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.  
 

39 comments:

  1. You certainly did achieve a summery quilt, the colors and quilt are just stunning. Good job!

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  2. your quilt turned out so well - really pretty love the colors you chose.

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  3. It's wonderful!

    Barbara in MD
    www.stashoverflow.wordpress.com

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  4. Gorgeous! I love the liberal use of orange in your version.

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  5. What a beautiful finish! Your color scheme is really lovely and summery. Don't worry too much about losing a few of the points, especially with all of those pieces.

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  6. Congratulations - it looks wonderful and nobody is going to be checking your points! I have to say I like your colour scheme better than Quiltville's - it is softer and fresher which suits this quilt beautifully.

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  7. Oh, Frances! Your quilt is stunning and your colour scheme is gorgeous. That binding is just the right choice. You are a perfectionist.... I had to smile when you were talking about matching points and that you had to lie down! Bonnie is right... It is okay not to be perfect and no one but you would notice this. That quilt is amazing!

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  8. Congrats on your quilt top. I'm happy to say that I will be joining you in your EPP Nearly Insane crusade, but I will be using all solids in my quilt, so I'm pretty excited to see how ours end up being different. I drew my first 9 blocks for January today. :)

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  9. Beautiful! I really love the colours you chose - they are so pretty and fresh looking.

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  10. It looks so beautiful.

    Greetings, Manuela

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  11. Congratulations on a stunning finish Frances! It does look wonderfully summery - the perfect antidote to this awful weather!

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  12. this is gorgeous! I love the colors you chose and the piecing design is so interesting. what a great finish!

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  13. Oh I love it! So excited to see quilts coming together!

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  14. I'm opposite of you - normally piece on a machine and piece by hand rarely. With that said, I was amazed at how many pinning points there were in the block assembly. But it would seem that we've worked through it. Kudos on a quilt well & beautifully done!

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  15. Beautifully done, even with a few mis-matches. I like your version of the border.

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  16. Wonderful colour's choice !

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  17. Lovely! I really like how you made your border. Great colors too.

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  18. Well done! I love your colors (am TRUELY on a lime green binge right now!) and the change of direction on the final border. Did you have to make more to fit? I think I will follow your lead...I like the peaky points!

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  19. Thank you so much for pointing out the mismatches in your beautiful quilt, Frances. I was so disheartened by the lack of perfection in my piecing that I stopped sewing for years. It was only when my SiL (JoTokla) pointed me in the direction of sites such as Bonnie's that I got the nerve to start up again. Seeing that even expert quilters such as you make mistakes occasionally gives me more confidence.

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  20. A fantastic quilt! I love your summer colors!

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  21. Of all the celtic solstice quilts I've seen, your colour and fabric choices are my favourite!

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  22. Absolutely gorgeous! I love paperweights!

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  23. Your Easy Street mystery quilt from last year was one of my favorites, so I was anxious to see how your quilt from this year's mystery would turn out. I think it's beautiful! Nice color choices and I really like how you turned the units on your border, looks great.

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  24. Absolutely stunning! Love it in this colorway!

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  25. What a fabulous color palette! Just makes me yearn for spring, your quilt is so fresh and inviting. Love it.

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  26. Love your quilt so far - the colors are really summery - great job!

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  27. Wow beautiful! Love everything about it: colors, fabric and border. Congrats on a fabulous finish!

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  28. Very nice way to display your work in this mystery quilt. Congratulations!

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  29. Am fairly new to quilting. I have dragged my feet about beginning the Celtic Solstice but now that I have seen the beautiful colors that you have chosen, it gives me incentive to begin! Your quilt is beautiful!

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  30. I love your joice of colour. Pink and orange - just great!
    Gabriele from Germany

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  31. Great job and great colors. I enjoyed visiting your blog. Perhaps we will cross paths again on another of Bonnie's Mystery Quilts.

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