Ornaments and Bonnie Hunter Grassy Creek Mystery

I'll go back and fill in what happened during the past two months, but this post is about my annual Christmas ornaments and the Bonnie Hunter mystery:  Grassy Creek.

In late October I decided to mail a package to Australia and decided I might as well get EVERYTHING together.  Sooooo . . . I started my ornaments in early November.  What a concept.  I do them every year, but somehow usually put them off until mid-December, finishing December 23 or 24.

Since I decided to not travel around Christmas, I finished the ornaments and mailed them Friday, December 18.  They all arrived before Christmas.  Yea!

They are little bags.
I originally meant to include candy canes, but
when I decided to mail the ornaments I left them
out thinking they would be crushed.

Bonnie Hunter ( https://quiltville.blogspot.com/p/grassy-creek-mystery.html ) once again is hosting her annual mystery that starts the Friday after Thanksgiving. Last year we were unable to "link" our progress on her blog and I really missed doing so.  I offered to host a Zoom get together with anyone in my quilt guild wanting to work on the weekly clues. It helps that I have someone to share progress and see what they are doing.  I finished clue one immediately, but put aside the others in order to finish the ornaments as well as a Christmas quilt for my SIL.  I'm happy to say, that as of today "I am all caught up!".

Clue 1

Clue 2

Clues 3 & 4

Clue 5

Right now I'm not happy with my fabric choices, but I'm hoping as we add more grey it will all come together.  

Thanks for checking in.

Hope your holidays were/are safe.

October projects & finishes

It's time for the October update for the Material Girls WIP Challenge.  This has been a great challenge for this year. It has kept me working on older projects and yet allowed for new ones to come in.

Earlier I posted about Midnight Hibiscus and Allietare! Rejoice! being completed.  Since then I worked on Halloween projects.

I purchased the Kimberbelle Twilight Boo-levard machine embroidery bench pillow kit.  The pillow is not complete, but I did finish all the machine embroidery.  That in itself was a big deal!

Purely Gates came out with a new Mylar Halloween design package.  I couldn't resist.  I wanted to purchase and download it the first day, but I held off for one day!  I combined two designs to make a Halloween couple.  Since my niece got married Oct. 9, I decided they were the new Halloween couple, so they get a pillow.  She's not big into Halloween right now, but I really think that will change when they have children.  They have their first Halloween decoration!  I actually stitched up two pieces - one for me!

Purely Gates Mylar Halloween
Covid #20

I try and send my great nieces and nephews something on holidays.  This year I modified a ghost shape, digitized it, and created hangers.  Ooops!  I mailed them without taking a photo of the finished projects.  Had to make 17 this year.  (Covid #21)

I purchased a Dowdle puzzle of Sequoia National Park at Costco, then stayed up late MANY nights to get it finished.  I decided this would be a great gift to send to my AFS family in Australia.  They were supposed to visit in September, but no surprise, the trip didn't happen.  I looked on line to see about purchasing and shipping it directly to them.  $25 for the puzzle and $18 to ship it to Australia.  Second idea.  I owe Lucy a quilt (she'll be 6 next week).  Sooo . . . .  I'll get her quilt made and include a puzzle when I mail it to her.  Shipping will still be expensive, but I'll ship everything at once and it will be less than shipping several smaller packages.  I went searching through my tub of ready-to-quilt tops and found one that will be perfect for her.  It's now under the needle.  I should be able to finish it soon and they might get a package before Christmas!  That also means I need to make their ornaments NOW instead of waiting for Dec.

Almost forgot - I finished the top for Enchanted Garden.  It's ready to baste and quilt.

Enchanted Garden

Top complete.  60 x 75 inches.

It's been a strange year for everyone.  But I think I've made lemonade out of the situation and have managed to get a lot of projects completed.

Thanks for checking in.

Be thankful.

two more finishes

 I'm excited that I finished two Bonnie Hunter quilts recently.  Covid quilts 18 & 19.

Midnight Hibiscus.  90 x 90.  

Bonnie Hunter, Emerald City.  The nine blocks are the same, but I changed the sashings and border.  I'm very happy with the final result.

Allietare!  Rejoice!  90 x 90.

Bonnie Hunter Mystery 2015.  Finally done - BUT this is the first quilt I have sent out for quilting!  I accepted that I was never going to quilt it AND whatever quilting I did would not show on the busy top anyway AND I really wanted it on my bed this holiday season.  (I used Christmas fabrics in the top.)  Quilting was done by Donn McKnight, Los Osos Quilting Co.  I'm very pleased that it is done!!

Thanks for checking in.

Stay Safe.

September: Table Runners are finished!

 I finished all eight table runners!  I am in the process of delivering them to the appropriate people.

These are Thank You gifts to the Board that served with me last year during my first year of presidency with Soroptimist International.  

17 x 42 inches

12 x 36 inches

14 x 36 inches

13 x 36 inches

13 x 36 inches

13 x 39 inches

13 x 36 inches

10.5 x 47 inches

These are Covid Quilts # 10 - 17.

Thanks for checking in.

August

My biggest accomplishment for August was getting the binding attached to Sizzle.  I will go back and add some more quilting, mainly on the applique pieces, but it feels done!  This one was on my WIP list.  Progress - check.

One corner of Sizzle.

I needed thank you gifts for my Soroptimist Board and after a lot of thought I decided to make each of them a table runner.  Since I wanted to make sure they would actually use a table runner I asked for input from them.  I have 6 of 7 tops pieced.  The final one will be applique similar to my Thimble Towne Challenge, but I'm ready to start the quilting.  The challenge was to make each of them from my stash - and I was successful so far.  Yea!  Of course, the fabric stash doesn't look any smaller???

I made the black and white version first.
Liked it so much I made another.
Very different looks.
approximately 13 x 36 inches

VERY easy pattern.  17 x 42 inches
I might try this one again and change the color placement.
It could be mountains and sky.

Two asked for a fall theme, but one needed it long and skinny.
13 x 36  and  10.5 x 47 inches

Ocean colors.  Friendship block.
12 x 36 inches

Thanks for checking in.

July

I did make progress on my WIP list this month, but mainly I started new stuff!

A friend will be a first time grandma in August.  She is decorating her nursery in pink and gray, with elephants.  I found an elephant stuffie on line and made it up then used the pattern pieces and appliqued elephants on a quilt top.  I think it turned out great.  The original pattern is by Christina McKinney for birch organic fabric.  The quilt pattern is from Fat Quarter Style by It's Sew Emma Patterns.

Grandma Dana.  45 x 45 inches.

The stuffie is separate.  I only pinned it to the wall for the photo.

AND I'm excited that my Midnight Hibiscus (Emerald City by Bonnie Hunter) is complete!  I've ordered a wide back hoping it will be delivered this week.  I'm anxious to start quilting this one.  I like how the border turned out.

Midnight Hibiscus (93 x 93 inches)

Then one day, trying to overcome boredom, I got out the 35 blocks I originally made for last month's graduation quilt and put them together in 3 tops.  I did need to make 3 additional blocks, but the resulting quilts will be good for charity donations.

52 x 64 inches and 40 x 40 inches.

Thanks for checking in.

Grandma Dana is Covid quilt #9.

June finishes

I'm continuing to make progress on my friendship group WIP (Works in Progress) Challenge.  It's all about working on some of our UFO's.

Sizzle:  

The quilting continues.  I'm not completely done with quilting the blocks, but I've moved on to the background until I can finalize the "what to do" for the blocks.  It made me feel like I was making progress.

Midnight Hibiscus:

I now have the nine blocks complete!  I am changing the sashing and borders from the original pattern.  (Bonnie Hunter, "Emerald City")  I started the quilt in a class last year when Bonnie was the guest teacher for Seven Sisters Quilt Show.

This is only 4 of the 9 blocks.  Blocks are 24 x 24 inches.
All 9 blocks are now sewn.

Speaking of Seven Sisters . . .  June 27 & 28, 2020, would have been our 14th show.  It was a sad week.  I kept thinking of what I should have been doing that entire week: Take a class from Sue Spargo, be on site for pipe and drape installation, hang the show, welcome vendors, welcome attendees, mingle and have fun, take down the show.  As chair, I'm on the grounds all day starting Thursday until the show is dismantled Sunday afternoon.

I did start and finish a graduation quilt for my great-niece.  I told her the end of her senior year may not have been what she expected, but she'll never forget it.

63 x 78 inches
Modified the idea from a Sue Garmon pattern.

  

I'm trying to incorporate ruler work into all my quilts right now.
The white and blue fabrics (columns) were quilted with rulers.

You might say I made two graduation quilts.  I finished 35 blocks for the first one, then thought it was too boring. So I came up with this instead.  It ended being larger than I originally wanted because when I was designing I forgot to add the outside border twice!  The border is on top AND bottom, right AND left sides.  Oh well.  The borders are very wide because the print was larger and I wanted to use it all. 

Another heart stopping moment.  I washed it and it bled.  I knew the pink was a hand dye, but I thought it was OK.  After 4 washings, the last of which happened after I rubbed boiling water and dish soap into the bad spots, the quilt is acceptable. It is on it's way to the recipient.

I've been busy the past few weeks learning about Zoom for my guilds.  I'm disappointed that none of the 4 guilds of which I'm a member have had a virtual meeting.  My last guild meeting was March 11.  My Soroptimist club immediately went to Zoom, but the quilt guilds have been slow to respond.  I've been involved with several round tables and meetings AND I'm proud to announce my first guild will go virtual with small meetings this month and our first full guild meeting will be in August.  Yea!!  Happy dance!!

Thanks for checking in.

I hope you are staying safe.

May Finish COVID-19 #6

Yea!  Another finish!!

This is the sixth quilt finished since the shelter in place began.  Combine it with the two I finished beforehand and I've had a productive year so far.

This quilt was not on my WIP challenge with friends, because I had forgotten it.  When I took a couple of days at the very beginning of SIP to sort in my studio, I found the bag containing pieces and fabrics from a guild class I took last May.

The class was taught by a local instructor, the quick and dirty Pineapple block.  It goes together very quickly because there are not a lot of seams that need to match.  There are some and, yes, I missed quite a few of them

65 x 65 inches

.

I'm trying to incorporate some ruler work in each quilt. (I need to practice.)
The rope in the inner border was done completely free-motion. No marking.
No ruler. I'm actually excited that it turned out so well.  The corners were tricky.

When I started the quilt I used fabrics from my stash and had no recipient in mind.  As I was finishing it, I decided to gift it to my brother.  His first grandson was born last October.

It is nice to have it finished.  Now I can put the fabrics back.  Ready for the next quilt.

AND speaking of next quilts.  I got out my project from the Bonnie Hunter class last June, Emerald City.  A comment from Bonnie during class gave me the name "Midnight Hibiscus".  Tonight I finished the 1080 half square triangles.

Doesn't look like much, but they're there!

Thanks for checking in.

Frolic is finished!!

My one BIG accomplishment for April is to finish Frolic!  

This is Bonnie Hunter's 2019 Mystery.  https://quiltville.blogspot.com/p/frolic-mystery.html

I changed the outer pieced border - just because - and added a final outside border so my binding does not cut off points.  The quilt ended up at 86 x 86 inches.  Just a little smaller than my preferred bed size of 90 x 90.

I did make a Quarantine Challenge quilt for Thimble Towne, but I can't show it.  There will be a customer vote when the store is allowed to open for customers.

Frolic.  86 x 86 inches.

I used the mock flange technique for the binding.
It's all done by machine with a pop of color.

I am not pleased with my choice of thread color. 
The next (?) quilt this busy - small pieces! -
I will select one color and use throughout the entire quilt.
For the non-star block I used a gold color and it blended well
with just about everything.  No glaring contrasts.
In reality, when the quilt is on the bed, the quilting looks fine.

Just looked at previous posts and realized I did not show another March finish.

This is for my newest great-niece born March 2.  I'm excited that it's already done and ready for delivery - when ever that's possible.

Petals on a String from Angles With Ease 2; Anka's Treasures
42 x 48 inches

Stay home, stay safe, and stay healthy.
Thanks for checking in.

Mid April update

I knew I couldn't keep up the pace from March, but I have been working.  I just can't share what I'm doing right now.  My not-so-local quilt shop is having a Quarantine Challenge and I'm not allowed to share my project until after the "voting".  I'm using a book I 'found' when doing the studio sort.

I've also made a few face coverings.  I did just a few basically for fun and shared them with a friend working at a VA clinic.  I did not foresee what would happen.  I started making some for family - two each so they always had a clean one.  I've lost track of the number I've made, but it's probably close to 70.  I have a large family!

You  have to make them fun!

This was hard, but it's for my brother.

One brother asked if I had fabric a man could wear.
I didn't laugh, but responded: "Oh yeah.  I have fabric."
But I have no team fabric other than Giants and the 'other team'.

Stay home and stay safe!
Thanks for checking in.

March Finish #2 and #3

Yea!  Two finishes!!

I had most of this quilt finished before the Shelter-at-home order for our county, but now it's done.  The baby was born in October but I couldn't find the right pattern for a boy.  Linda and Carl Sullivan from Colourwerx spoke at one of my guilds in February; this is their "PaintBox" pattern .  I would show it at our March meeting, except all of my guilds are canceling their meetings due to the coronavirus pandemic.  I'll deliver it as soon as I'm able to visit family.

48 x 48 inches

I used left-over strata pieces on the back.
When I make quilts for the children I try
and incorporate a fabric with numbers.
(retired mathematics teacher here!)

This was a kit I purchased from The Quilt Show during one of their sales.  I thought it would be a good donation quilt, but I like it so much I'll be offering it to the family first.  It uses Cuddle fabric so it's very soft.  My first time using this fabric . . .  not too bad.  

I'll be looking at my UFO and WIP lists to see what to work on next.  I do need to make a lavender quilt for the newest great niece born earlier this month.  The fabrics are pulled, I'm just trying to find the right pattern.

Thanks for checking in.