More Mysteries than Ever!

New Year's sewing weekend was a lot of fun!  My health cooperated and I was able to sew two days in a row!  I put our usual Burgendy Beef in the crockpot (with organic soup which still gave me a bit of a migraine, darn).

 This pic is the start of BJ's Nuts and Bolts mystery.  While I was waiting for my mystery to start I worked on my Chilhowie blocks but once the mystery started there was not time to get back to them!

BJ started out with her Cuts and Bolts mystery (the rest of us did not cut that one out) and then switched over to the Sparking New Year mystery with me, Barb, and Becky sewing along.  Andrea joined us but worked on one of her Quiltville UFO's since she just moved and was still unpacking her stash.  

Mine have the strawberries and Becky's have the mushrooms.  

As you can see there are a zillion hst's in this quilt and they had us make them "eight at a time" which is not the easiest or most accurate for me.  I much prefer using Bonnie's Essential Triangle Tool.  I can make them with that and almost none need any size adjustment.  The way we did them for this mystery you had to use a scant seam (even though you had to draw lines) and so some where big and some were small.  I am still trimming them (almost 500 of them) and this clearly was not a one day mystery.  Many people complained, but I think Craftsy just did not explain well that this was not to be completed at the time.  It was frustrating how fast they seemed to think we could sew. I do love the pattern, but will not be attempting other one of their's in real time.  

                                                    

BJ's in progress above.

On Sunday Becky had other plans so she did not join us, but the rest of us were back at it.  Again I started out the day sewing Chilhowie while waiting for a clue and was able to make some good progress, I hit it every time there was a lull in the Merry Mayhem #176 mystery.  

This was a doable one day mystery.  I had it complete (sans borders) by the time the last mystery started at 2 PM.  

I used fall fabrics.  Barb used Scooby-Doo!

BJ's blocks so far.

I forgot to get a pic of us all sewing, but here are some of us!

My top.

I was able to get the borders on between clues of the last mystery and then I went back to Chilhowie between.  I pretty much tabled the Sparkling New Year other than Kathy helped me with trimming (still not done) and I ironed and stacked as much as I could.

                                        

One the Mystery Quilts Anon Tea Party started we were off and running on that.  Everyone set aside the other stuff for the most part and worked on this one.  The last clue did not come out til midnight my time or something so I knew it would not get completed on Sunday!

This pic is as far as I made it that day.

Below with the browns is Barb's.

BJ's blocks are these:

Yesterday I sewed the block below and then today Barb got hers done (above).  

The last clue got done today too.  

I also managed to sew some more Chilhowie yesterday and finished up the clue today.  I am ready for Friday's clue again!

Super fun so far.  Plenty more to go!   

Merry Mayhem Mystery Prep and More!

Hannah (and Jeremy) loved the Pine Tree Point RSC quilt they got for Christmas.  Hannah gave me some fun stuff too.  A book and a mug that were on my list--I have read all but four or five of the books on this mug so I plan to read the rest this year.  I just need to get my hands on them.

Yesterday I finished clue four of R Trail.  Lots of counting and recounting happened in order to get to this point, but done!

I completed my book challenge scratch off for the year.

Hannah and Jeremy got me Parks!  So excited to have this game as I accidently bought a different National Park game (which I have sent on to Coleman and family) because it was not what I was thinking!  

Kathy and I played this one last night.  It was fun, though we do not have it all down yet.  We plan to watch more videos and play again soon.  Have not been gaming as much since I am reading and sewing.  I miss it!

This last picture is sideways, but today Barb and I prepped for the Merry Mayhem New Year's Day mystery quilt.  It only took a few hours so if you want to join in you have plenty of time to catch up!  Free clues until after the mystery then you have to purchase the pattern.  I found a layer cake to use for this one (Kathy had me get myself fabric for Christmas) and the one I liked that was not an arm and a leg was a Christmas one, so someone else will be getting a Christmas quilt next year.

This was last year's Merry Mayhem mystery...still not quilted.
 

This was from the year before.  

Are you doing any mysteries for the new year?  I LOVE mysteries!

New Year's Mysteries

New Year's Eve I started working on the Party Poppers Mystery Quilt from the Facebook Mystery Quilts Anonymous group. Debi is the designer and she lives in New Zealand so she started on her New Year's Day which meant I got to start on New Year's Eve.  Unfortunately , by the third clue I was ready for bed!  

On New Year's Day I sewed up some of clue three (there were glitches and delays with my next mystery) but finished up clue three on Sunday.  Today I finally put the blocks into a top.

All the completed stacks of blocks.

Party Poppers!  I love the movement in this top.  I should add a border of some sort to bring out the birds better but for now, it is done.

On New Year's Day I started working on the Merry Mayhem Medallion Mystery quilt.  

Spent the entire day sewing with Barb and Becky who were also working on it.  Was a super fun marathon on sewing online.  

 Next up is back to working on Grassy Creek clue five.   I have cut the corners for it and dug out the light blue strings (I am using those instead of grey) and today the paper arrived.  I discovered that I did not have a phone book of the right size!  Thursday another clue comes out for the Morewood Mystery too (and I have bloodwork and two medical tests in the morning) so I am down to two mysteries, whew!