Celtic Solstice Mystery Clue 5 (Bonnie Hunter)

I'm so excited . . .  I'm all caught up.

I came home from spending Christmas with family and had a marathon sewing session.  Thursday night I was able to finish all of clues 1 - 4.  I listened to a book on CD and kept going until 2:00 am.  I even checked to see if Bonnie had listed clue 5 before I headed to bed.
http://quiltville.blogspot.com/p/celtic-solstice-mystery.html

Friday morning I immediately checked for clue 5, then proceeded to get it together.  I finished all of clue 5 at 3;30 this afternoon.  I hadn't planned to sew it all today, but once I got started I just kept going.  Of course, this meant I didn't make my usual treadmill session at the gym.  Now I have to wait seven days to get the next clue!  This is worse than a child waiting for Christmas.

Clue 5 finished



All pieces from clues 1 - 5.

I had a nice visit with my family over the holiday.  Our big event is Christmas Eve.  Lots of children (9 months to 9 years) in the next generation so that makes it even more fun.  We have dinner, take a family photo, open gifts, then play games.  We do tend to get a little wild during game time.  I ended up with the final prize, but the gift bag was in shreds.  Christmas Day is what I call the "Left Overs".  All of us that don't have a second family we need to visit.  We have a quiet lunch together.  This year there were 14 of us for Christmas Day.

Thank you for looking.
Have a safe New Year's Eve celebration.

Celtic Solstice Mystery Clue 4 (Bonnie Hunter)

OK.  I'm behind.  I took Bonnie's advice and went on to clue 4 even though I haven't finished clue 3.  I have not finished clue 4, but with Christmas I'm probably as far along as I'll be by Friday.

Updates. 
Part 3:  I have all the half-square triangles cut for part 3.  They're all sitting together on a tray ready for me to sit and sew.  Mindless sewing for New Year's Day?

 Part 4:  I have all my strips cut and sewn.  I'm going to take them with me over the holiday so when things calm down I can go to a quiet place and cut.  Then they'll be ready for me to sit and sew.  This is my first Bonnie Hunter Mystery - How many clues will there be?

 

http://quiltville.blogspot.com/p/celtic-solstice-mystery.html

BEST NEWS!
I finished my family Christmas ornaments Sunday evening.  I started this in 1981, making/purchasing ornaments for nieces and nephews.  Some years I purchased special ornaments to match their interests.  If I traveled they got an ornament from that country.  Eventually my sisters and brothers requested to be included.  I'm not sure at what point it became a big reveal.  The ornaments are now all made by me.  This year I made 26 to be distributed Christmas Eve.

 

Merry Christmas!!

Celtic Solstice Mystery Clue 3 (Bonnie Hunter)

I'm going ahead and posting my progress on Clue #3 even though I am miles away from finishing.  I finally got started on my family Christmas ornaments and that needs to take precedence.  Like some others I too had to dig and find my easy angle. I'm not sure when I last used it. Thanks to Bonnie for "forcing" me to get out tools I had forgotten I had in my drawer.

http://quiltville.blogspot.com/p/celtic-solstice-mystery.html

Clue 3 laid out for scrap placement.

Clue 1 & 2 safely tucked away.



Santa ornaments in progress.  I can't show much more without giving
it away - not sure if any family members are watching.  I'll show the
finished ornaments after Christmas.

Thanks for checking in.

Guild "Sew a Thon" top

Last month our guild meeting was a "sew a thon".  We were in teams working on one quilt.  At the end of the evening one team member won what we were able to put together in that time period.  I didn't win that evening, but liked the pattern so I went home and made my own.

The pattern uses 2 1/2 inch strips.  I have several sets (they seem to keep multiplying like rabbits) so I went home that night and selected strips from a friendship circle exchange.  Of course I still ended up cutting more to make a pleasing arrangement.  The next day I had the center complete and even had a border fabric in my stash.  I wanted to have it done by the next guild meeting, but oh well . . .  I added the borders before Tuesday's guild meeting.  Last stitch at 5:50 p.m., left for meeting at 6:00 p.m. 

I can't quilt it right now.  I'm trying to keep up with Bonnie Hunter's 2013 mystery (http://quiltville.blogspot.com/p/celtic-solstice-mystery.html) and I need to get my family Christmas ornaments done. (Actually I need to START!)

Thanks for looking.

Celtic Solstice Mystery Clue 2 (Bonnie Hunter)

I'm excited that I've finished clue #2!  People who know me well recognize this great accomplishment.  I sewed all day yesterday, late into the night, just so I could make this claim.  Of course, remember, I'm still only 1/2 way through clue 1.  That's me!
I'm trying hard to keep up because I really want to see how this turns out.


My colors:  pink, blue, orange, green, neutral = brown

http://quiltville.blogspot.com/2013/12/celtic-solstice-mystery-monday-link-up.html

Thanks for looking.

Material Girls and Challenges

Saturday was the semi-annual meeting of Materials Girls.  Many of the members meet more often, but those of us who have moved away try to make two special meetings a year.  Each December we come up with a challenge for the following year.  Our 2013 challenge was to make a quilt using the Dresden Plate pattern.  We had to include at least one complete plate.

The quilt below is my piece.  I also used it for a paint chip challenge for my guild last May.  The paint chip I drew required I use red, white, and two shades of yellow.  My added color was black.  I had to search for a border fabric, then found the perfect one.
Look . . . it's numbers!



Because of one quilt, two challenges; I named this quilt "One Equals Two".



Close up of quilting.  The feathers in the border don't show up. 
Each plate has a feather that spirals out from the center.

At our December meeting we also do a voluntary 12-inch quilt exchange. I made a piece incorporating some of what I learned at a Cindy Needham design workshop last September.



14 x 14 inches

Close up of quilting.

I've cut the fabric for clue 2 of Bonnie Hunter's Celtic Solstice Mystery.  I need to sew them this week. 

I also need to start my family Christmas ornaments.  I'm having trouble settling on a design for this year.  That's normal for me.  Every year I say I'm going to start early, but I never do.

Thanks for looking.

Celtic Solstice Mystery (Bonnie Hunter)

I'm participating in Bonnie Hunter's 2014 Mystery, Celtic Solstice.  My first! 

I was behind because I couldn't decide on fabrics.  When the first clue came out last Friday I had to get my act together.  I forced myself to concentrate and pull fabric from my stash. 

I'm off!!




My fabric choices.  The top fabric is
what I used to make color selections.



part 1, 1/2 done