Part 6 - En Provence, 2016 Bonnie Hunter Mystery Quilt

Part 6 - En Provence, 2016 Bonnie Hunter Mystery Quilt

You lose track of time at this time of year, but yesterday was a Friday, which means another part of the 2016 En Provence Mystery Quilt was released. 

Part 6 - En Provence, 2016 Bonnie Hunter Mystery Quilt

This block was triangles and at last we got to use a new colour from the En Provence stash, which is the Dark Grey / Mink you can see. 

Usually Bonnie does the BIG REVEAL on New Years Day which I believe is already in full swing in Australia as I write.  But hang on - there is still one colour left to use.  Do you think there will be another part revealed in the next 24 hours?

Part 5 - En Provence, Bonnie Hunter Mystery Quilt

Part 5 - En Provence, Bonnie Hunter Mystery Quilt

Ok.  All the Christmas celebrations are over, so I am now ready for the final push on Bonnie Hunter's 2016 En Provence Mystery quilt.  I have made a good start on Part 5, still managing to use the Accuquilt cutter for cutting the triangles.  My sums on a back of an envelope reckon there are still 1908 sq" left to complete before the big reveal next Sunday.  Are you managing to keep up?

Today, we are off to watch Rogue One at the cinema and then I expect we will return for plenty of sewing.

Joining up with the Monday Link Up!

Part 4 - En Provence, Bonnie Hunter Mystery Quilt 2016

Part 4 - En Provence, Bonnie Hunter Mystery Quilt 2016

As Bonnie promised, quite an easy week this week for the En Provence 2016 Mystery Quilt.  Something we have done before, just a slightly different colour way.  I have made about 42 sets of these, which is just ove half, so I expect to be making a few more maybe.  I used my Accuquilt cutter and this made light work of the cutting.

So this is what we have after four weeks of the En Provence Mystery Quilt - four sets of 3.5" blocks.  I can't believe we have done a month already and to think that in four weeks time there will be some completed ones! There are still two more colours to use and  hopefully a bit more variety in the blocks this week.

Easy Street Mystery Quilt , modelled by Suzi the cat

Suzi doesn't seem quite as enthused by the current Mystery quilt as she has been in previous years.  We switched the quilt on the bed for my Easy Street 2012 Mystery quilt and this is where you will find Suzi the cat.

Linking up with the Monday group.

Part 3 - En Provence, Bonnie Hunter Mystery Quilt 2016

Part 3 - En Provence, Bonnie Hunter Mystery Quilt 2016

How about this as a guess?  For Part 3 of the En Provence Mystery Quilt I used my Accuquilt cutter again, but refrained form cutting the strips into squares and the 4-patches came together much quicker.  However, I have been struggling with a cough and a cold this weekend and I have only just finished pressing all those spinning seams which seemed to take for ages.

Part 3 - En Provence, Bonnie Hunter Mystery Quilt 2016

In total I have done 105 4-patches and I can see that when Bonnie does her BIG REVEAL I am going to have to do a bit of last minute 'fixing' to get a convenient amount.  I have always done the full size until this year, so my 'different size' decision has added another level of jeopardy into the Mystery process.  Will the quilt be square?  Will it be oblong?  I don't know, but the start of 2017 is going to be interesting for sure.  I am loving all these parts just building up ready for the final construction.

Part 3 - En Provence, Bonnie Hunter Mystery Quilt 2016

Here is another idea. 
I will be linking up on Monday!

Part 2 - En Provence, Bonnie Hunter Mystery Quilt 2016

Part 2 - En Provence, Bonnie Hunter Mystery Quilt 2016

Part 1 of the Bonnie Hunter 2016 En Provence Mystery Quilt didn't give much away, but with Part 2 there is the fun of second guessing what she has in store for us.  It is early days, so this layout guess is pretty much all I have come up with.  With a different colour scheme I also had to decide which fabric would be my constant.  The dark fabric I have chosen is actually a rich purple / plum colour, the darkest in my fabric selection - not sure what your 'device' is showing you.  My favourite line of her instructions was  'there is an Accuquilt die for this size.'  It certainly made light work of her cutting instructions and reminded me of how far I have come with my quilt making skills since I started participating in Bonnie's Mystery quilts.

Part 2 - En Provence, Bonnie Hunter Mystery Quilt 2016

This triangle block is familiar from the Celtic Solstice Mystery quilt in 2013 which makes me think that they will be placed in sets of four and that the quilt will be made up of 25 + 24 blocks.  Again, based on the layout of Celtic Solstice, I have done 72 for my smaller quilt.

I have been joined by a few friends and family for this Mystery Quilt and we are all doing different colours, sizes and layouts.  With all our different approaches it has highlighted a little clue from Part 1.  If you are keeping to one colour you only needed to cut 45 plain squares? So what about the other 176?  At this stage I think the 45 are for the blocks of the quilt and the rest are for the border - what do you think?

Looking back at my guesses from previous years I have been hopelessly wrong - LOL! 

I will be linking up on Monday and with my 'homework' done also with Kathy at Slow Stitching Sunday! I'm off to do some more work on my Dear Jane.

Part 1 - En Provence, Bonnie Hunter Mystery Quilt 2016

Suzi the Cat enjoying the 2015 Allietare Mystery Quilt 

So we are off!  The 2016 Bonnie Hunter Mystery quilt, En Provence, has started.  Suzi the cat loves this time of year.  As you can see, this morning she is making the most of last years 'Allietare' Mystery quilt which is currently on my bed.

I was away over the weekend at the Knitting and Stitching Show in Harrogate which meant that I didn't access the full details until Sunday.  Since then I have cut all my pieces and have sewn about 50% of the four-patches.  As I mentioned in my previous post, I am not going scrappy, which was a bit of problem with Part 1 of the En Provence Mystery quilt.  However, Bonnie must have been sending me vibes as I had decided to pick up an alternative French General neutral whilst I was at the show, so this has worked out perfectly for her 'two neutral' option.

Part 1 - En Provence, Bonnie Hunter 2016 Mystery Quilt

I will admit that all the preparation required to get going on Part 1 reminded me why I do lots of English paper Piecing by hand.  Before I could get going I had to clear some space for cutting.  The area around my sewing machine had become a dumping ground, so that had to be cleared as well.  I had bought some extra bobbins for my machine at the show, so I wound several of them ready for the next few weeks.  I cleaned my machine.  I put on my single needle plate.  I put in a new needle. After having my machine nearly 8 years I decided to use the table which came with it for the first time which required setting up.  Then I decided that I needed to get my 'Leader and Ender' project set up from the start to make the most of my machine sewing.

Part 1 - En Provence, chain piecing

In the 2015 Black Friday sales I picked up an Accuquilt fabric cutter and knew this would be the perfect project to make the most of it.  It made quick work of cutting the strips and in my enthusiasm I decided to cut the strips into squares. This was perhaps a step too far as it meant that the time I had saved with my cutting, I lost stitching squares instead of strips.  But my squares were very accurately cut .... So far the chain stitching has been very efficient and as a result I haven't made much of a dent into my 'leader and ender' project.
Finally, I want to put out a BIG THANK YOU to Bonnie Hunter for her generosity and for taking the time to put this together.  When I started to read her instructions for Part 1, I remembered why I enjoy her Mystery Quilt so much.  Her instructions are excellent and so thorough that it makes it easy for a quilter at any stage to get a quilt together.  Writing a blog every day takes time, so I really appreciate the work she puts into this.

I know a lot of my Followers are Mystery Quilt fans, so I look forward to seeing your progress too.  Linking up to the Monday Link UP!

En Provence - Bonnie Hunter's 2016 Mystery Quilt - Introduction

Suzi the cat enjoying Allietare, 2015 Bonnie Hunter Mystery Quilt

It was four years ago when I started this blog, mainly to share my progress on Bonnie Hunter's 2012 Mystery Quilt, Easy Street. I completed Celtic Solstice in 2013 (but it still needs quilting), opted out of Grand Illusion in 2014 and picked up again with Allietare in 2015, which is currently on our bed, which Suzi is modelling above.

I have been dithering whether I was going to do Bonnie Hunter's 2016 Mystery Quilt 'En Provence' this year.  It is an 'extra' for my To-do list which I could probably do without.  But there is that period between Christmas and New Year where doing the Mystery Quilt has now become a tradition.

Bonnie Hunter's 2016 Mystery Quilt colours 'En Provence'

Here is a pull from my stash of the colours which Bonnie intends to use.  Lovely colours.  I love the beautiful colours she has chosen, but I know I just wouldn't use the quilt at the end. Usually at this stage of the year I have a colour scheme in mind, perhaps one I have been meaning to use for a while, but this year there wasn't any scheme which I was itching to try.   

Bonnie Hunter's 2016 Mystery Quilt - Fabadashery 'En Provence'

So instead I have gone for this colour scheme.  It is a cross between the lavender of Provence and the heathers of Scotland. This range is made up of Moda French General fabrics and I will be keeping to one fabric and not going scrappy.  I WILL NOT BE GOING SCRAPPY!   Also, I am not going for full size.  I AM NOT GOING FOR FULL SIZE!  I feel a bit of a lightweight admitting all this, but again, I do not have a shortage of very large quilts and a smaller, lighter quilt would be more versatile.  I do intend to follow the Mystery Quilt each week, so no peeping to see the outcome before I make it.  I have yet to decide which colour substitutes which or how big it will be.

Let me know if you are joining in this year. I can't wait for Friday for the first stage and I can't wait for New Years Day for the BIG REVEAL!

Allietare Bonnie Hunter Mystery Quilt 2015 - Part 6, Border, Quilting and Finished!

Allietare Mystery Quilt 2015 - Fabadashery

It is finished!
In my last post I had the Allietare quilt top almost done, but I was pondering on the borders.  I devised something a bit different to the ones offered in Bonnie's original design which I am really pleased with.  Don't ask me for dimensions or instructions - I really don't know how I did it.  All I do know is that I had a lot of bias edges to deal with during the quilting process!


80's by 80's superfine cotton lawn - Great Flower Designs

Back in November when I had chosen my colour scheme for the Allietare Mystery quilt, I picked up a couple of metres of this fabric at the Knitting and Stitching Show with the intention of using as my backing.  It is superfine cotton lawn which is lightweight and soft - it feels lovely.

Allietare Mystery Quilt 2015 - Fabadashery Long Arm Quilting

Using my long arm quilting machine I have quilted an all over swirl and feather pantograph, Wave on Wave by Patricia Ritter.

Allietare Mystery Quilt 2015 - Fabadashery



So it is quilted, the binding is on and I have even made the label for it.  I hope to get it on the bed tonight. Thanks again to Bonnie Hunter for gifting this pleasure to us all.

Linking to Crazy Mom Quilts

Allietare Bonnie Hunter Mystery Quilt 2015 - Part 6

Allietare Bonnie Hunter Mystery Quilt 2015 - Part 6

Over the past few years bringing in the New Year has meant just one thing - Bonnie Hunter's Mystery Quilt!  Thank you, thank you, thank you Bonnie Hunter at Quiltville for all your work and generosity.  It has provided me with so much pleasure.  This year I have been working in softer colours than my usual choice and already it is looking like a quilt that is going to blend in to the household quite comfortably.

Allietare Bonnie Hunter Mystery Quilt 2015 - Part 6

As suspected Bonnie released the BIG REVEAL for her Allietare Mystery Quilt for 2015 on New Years Day.  As we are at the end of the road for this quilt, the choice of colours I could use from my scraps for my cutting was limited, but it has just about worked out OK.


Allietare Bonnie Hunter Mystery Quilt 2015 - Part 6 Block

We had two blocks to work on.  With all the work from the previous stages all the pieces were there ready to go.  What I really love about Bonnie's instructions are the details about pressing.  Just knowing which way to press your seam makes such a difference when trying to get accurate points on your seams and the overall look of your quilt.

Allietare Bonnie Hunter Mystery Quilt 2015 - Part 6

For some reason the second block seemed easier to put together (probably because there were less of them!).


Allietare Bonnie Hunter Mystery Quilt 2015 - Part 6

As you can see I have all the blocks together.  With my fabric colour choice the quilt is looking remarkably like an Italian marble floor.  I had hoped to have the borders on for the Monday Link Up, but after several auditions the combinations were not really working.  The Italian floor idea has stuck and after a good night's sleep, my design juices have been flowing and I think I have come up with a solution which I am off to work on now.  Watch this space!

I know how hard I have been working on this quilt over the past few days, so congratulations to everyone who has made it to the Monday Link Up!

To see my journey, see the links below or visit my Pinterest page

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5
Part 6 - Quilting
Part 6 - Finished

 

Allietare Bonnie Hunter Mystery Quilt 2015 - Part 5

Allietare Bonnie Hunter Mystery Quilt 2015 - Part 5

We really are building up a wide range of blocks for the Allietare Mystery quilt now.   Here I have laid them all out, some in their sets, others just piled high waiting for further instructions.  Everything is up to date as of five minutes ago whilst I finished my sewing in my pyjamas - I love the motivation of the Linky Party!

Allietare Bonnie Hunter Mystery Quilt 2015 - Part 5

No cutting this week, so I started it off easy by stitching the corners on those large pieces.  I made the most of the bonus triangle again and really have a substantial pile of them now.  The next step took a bit longer in order to get those points matching, but I am pleased with my results.


Allietare Bonnie Hunter Mystery Quilt 2015 - Part 5

Here are some arrangements made with this weeks blocks. All just for fun!


Allietare Bonnie Hunter Mystery Quilt 2015 - Part 5

To be honest I have NO IDEA where all this is going.  I know traditionally that Bonnie does the big reveal on New Years day - that is only 4 days away.  I know that we are no where near having completed the number of blocks required for a 82" x 96" quilt. What lies in store over the next few days - WHO KNOWS? Only Bonnie - she is such a tease.

Linking up with all those who have made it to Part 5 on the 2015 Allietare Mystery Quilt.

I have also started a Fabadashery 2015 Allietare Pinterest Page if you prefer to see my progress in that format. 

Allietare Bonnie Hunter Mystery Quilt 2015 - Part 4

Allietare Bonnie Hunter Mystery Quilt 2015 - Part 4, Suzi the cat

This is Suzi the cat, my Mystery Quilt assistant.  She can't believe how much time I spent just cutting out this week!  IMHO Part 4 is a bit tricky and I needed to spread it out over three days and take great care in stitching each set as a batch.  It was made all the more tricky for me because I have switched my colours around.  I read the instructions many, many times to make sure I had the right combination of fabrics.

Allietare Bonnie Hunter Mystery Quilt 2015 - Part 4

Many, many 2" strips later I had cut about 720 pieces in total.  Again, if Bonnie told us this up front, the rotary cutter would probably not come out of its box.

Allietare Bonnie Hunter Mystery Quilt 2015 - Part 4


With more trapezoids, I decided to take advantage of the bonus triangles you can get from the stitch and flip method.  This meant an extra 480 lines of stitching for me, but also 480 bonus triangles to play with at a later date. 

Allietare Bonnie Hunter Mystery Quilt 2015 - Part 4



With the others from Part 2, I think I could make quite a substantial quilt from these half square triangles which will finish up 1" square.


Allietare Bonnie Hunter Mystery Quilt 2015 - Part 4

So here are all 30 sets done and they make a good dent into the total quilt and we are way past the half way mark.  The whole 'set' thing has completely thrown me this year.  With no more clips to keep these together I will just keep them laid out for the next two weeks  until they are made into a quilt.  They should be safe ...



Allietare Bonnie Hunter Mystery Quilt 2015 - Part 4, Suzi the cat

Bonnie is giving us Christmas Day off and plans to release Part 5 on Boxing Day.  Joining up with all the other Mystery quilters for Week 4 at the Quiltville blog!
 

Allietare Bonnie Hunter Mystery Quilt 2015 - Part 3

Allietare Bonnie Hunter Mystery Quilt 2015 - Part 3

Isn't this Allietare Mystery quilt fun!  Here is this weeks guess.  We have used all the colours now and look at all that neutral Bonnie has mixed in this time, it really adds a breathing space.  I don't think I have ever made a quilt with a piece as large as the neutral pieces we had to cut this week ( I usually work VERY small), but already I am thinking of the quilting potential that it offers. 

Allietare Bonnie Hunter Mystery Quilt 2015 - Part 3

I get quietly obsessed with getting all those 4-patches thoroughly mixed up so that none are the same.  It adds time to the process, but as they say - simple things please simple minds.  All this neutral cutting has wiped out some of my scraps already, but with so many bits I know they will get distributed throughout the final Allietare quilt.

Allietare Bonnie Hunter Mystery Quilt 2015 - Part 3

So, everything is cut out and sewn for Part 3 and my little storage box is already full.  We are only half way through, but I can't wait to start getting the quilt together.  Thanks Bonnie, you are doing a great job!


Easy Street Quilt - complete and in use!

BTW - as it is Mystery Quilt season, I thought I would put my Easy Street quilt on the bed over the  Christmas period.

Still half way to go. Joining up with the regular Monday Mystery Link Up at the Quiltville blog!

Allietare Bonnie Hunter Mystery Quilt 2015 - Part 2

Allietare Bonnie Hunter Mystery Quilt 2015 - Part 2

Yes, it is Monday. Yes, I am up-to-date with the Allietare Mystery Quilt 2015.  This is a busy time of year for me at work and if I can keep up at this stage I know I will be able to complete the later stages, so really pleased to be able to get this post up today.


Allietare Bonnie Hunter Mystery Quilt 2015 - Part 2

There was a lot of cutting for Part 2 of the Allietare Mystery Quilt, 454 pieces in all.  Bonnie is wise not to tell us this up front else we might never pick up the rotary cutter. In fact this is why I love her mystery quilts - she dishes it out in achievable parts.

Allietare Bonnie Hunter Mystery Quilt 2015 - Part 2


I happened to buy 20 quilt clips at the Knitting and Stitching Show in Harrogate a few weeks ago, not really knowing what I would be doing with them, but already Bonnie's instructions for us to keep these blocks in set of four has put them to good use.  The 'sets' are making me curious - why do they need to be 'sets'?


Allietare Bonnie Hunter Mystery Quilt 2015 - Part 2

And now for the fun part - pulling out all the puzzle pieces from Part 1 and Part 2 to see what you can make of it.  Here is my effort and I quite like it.  In this photo my neutrals and greys (black) look very similar, but then I am going for a softer look with this quilt.


Allietare Bonnie Hunter Mystery Quilt 2015 - Part 2

I chose the 'stitch and flip' method outlined on Bonnie's instructions as I decided that there would be as much waste cutting trapezoids as if I did it this way.  I took the time to add another line of stitching and as a result I have a pile of bonus half square triangles.  They are about 1" square finished.

Here are the stats for Part 2
Part 1 - 8.4% of 7872 sq" (8.4% total)
Part 2 - 14.7% of 7872 sq" (23.1% total)

Joining up with the regular Monday Mystery Link Up at the Quiltville blog!
 

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

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


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.

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

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

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 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!