the beginning there was more than one mystery per year. I didn't change up any colors for this one either.  This is the quilt that made me fall in love with scrappy!  I gave it to Kathy's niece Megan and have been wanting it back ever since!

3. Tobacco Road was the August 2008 mystery.  I didn't make this one at the time either.  I was teaching and had WAY too much prep to do since I was using a different curriculum than I had always used.  Kathy and I later went back and tag teamed on this one. It doesn't have a home yet.

4. Double Delight was the January 2009 mystery.  This one is on my bed and is the first time I used cheddar.  Cheddar is now an absolute favorite of mine!

5. Christmas Lights was a Quiltmaker mystery that Bonnie designed starting in the July/August 2009 issue. It is our Christmas Quilt.  It was much easier than the previous mysteries since it was only three parts.  It is still a great design and was really fun to make!

6. Carolina Christmas was the next online mystery in 2009.  This is the first one that I decided to mess with the colors!  I had just done a Christmas quilt and wanted something with purple in it for my daughter Hannah.  Here is the result.  

7. Roll, Roll, Cotton Boll was the 2010 mystery.  This was my first time making string blocks.  I didn't like them--then suddenly I LOVED them.  This one is still at my house--I have a hard time parting with Bonnie's quilts!

8. Orca Bay/Green Bay was the 2011 mystery.  I didn't have the colors Bonnie suggested  in the right quantities and so I decided to use two fat quarter stacks of greens and golds.  Near the end I suddenly realized I had a PACKER quilt!  I gave it to Randy--it was so hard to part with!

9. Easy Street was the 2013 mystery. This quilt was given to my god-daughter Kelsey for her high school graduation.  

10. Lazy Sunday was a four part mystery in Quiltmaker magazine starting in March/April of 2013.  I was inspired by a Better Homes and Gardens palette and changed up Bonnie's colors.  It doesn't have a home yet either--and in fact just came off Ros' longarm a day or two ago.  I will get it on Saturday and will get it bound soon. 

11.  Celtic Solstice is going to be number I have changed up the colors and am hoping that it will be another Packer colored quilt.  


12. Grand Illusion 



13. Allietare!
14. En Provence


I have enjoyed making each and every one of these quilts and my understanding of quilting, color, quarter inch seams, etc. has really grown with each quilt Bonnie offers.  Step by step (and with awesome pictures) I can sew anything.  How many Bonnie mysteries have you made?
P.S. If you want to see all the Bonnie quilts (not just the mysteries) check out my Quiltvile Parade page.  
Thanks to Kathy for inspiring me to create my own parade of Bonnie Hunter Mystery Quilts!  

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Lazy Sunday Quiltmaker/Quiltville Mystery Quilt is Quilted!

Lazy Sunday started out as a pile of fabrics picked from the paints in a Better Homes and Gardens Magazine....

And now thanks to Ros it is quilted!  


 Close ups of the edge to edge feather quilting she did.



And a few pictures of the backing.  Most of which was from the freebie table at PHXMQG.  I got lucky and got a whole stack of one line of fabric and added the pink I had in my own stash--worked our perfectly for me!  Thanks mystery donor!

Sunday, November 24, 2013

Another Taste of Rock Candy!

 
 I did get in some sewing this weekend despite making homemade chicken soup, Chicken Mahkani, pumpkin bread and spice bars this weekend and watching an incredibly long, nail biting Packer game--which ended in a tie--WHAT!  I made several sets of hand warmers to send back to the boys in Wisconsin that are on my Christmas list.
 I took a picture of four of the Rock Candy tabletoppers we had already made (one we gave to Lexi when she was here).  These Halloween ones will go to my sister, sister in law and mom for Christmas.  LOL they won't be able to use them til next year, but it was SO much fun to make them with Halloween fabric.
 Here is a shot of my quilts and backings in my guest room closet!  So happy to get them out of the drawer they were stuffed in, and I am sure Ros will be happy about that too!  I am seriously getting behind on getting them quilted, but the budget just isn't allowing me to go nuts just now.

 This is block FIFTEEN of Wild and Goosey.  Slow and Steady I say.
 Kathy has been working on quilting this block by block and is at this very moment attaching the last two rows!  She will be giving it to a friend of hers for Christmas.
 We both got our 35th Ave. BOM done (mine is pictured).  In December we will get the instructions to put the whole thing together!
 Bug has found a new place to keep warm..in the leftover bits and batting bucket which has been out while Kathy has been working on quilting block by block.
 Saturday morning Randy and I went to the Swap Meet in Mesa.  I got some Christmas gifts (which I spent some time organizing and wrapping today) and I got us three different things for our Packer guest room.  It is coming together.
 I also made my pressing board.
 I played in my button collection.
 I made the first ornament for the online swap I signed up for (on yahoo, not a blogger).  Free tutorial is at Bugs and Fishes.
 Then I made ornament number two for the same swap.  The free tutorial is at  Stumbles and Stitches I also made an extra one...

 Then I made thirteen more in Celtic Solstice colors for the gals who are coming to In Stitches this Saturday for our Sew-Off party!  Shh, Ros don't tell the others..I think you are the only one that reads my blog from the group.  I even made an extra one to send to Bonnie!


 Then I made these two Packer Rock Candy tabletoppers for the Packer guest room too.  We have plans to make more (Kathy does the quilting, I did the rest) in Packer colors too.
 Here is one on the table!

We also spray basted and pinned the baby quilt for Ashley's baby girl.  I really meant to quilt this this weekend, but I ran out of time!  I should also mention that this Marmalade Squares baby quilt (free pattern on Moda Bake Shop) has an updated pattern on there now.  You may remember I had a slight rant about my difficulty with the pattern.  I never thought it would find its way to the creator of the pattern--Katie of Swim, Bike, Quilt  but it did.  She was gracious enough to write me and apologize for the error and let me know things had been corrected.  I feel bad to not just have emailed her and mentioned my problem--but really didn't think she would take notice of it.  So big shout out to the enormously talented Katie!  I will be making this quilt again--because I really do love it!


Here is Kathy's Crossroads Quilt for Susan--she finished while I was still blogging!  I think I can hear her doing the scrappy binding now!

Sunday, November 17, 2013

Florabunda!

I finished all the blocks and then mixed them up and sewed the flimsy!  It needs a good pressing and a backing, but this one is off my list!

Saturday, November 16, 2013

Packer Guest Room and Florabunda Progress

 Last Thursday our floor guy came and put hardwood in the guest bedroom (now that Randy has moved down the street there is a guest bedroom!).  Kathy had already painted it green and gold since we decided we needed a Packer room.  I hung a fabric shower curtain and we put up a new shade too.  I am now collecting Packer decor.  I gathered up my couple of Packer gnomes, my scarf and the cool high heel packer mini shoe I got this past summer.
 He also put wood on our landing!  So once again we emptied and moved and refilled the quilt cabinet on the stairs.  THAT is getting old!

 Friday after work we picked up Colton!  We had fun hanging with him at my mom's while she and dad are in Cabo.  We watched Monsters University and read him stories and worked on crawling too.  He looks like he is going to be a scooter because he prefers to sit and lean more than trying to crawl.  Not enough tummy time for these babies that sleep on their backs!
I had a migraine this afternoon and so I didn't go to the PHXMQG.  I tried to take a nap which really was more me laying there waiting for the pain to diminish.  UGH.  In the late afternoon I finally got to sewing.  Kathy quilted two of the Rock Candy tabletoppers we had done and I bound this one.
 I have sewn all but these in my Florabunda stack.  Below is today's progress!  I am tired of sewing these blocks already...but hoping I can just get it to the top stage in the next two weeks.

 Here are all the blocks I have made so far.  It was super nice that our guest room doesn't have much furniture in it yet so I could close all the animals out and lay this out!  (And it is still in there undisturbed--GLEE!).

I am linking up with Jo's Country Junction for the Bonnie Challenge.  Check out everyone's progress and post your own!
P.S. Happy Birthday to my Dad--I miss him everyday!

Happy National Quilting Day!

I participated in the National Quilting Day sewalong on the Modern Quilt Studio page.  We sewed Friends all Around.  Here is my first block....