Bonnie Hunter's Mystery Quilt Easy Street Part 1 - Finished

Easy Street Mystery Quilt - Part 1

With the additional fabric purchased yesterday at the West Country Quilt Show, I have finished the first task of Bonnie Hunter's Easy Street Mystery Quilt, the 192 4-patch units.  Once I got started it was relatively easy, but already I have learnt several things.

1. Nesting - Bonnie's tip about feeding the pairs through in the same direction, meant that each pair nested together comfortably.  There were a few which I pressed in the opposite direction, and I soon noticed that the pairs did not nest.  I knew that rather than forcing them through, I had to be disciplined and press them in the opposite direction to save heartache later.
2. Spinning Seams - This technique was completely new to me, but I completly see the value of doing this - well I will down the line!

Along with the Easy Street Mystery Quilt, I have been reading 'Quilter's Academy - Vol 1 - Freshman Year' by Harriet Hargrave and Carrie Hargrave.  Applying the knowledge in the book on this project is a real lesson in experiential learning.

West Country Quilt Show

Today I visited the first ever West Country Quilt Show.  It was at the Bath and West Showground, near Shepton Mallet, Somerset. 
The traders had some lovely fabric, which I found hard to resist, especially with Bonnie Hunter's Mystery Quilt, Easy Street, currently at the forefront of my mind.   The Laughing Hedgehog , normally based in Buckhurst Hill, Essex, stocked the Kansas Troubles fabric from Moda, which I am using for my 'background', so I was able to stock up on that, as I had realised that with the scraps I am using, I will not have enough for the whole quilt.  I also managed to get some of the 'Seasonal Little Gatherings' by Primitive Gatherings for Moda, from Sew Enchanting, based in Ashburton, Devon.  The Cross-Patch had a lovely display of the Lynette Anderson Designs, with a good selection of the fabrics, buttons and threads. There were so many other lovely stalls there, I had to pull myself away.


Jelly Roll Sampler Quilt - Boutique by Chez Moi

I only heard about it a few weeks ago, and saw that the deadine had not closed for entering quilts.  With nothing to display myself, I encouraged my sister to enter her Jelly Roll Sampler Quilt, which she made using a range called Boutique by Chez Moi for Moda Jelly Roll.  It was Hand stitched using the English Paper Piecing method, and hand quilted.  I was her first quilt.  She got the pattern from a Mystery Block of Month published on the blog of The Quilt Room, Dorking, which started in March 2010.  The pattern is now published in their book 'Jelly Roll Sampler Quilts' (Pam and Nicky Lintott).

Easy Street Part 1 - Mystery Quilt

'I think it is time you made your decision ...'

 

I have been putting off making the FINAL colour choice decision for Part 1 of Bonnie Hunter’s Easy Street Mystery Quilt, but my assistant, Suzi the cat, insisted that I start it today, in order to keep up with everyone.  Suzi only joined us in April, but already she is a VERY keen quilter.

My final decision was to use the tan ‘Kansas Troubles’ print from the ‘Back to the Prairie 2 - 9195’ Moda range, for Bonnie’s grey (yes, it is grey here in the UK) .  I don’t think I have the full yardage for this, but I think I will have enough for Part 1 of Easy Street.  Any remainder, I can supplement with some other scraps from the same range, which I have. Let’s hope I get away with it.

The background fabric is made up of similar tan based fabrics, but with prints all over them.  Again, a lot of my scraps are from the Kansas Troubles ‘Christmas’ range from a few years ago which I purchased as a lovely fat quarter bundle from Sunflower Fabrics.  There is also a lovely Sandy Gervais 'Friendly Folk' Moda print in there for which I have about 2 yards.

The 2 inch strips from these scraps have varied from a full bolt width to 4 inches – so no scrap is safe.  The other colours will be red, green and purple.  The key thing was to ‘shop my stash’, which I should be able to do for 90% of the quilt.

I have been quilting for several years, but all my quilts have been hand stitched and hand quilted. Machining a quilt together has not really entered my radar, until recently, and I am using the Easy Street Mystery Quilt, to bring me up to speed. Using the machine is much quicker, but I do like to get my seams accurate.  Sew far, sew good. Bonnie’s tips about how you feed your units, and the pinwheel seam were great.

Part 1 Easy Street Quilt Twosies



Part 1 Easy Street Quilt 4-patch





With my scrappy scraps, I am having to cut in batches, to ensure that I still have a good mix of backgrounds for later on, as I don't have a clue how much I am using. So far I have done about 50 units, but have some more time today and tomorrow to get this first step finished.  Everso pleased that I have got started on this. I wonder what pattern it will end up to be?

 

 

 

Easy Street is Launched!

Easy Street Fabric Selection

With the first reveal of the Easy Street Mystery Quilt launched today whilst I was at work, it was a tense day until I got home. 
With the first pictures revealed, it has helped me make my final decision regarding the colour scheme.  I have gone for the cream option, but I will be quite particular to keep out any white, to blend nicely with that 'Kansas Troubles' fabric.
With that excitement out of the way, my attention has moved onto the preparations for a BIG family celebration tomorrow.  So no sewing for the next few days.  I might have a chance to cut up and sew some fabric on Monday, but unlikely before.  If I get up early, I might be able to get something done before all the followers wake up in America.  I can't wait to get started!

Christmas Countdown - Advent Calendar

"Country Christmas Advent Calendar", Makower UK

Whilst looking for scraps for the Easy Street Mystery Quilt, I came across this panel in my stash, #107 Country Christmas Advent Calendar by Makower UK.  I must have bought it at the Knitting and Stitching Show in Harrogate, several years ago, and several Advents have passed since then.  It has a pocket for each day, just big enough for a chocolate.  I am sure I have had it for 5 years or more. This is clearly a missed opportunity.  It must be AT LEAST 120 chocolates that I have gone without!  In an attempt to redress the balance, I thought I could get this ready for 1^st December, THIS year.

It is a neat little project. Everything you need is there, including the instructions. Once the pieces have been cut out, the hems need to be folded back, pressed and sewn. 

Stitching the pocket hems for the Advent Calendar

With red and green pockets, there wasn’t really an ideal thread colour to use, so I opted for a gold metallic (Isamet 0500), to add to the glitz of Christmas. 

Box pleats for the pockets of the Advent Calendar

The 24 pockets are in strips, so they need to be folded to create a box pleat, and then attached to the main fabric panel.  So far, there has been more pressing with the iron than stitching, but all the pockets are attached, ready for a quilt sandwich, and the decision of whether to hand or machine quilt.

There are still 11 days to get this completed, within in which time Bonnie Hunter’s Mystery Quilt will have started.  I notice it will be 24 days since Bonnie made the announcement, maybe next year I can use the calendar to count down to her Mystery Quilt, and refill it for 1^st December!

Easy Street – Bonnie Hunter Mystery Quilt

Easy Street - Choice 1 Black

Easy Street - Choice 2 Cream

I’ve never done a Mystery Quilt before, and I am the sort of person that likes to know where I am heading before I start on anything.  But there are times when you have to move out of your comfort zone, and try something different.  Viewing some of the beautiful ‘Orca Bay’ mystery quilts that participants made as part of last year’s Bonnie Hunter’s annual Mystery Quilt, has really inspired me, and I hope this one works out as well.
Details of Bonnie Hunter’s 2012 Mystery Quilt, Easy Street, can be found on the Quiltville Blogspot

The first part will be revealed on Friday 23^rd November, 2012, and every following Friday for the next 6 – 8 weeks.  If you care to look, quilters all over the internet are going crazy about the prospect!  Bonnie Hunter is a fabric scrap addict, and her quilt designs are usually scrap quilts – that’s just fine with me.  Naturally the aim is to use up your scraps, but her colour scheme doesn't correspond to my stash, so this is what I have come up with.  I plan to use deep colours red, purple and green.   My background is the pretty tan print, "Bound to the Prairie" #9195 by Kansas Troubles for Moda, which I used for the background for another Irish Chain scrap quilt, but I am still wondering what to use for the ‘background’. My first choice is using black prints. Again, this was inspired by the use of black in some of the Orca Bay quilts that were done last year. 

 My second option is to use cream, ditsy floral prints for the ‘background’

It’s so hard to decide when you are moving into the unknown!  Which is your favourite?