Showing posts with label Bonnie Hunter. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bonnie Hunter. Show all posts

Sunday 29 November 2015

Allietare Bonnie Hunter Mystery Quilt 2015 - Part 1

Allietare Bonnie Hunter Mystery Quilt 2015 - Part 1
Allietare Bonnie Hunter Mystery Quilt 2015 - Part 1
I am pleased to say that I have started the Allietare Mystery Quilt for 2015!  I wait all year for the details of the annual mystery and it hasn't been until today that I have been able to get hold of my rotary cutter and get going on it!  Here are just some of the half square triangles that I machine pieced today, but I am pleased to say that all the units for Part 1 of Allietare are complete.
Allietare Bonnie Hunter Mystery Quilt 2015 - Part 1
Allietare Bonnie Hunter Mystery Quilt 2015 - Part 1
Last week I shared my alternative Allietare Mystery Quilt fabric selection with you.  Since then there has been a slight change in plan with the original pink being swapped for tan.  As I mentioned, this quilt is going to have a home in the bedroom, matching the checked curtain fabric which you can see behind the bundles.  The pink was nice, but on closer inspection the fleck of colour in the curtain fabric was tan, not pink - no worries, there is plenty of tan in my stash!  Working with just the neutrals and the constant today meant I didn't have to make any final decisions about the combination of the other colours - maybe that will be next week ...
Allietare Mystery Quilt 2015 - Part 1, Neutrals
Allietare Mystery Quilt 2015 - Part 1, Neutrals

One of the reasons I enjoy the Bonnie's Mystery Quilt each year is because it is a chance to reacquaint myself with my fabric scraps and my fabric stash.  In this selection of neutrals there is the remainder of the Jo Morton fabric which I used for the Humble Quilts Miniature Doll Quilt Swap back in May, the button fabric which first showed its face in the Celtic Solstice Mystery quilt in 2013, and a fat quarter of feather fabric which I knew I would use 'some day' - it certainly justifies those random purchases.
1501 Sherwood Fern fabric Henly Studio Makower
Allietare Mystery Quilt 2015 - Part 1, Constant

My constant is this two tone green fabric 'Sherwood Fern' (1501) by Henley Studio. I have enjoyed watching the different combinations appear as I pressed them open with the iron and am pleased with my colour combination so far.

Creative Grids 45 / 90 Triangle Ruler
Creative Grids 45 / 90 Triangle Ruler
As on previous times, I am using the Creative Grids 45 / 90 Triangle Ruler.  The shape and the lines on this ruler are different to the Easy Angle Ruler which Bonnie recommends, so I had a few trial runs to make sure I came up with the right size half square triangle unit.


Sewing machine maintenance
Sewing machine maintenance
I also spent some time before I started to do a bit of maintenance I gave my machine a thorough clean with a brush, a blow of my aerosol duster, a new needle, lots of bobbins wound and making sure my single needle plate was in place - this accessory really does make sewing triangles FUN!

Suzi the cat - Allietare Mystery Quilt 2015
Suzi the cat - Allietare Mystery Quilt 2015
Suzi the cat did show her face today.  She learnt to sew whilst making the Easy Street Mystery Quilt in 2012, but has not been as enthusiastic this time around.  To be fair, the weather here is horrendous - wet, windy and not the sort of day you should leave the house.  She has chosen to snooze all day, oblivious to the weather and the launch of the major sewing event of the year. 

I will be linking up on Monday to the Quiltville blog and can't wait to see other fabric combinations.  Thank you Bonnie!

BTW; Bonnie's  quilt works out 7872 sq" - part 1 is just 8.4% of the total!
 

Wednesday 18 November 2015

Allietare Bonnie Hunter Mystery Quilt 2015 - Introduction


Easy Street Mystery Quilt 2012
Easy Street Mystery Quilt 2012
Welcome to the Bonnie Hunter Mystery Quilt journey for 2015!  This will be my third Mystery quilt.  The first one I did was Easy Street in 2012.  I managed to keep up and get the top done by January 2013.  Quilting has been another matter, but I am pleased to say that it is now quilted and in use.

Celtic Solstice Mystery Quilt 2013
Celtic Solstice Mystery Quilt 2013
In 2013 I joined in the Celtic Solstice Mystery Quilt.  This time my sister joined me and we had great fun getting the tops complete.  This one is not quilted yet, but is pencilled in for Spring 2016.  This time last year I was all set to join in with the Grand Illusion Mystery Quilt, but life took over as it often does. 
Allietare! - Bonnie Hunter Fabric Selection
Allietare! - Bonnie Hunter Fabric selection

Bonnie has really chosen a pretty selection of colours this year - rich reds, warm golds, a grey to throw forward the colour, black and her usual neutrals.  There are a lot of neutral fabrics required for this quilt and there are rumours going about that there will be lots of strip piecing, similar to her beautiful Orca Bay quilt which you can find in her books.   Her colour inspiration comes from her trip to Italy and you can see the detail of her colour inspiration on her blog.


Allietare! - Fabadashery Fabric Selection
Allietare! - Fabadashery Fabric selection
To keep up with tradition I will not be using the same colour scheme.  My colour inspiration is not as exotic as an Italian holiday, but the curtains in our bedroom.  I know that the dark green fabric at the top will be my constant, the neutral  will be my neutral, but still deciding on the mix of the other colours.  I have plenty of grey and pink, but I am struggling finding the right shade of pale green.  It is always a risk mixing up the colours, but as long as I keep neutral neutral I am ready for the ride! With the decision made the first job is to restore order to my workroom, the fabric selection process has been traumatic to say the least.

9 days to go!

Saturday 24 October 2015

Colourwave Workshop with Jan Hassard

Colourwave Workshop with Jan Hassard
Colourwave Quilt with Jan Hassard
I have been on a quilting workshop today with Bristol quilter, Jan Hassard, at Busy Bees Patchwork in Newport.  Here you can see the blocks I completed today pinned to my design wall.  It was a great day where we got an insight into how Jan works her magic with colour, but as always, too short and you wish you could spend the next 48 hours completing the project.
Jan sent instructions beforehand, so that we could do most of our fabric cutting beforehand, which was great, as it gave us more time during the day to actually focus on the design and machine stitch some strips together.  I am using batiks for this project, largely from the generous bundle I won from The Objects of Design, over a year ago.

Along with this, my head is full of ideas of projects I want to do.  Dear Jane is keeping me quiet, but I need to catch up with my Miniature Block of the Month, I am making a quilt for our camper van, and I have quilts to quilt.  Also, I am finding it hard to settle as I am quite sure Bonnie Hunter is due to release details of her 2015 Mystery Quilt soon ....

Tuesday 18 November 2014

Grand Illusion - Bonnie Hunter Mystery Quilt 2014 - Introduction

Fabric Selection - Grand Illusion Mystery Quilt 2014
It's that time again - Bonnie Hunter has launched her annual Mystery Quilt for 2014 - Grand Illusion.  She launched it way back in mid-October and caught me off-guard and it hasn't been until now that I have had the chance to put my mind to it.
 
This year I have decided to NOT do scrappy.  I need to make a quilt / pair of quilts in a particular colour scheme using warm greys and soft blues, so I have opted to use the mystery quilt as the pattern using the above fabrics.   It took a while to get to that decision - I should have taken a picture of my workroom - it was covered in fat quarters as I auditioned colours for the quilt. It's a mystery quilt, so I will be living on the edge to see if this colour scheme works.

The first part will be launched on Friday 28th November, only 10 days to go!

NB: Feb 2015 - This is as far as this one got, sadly I didn't get to join in for 2014, but only a few more months until 2015 is released!

Sunday 2 February 2014

Bonnie Hunter's Celtic Solstice Mystery Quilt 2013 - Update

Bonnie Hunter's Celtic Solstice Mystery Quilt 2013
Bonnie Hunter's Celtic Solstice Mystery Quilt 2013
I just had a call from my sister reminding me that there was a Link UP for Bonnie Hunter's Celtic Solstice 2013 Mystery Quilt today, so I thought I had better put up a post.
Bonnie Hunter's Celtic Solstice Mystery Quilt 2013
Bonnie Hunter's Celtic Solstice Mystery Quilt 2013
I haven't done anything more to the quilt since you last saw it at the beginning of January, but I have been busy sourcing a suitable binding and backing for it.
'California Girl' line by Fig Tree and Co for Moda
'California Girl' line by Fig Tree and Co for Moda

The fabric I have found for the back is part of the 'California Girl' line by Fig Tree and Co for Moda.  I had used a yellow colour way of this print in the actual quilt, but had originally only bought a fat quarter.  Once I saw this lighter background, I decided it would be perfect for the back.  The range was distributed several years ago, and I have spent quite a lot of time sourcing it on the internet.  Several shops had it, but no more.  Some shops still have it, but only in small yardage, which will not be enough for a back.  As a result I have had to buy bits from here and there, and slowly they are arriving in packages in the post.  Once it has all arrived, I just need to get some wadding and there is nothing to stop me starting the quilting ....

Sunday 5 January 2014

Part 6 - Bonnie Hunter's Celtic Solstice Mystery Quilt 2013, the BIG REVEAL

Celtic Solstice Mystery Quilt 2013 (Bonnie Hunter) completed
Celtic Solstice Mystery Quilt 2013 (Bonnie Hunter)
Firstly, a BIG THANK YOU to Bonnie at Quiltville for the 2013 Celtic Solstice Mystery quilt.  Another lovely quilt pattern, an exciting journey shared with quilters all around the world and an excuse to sew over the holidays. What a beautiful result!

Celtic Solstice Mystery Quilt 2013 (Bonnie Hunter)
Celtic Solstice Mystery Quilt 2013 Quiltville
Here is my version.  I wanted a 'summer' quilt, and I think I have achieved that.  I am also really pleased that Bonnie gave us two sizes to choose from.  I went for the smaller size, which is plenty big enough for my needs.
Celtic Solstice Quilt - Electric Quilt software Mystery 2013
Celtic Solstice Quilt - Electric Quilt software
As I usually buy fat quarters, I didn't have enough matching fabric to do a wide border, and in the end decided to experiment with a few ideas using my EQ5 software to work out what was feasible. There was a long auditioning process...
Celtic Solstice Mystery Quilt - Borders 2013
Celtic Solstice Mystery Quilt - Borders
In the end I have got a 1.5" neutral inner border, the pieced border laid out in a dog tooth border pattern, then another 1.5" neutral border, and finally a green patterned binding.  The binding is a Kaffe Fassett "Lime Paperweight" print which I have included in the quilt.  At the moment I don't have enough for the whole binding, so I need to source some before I can go any further.
Marbleous Jacquard - Robert Kaufman fabrics #6595
Marbleous Jacquard - Robert Kaufman fabrics #6595
The neutral I am using for the borders is a Marbleous Jacquard fabric by Robert Kaufman.  There is a different weave within the fabric which adds a slight texture to the print.  You don't see them very often, so when I do I snap them up.  Because of the different weave, they do tend to fray a bit, so until I am ready to quilt the Celtic Solstice quilt, I am going to pin the fabric to the quilt top and add it when that moment arrives.  No promises when that will be ...

Bad Example - Missing points! machine quilting
Bad Example - Missing points!
As you know I am usually hand piecing my Nearly Insane quilt.  With the English paper piecing method it is really easy to make sure all your points match, and to man handle pieces to fit it together.   
Good Example - matching points machine quilt piecing
Good Example - matching points
With the machine, making the points match ALL the time seemed to be impossible.  I think the split square triangles were the cause of most of the problems.  Some of them seemed to have had lost their seam allowance, so it made it impossible to match up. Bonnie says this is OK.  I had to lie down for a bit.  I enjoy joining in the Mystery quilt to use my machine, but it does remind me how much more control I have when I hand stitch.

Celtic Solstice Mystery Quilt 2013 Bonnie Hunter
Celtic Solstice Mystery Quilt 2013
For now, this is it on the Celtic Solstice Mystery quilt.  I was going to piece the back, but am going to wait until I decide how I am going to quilt it first.  
 

Friday 3 January 2014

Day 9 - Twelve Days of Sewing at Fabadashery

Celtic Solstice Mystery Quilt 2013 - Block Layout
Celtic Solstice Mystery Quilt 2013 - Block Layout
As I said yesterday, a lot of my sewing time at the moment is being taken up with Bonnie Hunter's 2013 Celtic Solstice Mystery Quilt.  Whilst I took a bit of a break from sewing today, I still managed to layout the blocks on the floor, and start to put them together.  It is happening quite quickly, but still a way to go.  At least you get to see a bit of a REVEAL of the final look.

Nearly Insane Quilt - English Paper Piecing
Nearly Insane Quilt - English Paper Piecing

Whilst out and about today, I managed to prepare some of my English paper piecing templates for the next Nearly Insane block. All this was done whilst travelling in the car, and am pleased with the progress on this.  Over Christmas, this project has kept a steady pace, but as always, you wish it was going quicker.
Suzi hasn't much time for sewing today as the weather outside is wild and windy.  There are so many noises and sudden movements going on that she has found a spot to keep an eye on developments. See other busy cats at Feline Friday at Sarah Did It!

Saturday 28 December 2013

Part 5 - Bonnie Hunter's Celtic Solstice Mystery Quilt 2013

Bonnie Hunter's 2013 Celtic Solstice Mystery Quilt?
Bonnie Hunter's 2013 Celtic Solstice Mystery Quilt?
I was please to see some green and neutral for Part 5, as it has helped to calm down my pinks and oranges.   Last year's Easy Street was in lovely colours for the winter, but in the summer it looked a bit odd.  I hope my Australian / New Zealand readers are appreciating the sunny colours I have used!

Celtic Solstice Mystery Quilt 3" units
Celtic Solstice Mystery Quilt 3" units
I have spent a lot of time trimming all the square units, so that I will be ready to go.  Having seen all the different ways that Celtic Solstice participants were storing their blocks, I thought I had better get my house in order. Once trimmed, I have stacked them up in a shoe box, ready for OFF!
Part 5 Celtic Solstice Quilt - Split Square Triangles
Part 5 Celtic Solstice Quilt - Split Square Triangles
 

Day 3 - Twelve Days of Sewing at Fabadashery

Celtic Solstice Quilt - Star Points
Celtic Solstice Quilt - Star Points
Day 3 was mainly focussed on getting up to speed with Bonnie Hunter's Celtic Solstice Quilt.  From previous experience she usually does the BIG REVEAL on New Year's Day, so I want to make sure everything is trimmed and ready to go for when that happens.  I also made the final touches to some presents, which I will show you in due course.

Part 5 Celtic Solstice Quilt - Spilt Square Triangles
Part 5 Celtic Solstice Quilt - Spilt Square Triangles
At midday, Part 5 was released, so I spent the rest of the day making up the one hundred split triangle units required for this stage, and started to trim those as well.

No Nearly Insane cornerstones were done, but then I did get ahead of myself the day before, so everything is still on track.  It is amazing how much sewing can be done when work doesn't get in the way!
Suzi the cat under the Christmas tree
Suzi the cat under the Christmas tree
Suzi has taken to sitting under the Christmas tree whilst it has been up, and that is where I found her for todays photo.

Sunday 22 December 2013

Part 4 - Bonnie Hunter's Celtic Solstice Mystery Quilt 2013

Part 4 - Celtic Solstice Mystery Quilt 2013
Part 4 - Celtic Solstice Mystery Quilt 2013
After sewing all those 4-patches for Part 4 of Bonnie Hunter's Celtic Solstice 2013 Mystery Quilt, it is always fun to play with the blocks and guess the layout.  I must admit I am ready to pull out the green and neutral again, to calm down the overdose of orange, pink and yellow.  It took several sessions to get the 4-patches required for the small quilt, and after the third go, I still have the final count to do.  I hope I have enough - I have presents to wrap! I have presents still to make!

4-Patches for Part 4 Celtic Solstice Mystery Quilt 2013
4-Patches for Part 4 Celtic Solstice Mystery Quilt 2013
My 4-patches are made up from pink and orange fabrics from my stash, which don't have a lot of contrast, unlike the colour combination of Bonnie's colour scheme.  I hope it works out.  Last year, Bonnie threw a rapid fire finish at us, and it caught me unawares, so I am determined to make sure all my blocks are trimmed and in order as we approach the end of December.

Part 4 - Celtic Solstice Quilt, Twosies
Part 4 - Celtic Solstice Quilt, Twosies

Bonnie shared a quick method to pair up the twosies for this stage, but I must admit I like to pretend I can mix the pairs up manually to avoid any repeats, so I did it the old fashioned way.  Obviously, there will be repeats....

Sunday 15 December 2013

Part 3 - Bonnie Hunter's Celtic Solstice Mystery Quilt 2013

Part 3 - Celtic Solstice Mystery Quilt - Pinwheels
Part 3 - Celtic Solstice Mystery Quilt - Pinwheels
Are you enjoying Bonnie's Mystery Quilt as much as I am?  I can't believe we are into week 3 already.  This week it has been half square triangles and pinwheels.  I love pinwheels, as you can see here, and here.  Also, I am enjoying my cheerful colour scheme, especially on a day like today, when it has been so dark and dreary.
Part 3  Celtic Solstice Mystery Quilt - HSTs
Part 3  Celtic Solstice Mystery Quilt - HSTs
These are the only four pinwheels I have done so far.  I dithered over the number of pieces I had to cut out.  I must admit that cutting out the pieces and lining them up is my favourite bit.

Cutting from strips - Celtic Solstice Quilt
Cutting from strips - Celtic Solstice Quilt
Bonnie is always referring to queries from her reader about how long the strips should be when cutting out, so I thought I would show you my selection.  You can see that they vary - a lot! Some are charms squares, some are the width the fabric comes off the bolt.  There is no science to it, I just make an estimate of how many strips I need, and cut more if I am short.
Part 2 - Celtic Solstice Quilt - Chevrons Bonnie Hunter
Part 2 - Celtic Solstice Quilt - Chevrons
I got really behind last week, and even though I had cut out the pieces, Bonnie had published Part 3 before I had really started sewing Part 2.  I was determined to keep up, so this weekend has been a bit of a catch-up, but all my chevrons are now complete.  I took time to press each piece in the right direction and it paid off when I started sewing them together.

1 1/2" triangles - Off-cuts Celtic Solstice Quilt
1 1/2" triangles - Off-cuts
After all the trimming of the chevrons of Part 2, I have accumulated the inevitable pile of 1 1/2" triangles.  I still have the off-cuts from a similar exercise we did for the Easy Street Mystery Quilt. What did I do with them?  I would love to say I have converted them into placemats for Christmas gifts, but no, they have gone in the bin. One less thing to worry about in 2014!

Sunday 8 December 2013

Part 2 - Bonnie Hunter's Celtic Solstice Mystery Quilt 2013

Part 2 - Bonnie Hunter's Celtic Solstice Mystery Quilt 2013
Part 2 - Bonnie Hunter's Celtic Solstice Mystery Quilt 2013
I have been away over the weekend, so getting Part 2 of Celtic Solstice done has not been so easy.  It felt like an age waiting for the second part to be released, so to avoid disappointment, I took my fabric with me and I managed to get most of the pieces cut.  Most of the fabric is prepared, but these are the only four units I have sewn together so far.  I have already learnt that you need to concentrate to sew the right side of the line, that the diagonals have to be in the right direction and that you need to sew the two neutral triangles together.  Let's say its a job that needs a bit of concentration.

Part 2 - Celtic Solstice Mystery Quilt - Chevrons
Part 2 - Celtic Solstice Mystery Quilt - Chevrons
Now, my hunch is that theses chevrons are for the border.  I only say that because I am working on a similar one for my Nearly Insane Quilt.  Following this gut feeling I felt that the chevron pattern needed to stand out, so I have switched my yellow and orange around from my original plan.

Part 1 & 2 - Celtic Solstice Mystery Quilt
Part 1 & 2 - Celtic Solstice Mystery Quilt
I must admit, I am finding it quite refreshing to have some different colours on the blog besides the red and white of my Nearly Insane Quilt.  It is great that we have  used all our colours already, and I can't wait to see it all come together.

Don't tell Suzi, but I had the help of some old friends.  This is Tiger resting his head against the pile of cut pieces for Part 2 of Celtic Solstice.  Good company, but not as keen on quilting as Suzi - so far.  Below is Pod.  I don't think he moved from this spot all day.

BTW, my sister has decided to join me this year for the Mystery Quilt.  She is using Inklingo.  She showed me what it involved.  She also showed me the shapes of the pieces to come!  Yes, Inklingo users get an insight of all the shapes in the quilt up front!  I am pretending that I never saw it.

Terry's Chocolate Orange
Terry's Chocolate Orange
It was lovely to see so many people linking up last Monday at Quiltville.  The blue and orange units reminded me of one of my other favourite things over Christmas!  I hope to get the rest of the units sewn up during the week, ready for Part 3 on Friday.
 

Sunday 1 December 2013

Part 1 - Bonnie Hunter's Celtic Solstice Mystery Quilt 2013

Well we're off!
I can't begin to tell you how excited I have been in anticipation of this quilt. I enjoyed doing my Easy Street Quilt last year so much, I have pretty much been counting down the days since the Easy Street Big Reveal back in January!  
Part 1 Completed - Celtic Solstice Mystery Quilt
Part 1 Completed - Celtic Solstice Mystery Quilt
As I write I have stitched all the units for the star points for Part 1 of Bonnie Hunter's Celtic Solstice Mystery Quilt, I just need to trim the rest of my blocks to tidy them up, so they look as neat as the blocks above. 

Bonnie has offered us plenty of options on how to approach this quilt, and I have opted to use the speciality rulers. I am using the Creative Grids 2-in-1 ruler to make my blocks, which does the same job as the two Tri-Recs rulers. The cutting was quite straight forward, and if you have any problems, visit Bonnie's website to see her videos.  
Creative Grids 2-1 Ruler - Tri Recs alternative
Creative Grids 2-1 Ruler - Tri Recs alternative
The only difference I have notices with the Creative Grids ruler is that it does not have the same special 'notch' as the Tri-Recs for alignment. 
So far we have had to cut strips in the neutral, pink and green, and then using the ruler to cut the appropriate shapes.
Front - Aligning Star Point Triangles
Front - Aligning Star Point Triangles
I had a few goes at aligning the pieces without much luck, but then finally got into my groove.  I found that if you align them, with the tip of the green piece filling in the missing tip of the pink triangle, making sure there is a VERY tiny bit overlapping at the bottom, everything was OK. 
Reverse side - Aligning Star Point Triangles Bonnie Hunter
Reverse side - Aligning Star Point Triangles
You can see this more clearly by looking at the reverse side, as I have shown above.  My finished block is only just the right size, despite checking my seam allowance, and placements carefully.

For the record - I am going for the smaller version, and as you can see, I have switched the colours around for my Celtic Solstice Quilt, with my colour choice listed below on the right
BLUE - GREEN
GREEN - YELLOW
YELLOW- ORANGE
ORANGE - PINK
NEUTRAL - NEUTRAL
 

Suzi - Celtic Solstice Quilt Assistant
Suzi - Celtic Solstice Quilt Assistant
Suzi is joining in - just a bit camera shy today.