Dec
31

Mystery Quilt Rapid Fire Clues

Posted Sunday, December 31st, 2017 in Bonnie Hunter mystery quilt | Read More

Bonnie surprised us by releasing  clues 6 and 7 in rapid fire mode. We received the 6th clue on Friday as we usually do. On Saturday she posted clue 7. They are easier clues, working with pieces we made previously.

In Clue 6 we added triangles to the pieced triangles from clue 4.


Clue 7 had us joining the flying geese from clues 2 and 5.

It’s not too late to join the mystery quilt. Bonnie will have the free clues on her blog until February 1, 2018. After that date they will be removed and will be available for sale at a later time.

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Dec
28

And now Clue 5…

Posted Thursday, December 28th, 2017 in Bonnie Hunter mystery quilt, mystery quilt | Read More

I have finished Clue 5 just in time for the next clue to arrive tomorrow! I don’t mind making flying geese but have had my fill of them for now. Clue 2  was also flying geese. It is the cutting that I don’t really enjoy. I have been using Bonnie’s Essential Triangle Tool to cut the flying geese. I like that they are cut from strips and fit together so well. My old method was No Waste Fast Flying Geese where you cut a large square and 4 small squares. It also involves drawing lines, sewing, and cutting and then repeating to make four FG at once.

All the fabric for Clue 5 came from my scrap bin. I had to buy coral and aqua fabrics for this mystery but the rest of the fabric is from my scrap collection.

Today I am linking up with Bonnie’s Link Up Party on her blog.

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Dec
18

Clue 4 – On Ringo Lake

Posted Monday, December 18th, 2017 in Bonnie Hunter mystery quilt, Quilting | Read More

These are just a few of my finished clue 4 pieces. I am almost done cutting out the triangles. I am still working on clue 3. I have been alternating between the two clues and loading a quilt on the frame.

I finished loading Ezra’s quilt and started quilting today. After just a few inches, I stopped to examine the stitches. I then spent the next hour taking them out. The stitching looked fine on my trial piece but not on the quilt. I rethreaded the machine and cleaned out the bobbin area. It looked clean but I found a large piece of lint in the bobbin race after I had replaced the bobbin. By the time I was done “unsewing”, I was ready to take a break and fix dinner. Wish me luck when I try to quilt again tomorrow!

I am linking up to Bonnie’s link-up party at Quiltville. Take a peak at the fabrics other quilters are using.

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Dec
13

In the Pumpkin Patch

Posted Wednesday, December 13th, 2017 in Fabric Stash, Magazines, Patterns | Read More

I started this quilt last fall. It is another quilt by Bonnie Hunter and was in Quiltmaker magazine. The instructions in the magazine were not written by Bonnie. The pumpkins were supposed to be paper pieced but I skipped that and made strip sets. I then cut them into the size pumpkins I wanted and added corner blocks.

The orange fabric I used was from a fat quarter bundle that I ordered online. Most of the background fabric was given to me by a very dear friend from back home. I had given her a ticket for a bus trip to a quilt show that I was unable to attend. She surprised me with a gift bag STUFFED FULL of fabric. Included with lots of other fabrics were text prints. She knew I loved  text prints but didn’t have any in my stash. I saved them for a special quilt and this is the quilt I chose to use them in. Thank you Kris! I love this quilt!

I still need to hand stitch the binding to the back but it will have to wait until all the Christmas quilting is finished! To see a close up of the text prints, click on the picture.

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Dec
12

Christmas Quilts and “On Ringo Lake” – Clue 3

Posted Tuesday, December 12th, 2017 in Bonnie Hunter mystery quilt, mystery quilt, Quilting | Read More

I am getting a late start on the third clue of Bonnie Hunter’s mystery quilt. I have been working on quilts for my two oldest grandsons, making quilts for the bunk beds in their new home. I knew I wanted to use the alphabet pattern from the book, Alphabet Soup, by Jaybird Quilts.  Jaybird has created special rulers to use in their patterns. I have had the rulers for a few years and really wanted to use them.

I told Jennifer my idea and she ran with it, designing a quilt pattern for me. I then had a picture to work with and created all the blocks to fit together. The letters were all the same height but I had to add fabric to the sides to make them all a uniform size. The rest of the blocks are half square triangles, quarter square triangles, flying geese, and triangle in a square made to fit in 12 inch blocks.

Jennifer also helped me pick out the fabrics. She has a better eye than I do for choosing the right shade of each color. We found the multi-colored fabric (the borders) and chose fabrics to go with it. After having to do the frog stitch a few times, I finally finished  both of the quilt tops today. My plan is to get them loaded on the quilt frame and quilt them next weekend.

Click on the pictures to get a closer view.

After finishing the borders on the boys quilts, I started working on the third clue of Bonnie’s mystery quilt. I cut all the strips I need. I  am using a shortcut way to piece them. At this time I only have a few of them finished but my goal is to be finished and ready for the next clue by Friday.

Click here to see the blocks made by other mystery quilters.

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Dec
4

On Ringo Lake – Clue 2

Posted Monday, December 4th, 2017 in Bonnie Hunter mystery quilt | Read More

This weekend has been busy for us. Sami’s 4th birthday party was held on Saturday. She had a wonderful time playing with her friends. We stayed after the party to watch the OSU game with Jen.

I started working on my second mystery quilt clue on Saturday morning before we went to the party. We are making flying geese and I wanted to try two different methods to see which was easier and more accurate. I usually use the Fast Flying Geese method but that includes a lot of drawn lines, sewing, pressing, cutting and more of the same to complete 4 flying geese. I did two sets this way and found that I had to trim all of them to get the correct size.

Next, I tried Bonnie Hunter’s new method using her Essential Triangle Tool. I cut out a couple and sewed them. They are very accurate and I did not need to trim them to size. This is the method I decided to use for the rest of Clue 2.

Please excuse my poor photography.

Today I worked on this clue until my daughter came over. We are each making a mug rug to take to quilt guild this week for a swap. We are almost finished with them and I will share pictures after they are completed.

To see the flying geese made by other Bonnie Hunter mystery quilters, click here.




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Nov
25

Bonnie Hunter’s “On Ringo Lake” Mystery Quilt

Posted Saturday, November 25th, 2017 in Bonnie Hunter mystery quilt, Fabric Stash, Quilting | Read More

One of my favorite quilt teachers is Bonnie Hunter. She is the queen of scrap quilts and is a great teacher. Since I have been following her, I am actually using my scrap fabric. I have it organized by color but I haven’t cut it into the sizes that she recommends.

Every year she presents a mystery quilt on her blog, Quiltville’s Quips and Snips. It begins on Black Friday and usually ends around New Years Day. This year she says it may go a little longer into the month of January because of her busy schedule. Her new quilt is called “On Ringo Lake” and the colors are based on the sunrise she saw while on vacation at Ringo Lake in Minnesota. She again gave paint chip numbers  to help us find the same colors that she used in her quilt.

The first clue was given the day after Thanksgiving and her followers, including me, have been busy cutting and sewing blocks for the first clue. A new clue will be given each Friday until the big reveal in January.

We had family here for the Thanksgiving holiday which we enjoyed immensely. They left on Friday afternoon. After getting a good nights rest, I started cutting strips for my first clue on Saturday morning. I had time to start sewing the blocks before we went to our daughter’s home to watch the OSU/Michigan game. As soon as we arrived back home, I went up to my sewing room to finish my blocks.  Here they are!!!!

To see what other mystery quilters are doing, click here.

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Oct
23

Working on UFOs

Posted Monday, October 23rd, 2017 in Quilting | Read More

This year I have been working on projects from my sewing room. I cleaned out one side of my fabric cupboard and found several kits that I bought years ago. My goal this fall is to at least cut them out. Sometimes I like to have a project ready to sew without having to think too hard. lol My biggest problem is that I have too many ideas and want to make all of them.

When we moved to Columbus three years ago, I ordered a pattern that my quilt group back home was talking of making. I pulled fabric from my stash so I was ready to make it. When I got the pattern, I put it aside because the pattern is not very user friendly. I found the pattern and the fabric this summer and decided to make it. I also used fabric from my scrap bin because the pattern has so many pieces. I finally have the top finished and I love it.


I also found a kit that I bought in 2006 in Shipshewana at Yoder’s Dept. Store.  I had cut it out and made the sail portions of the blocks. I had to get my head around the pattern again to finish it. It went together quickly once I figured out what I was supposed to be doing.

I also have a closet full of finished tops that need to be quilted. One reason they are not quilted is because I need backing fabric for them. I found a site online that sells wide fabric at a really good price, so I ordered pieces for four quilts. One is going to be a Christmas gift but the other three quilts are Bonnie Hunter patterns. I have done her mystery quilts for the last four years and only quilted one of them. SEW… that is my next project…to load and quilt them.

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Aug
5

Bonnie Hunter’s Tropical Twist Workshop

Posted Saturday, August 5th, 2017 in My Projects, Quilt Guilds, Quilting | Read More

This has been a busy summer here in Columbus. We have been watching the granddaughters quite often (and enjoying every minute!). I did get to attend a workshop with Bonnie Hunter in June. We were working on the Tropical Twist quilt from her book, “Addicted to Scraps“. Bonnie is the queen of scraps, therefore, I tried to make the entire quilt from my scrap bin. I pulled the green, purple and blue scraps for the darker strips and a variety of light scraps for the background. On a few of the background strips, I used the back of the fabric as the right side to get a lighter shade. This was a tip that I had heard before but Bonnie reminded us of it at the workshop.

Another tip for this quilt was to use the leftover triangles (that are cut off in making the larger block) in the border. Bonnie has designed a nifty little ruler , the Bonus Buddy, that is made for this purpose. It was included with her triangle ruler that I purchased last year.  At the lecture the night before the workshop, she mentioned that we would be using the Bonus Buddy. I went home and packed it for the next day. It works great! She said it will be available as a single item soon.

Tropical Twist

All of the blocks were made from my scraps. I do have to confess that I bought fabric for the aqua and yellow inner borders. I didn’t have enough of either of those colors to make an entire border.


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Jul
15

A Quilt for Charlotte

Posted Saturday, July 15th, 2017 in baby quilt, My Projects | Read More

Little Miss Charlotte is one year old! We had a party for her in June for just the family. Now we are having a party for friends of the family ( postponed due to illness in June). I gave her a toy on her birthday and saved her quilt for the second party.

I bought the pattern for this quilt at the QT ReVu in 2016.The pattern includes three different quilts but I chose the fish for Charlie because Under the Sea is the theme of her nursery. I also found a cute panel with a doll (mermaid) and accessories.


The second picture has the true colors of the quilt and doll. I love this fabric and think that aqua is now my favorite color.

I free motion quilted it in a water pattern with a few swirls thrown in here and there. Click on the picture for a close up view.

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Jun
24

Mystery Solved

Posted Saturday, June 24th, 2017 in Quilting | Read More

I have enjoyed doing the mystery quilt. It was a very simple pattern. The fun part of making this was not knowing what fabric was in the brown bag and where each piece would be located in the quilt.

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May
1

How I Spent My Sunday Afternoon…

Posted Monday, May 1st, 2017 in Quilting | Read More

Last Sunday, my local quilt shop, Quilt Trends, held a program they call QuTee ReVue. They sell tickets and you get a reserved seat, a goodie bag, and refreshments. The program is an introduction to lots of new patterns, rulers, notions, demonstrations and prizes . All the items are sold at a discount the day of the event. I won a very nice prize, Bali Crackers, a collection of 40 ten inch batik fabrics.

I have a pattern that I have been planning to make with these exact colors. My prize could not have been a better fit for me!

Our goodie bags were useful and reusable bags with a snap to close the top. Inside were these nice gifts…

There was a package of machine needles in the white bag shown here along with a guide to all the different sizes and types of needles. The fat quarters and zipper were with  the pattern for the zippered bag. The magnet at the bottom of the picture matches one of the wall quilts that I have made for my sewing room.

Of course I had to purchase some goodies too! I bought two new specialty rulers, some patterns and a bundle of fat quarters to go with one of the new patterns. A couple of things that I ordered are on back order. They are an aqua colored rotary cutter and a nifty marking pencil.

These fat quarters will be used with one of the new patterns and specialty ruler that I bought. They had a sample quilt made using the same pattern and fabric and it was beautiful. I will use a plain white fabric for the background in this quilt.

While I was there, I picked up the next clue for the Brown Bag Mystery Quilt. The clues are very simple and easy to sew.  I made and pressed clue 4 this afternoon.

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Apr
20

2015 Snapshots BOM

Posted Thursday, April 20th, 2017 in Quilting | Read More

I was working on this Block of the Month in 2015 but didn’t keep up with it at the end of the year. It then became a UFO until this spring. I lost interest because of all the flippy corners. ( A method of putting triangles on the corners of rectangles, etc..) When I bought a new specialty ruler for another project, I found that it worked well for making the flippy corners without having to  draw a line, sew, and cut. I made the last three blocks for each quilt and completed both the large and small quilt tops.

The large quilt is 66 1/2″ X 88 1/2″ and the smaller version is 38 1/2 X 49 1/2″. I used my 1930s fabrics that I had been collecting for years. I had Fat Quarters and Jolly Bars (5″ X 10″) cuts of fabric.

Here is the larger quilt….

..and this is the mini version.

This shows them together to compare the sizes.

The larger quilt was much easier to make than the smaller version but they both went together very well. I did have to make a few adjustments on a couple of the blocks in the mini quilt to make the first round of sashing fit. The seam allowances caused a lot of bulk in the smaller blocks.

The pattern for the large quilt is available free at The Jolly Jabber, the blog at the Fat Quarter Shop. Sondra Davidson of the blog, Out of the Blue, made a smaller version of the Snapshots quilt.  The measurements for cutting a smaller quilt are available on her blog.


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Apr
15

Brown Bag Mystery Quilt – Clue 3

Posted Saturday, April 15th, 2017 in mystery quilt, Quilting tools | Read More

I made a quick trip to Quilt Trends this morning to pick up the next clue for the mystery quilt. This time we are making half square triangle units with the squares that we cut at the start of the mystery. I was able to use my new ruler again to cut the squares in half with a quarter inch seam allowance. We made 48 squares with 48 bonus squares left over. I am loving this new ruler!

This is not quilting related, but I wanted to share with you. Last evening Bob found a nest in our back yard next to but not under the pine tree. When we pulled the dried grass back we found a nest full of baby bunnies. Aren’t they cute?

We covered them up again and hope their momma comes back to take care of them.

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Apr
2

Brown Bag Mystery Quilt – Clue 2

Posted Sunday, April 2nd, 2017 in mystery quilt | Read More

April 1 was the date for the second clue in the mystery to be revealed. I arrived at Quilt Trends bright and early to get the new clue. This week we added a triangle to the same pieces that we made in the first clue. Using the ruler that I purchased for the first clue, I added the new fabric and again had leftover triangles. Not wanting to waste the beautiful fabric, I pieced them into half square triangle squares. I now have a total of 96 squares to be used for another project.

Here is one of the mystery quilt pieces and two of the half square triangle units that have been made from the leftovers.


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Mar
18

Brown Bag Mystery Quilt – Clue 1

Posted Saturday, March 18th, 2017 in Quilting | Read More

I visited my local quilt shop, QuiltTrends and picked up my first mystery quilt clue and a new ruler. Sue was demonstrating the Creative Grids Quick Trim Ruler and showing how it can be used to make the clue. I have been wanting a ruler to do this step but I didn’t know that one existed. This ruler is used when a square is added to the corner of another square or rectangle. Rather than drawing a line on the diagonal and sewing on the line and then cutting away the excess, it can be made by lining up the ruler with the square and cutting. When it is done this way, all the leftover corners are the same size and can be used for another project. I have always disliked drawing all those lines before I can get down to the business of sewing.

I cut the first corner, sewed it and measured to make sure it was the correct size. It was! I then put a piece of colored tape on the ruler so that I could pick it up and quickly see where to line it up for the next piece. I finished sewing and pressing all 48 pieces for clue 1. Next I sewed all the leftover HSTs and pressed them too. I now have 48 extra pieces to be used for another project.

I know that I will use this new ruler often. Yes, I am a ruler junkie!

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Mar
13

The Next Episode of a Brown Bag Mystery…

Posted Monday, March 13th, 2017 in Quilting | Read More

Sunday afternoon I began the process of cutting five yards of fabric into small pieces to be sewn back together again. How they will be sewn together is the mystery!

Next Saturday I will pick up the first clue to the mystery. Sue at Quilt Trends will demo helpful rulers for making the quilt and also demonstrating how to make the first clue.

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Mar
12

Brown Bag Mystery Quilt

Posted Sunday, March 12th, 2017 in Quilting | Read More

I don’t need another project but I couldn’t help myself! This mystery sounds like fun so I bought a kit at Quilt Trends last week. The kit includes 5 one yard pieces of fabric. They are inside a brown paper bag and stapled shut so you can’t see what you are getting. There are five paint chips tied to the outside of the bag to give a hint about the fabric colors inside. I chose a bag called Pacific Harbour with dark turquoise, gray, peach (or light orange), white and light turquoise paint chips. (I was really tempted to buy a bag with shades of pink and green but the turquoise won the battle!)

Inside the bag is an information sheet with instructions for cutting and and explaining how the mystery works. Clues will be given every two weeks starting on March 18.

This is the fabric from my mystery bag. I was surprised to see that one of the fabrics in the bag is from the same line of fabric I am using in Charlotte’s quilt.  I know I will like this quilt!

I am off to my sewing room to start cutting fabric. Watch for the next episode of the Brown Bag Mystery, coming soon!

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Mar
6

Life in Columbus / A New Machine

Posted Monday, March 6th, 2017 in Quilting | Read More

Since our move to Columbus in 2014, we have been adjusting to city life.  We have settled into a routine which includes watching our oldest granddaughter two days a week.  Sometimes we take her with us to get groceries at Meijer. She shops for “peanut butter sandwiches” (but we haven’t found them on the shelves yet). The shopping trip ends with a ride on the horse named Sandy. Sometimes Sandy is out of order and that requires her to check him out before we leave the store.

She turned three years old in December and keeps us on our toes. She loves to pretend and to act out stories I tell her. She especially likes to hear Goldilocks and the Three Bears every morning while she eats her oatmeal. She also loves to have me tell her the Cinderella story as she acts it out. Her facial expressions are priceless.

For the last two weeks she has been playing with her imaginary friends, Pooh, Tigger ( he bounces!), Piglet, and Mouse. As you can tell, the first three are Winnie the Pooh characters and Mouse is from the “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie” book. We have to find them when she gets here in the morning and throughout the day. Sometimes Moose from “If You Give a Moose a Muffin” joins us too. She loves to have picnics with them and sets a plate for each one. Sometimes she says she is ‘exdasperdated’ (exasperated) with their antics.

I don’t have as much time for quilting as I had back home. I try to go upstairs to my sewing room for a while in the afternoon to sew when Sami isn’t here. Sometimes the weekend is my only sewing time. I have been working from my stash more than I did before the move. I also found a lot of things that I had started and am trying to finish some of them. I have made several new quilts and find I am drawn to making smaller baby and throw size quilts. My fabric choices are changing also. I am leaning toward brighter colors and more contemporary patterns. I am also trying to use up my stash and scraps. I have made Bonnie Hunter’s mystery quilts each year since 2013. (It hasn’t even made a dent in my stash!)

In January, Jen and I joined a quilt guild. We each signed up for a “secret pal”. We are hoping this will help us get to know some of the quilters. I also signed up for the Bonnie Hunter workshop but am on the waiting list. I’m not wishing bad luck on anyone but I am hoping to get into the class. I have started cutting strips from my scraps so I will be prepared if I do get in.

My most recent purchase was a new sewing machine. My favorite machine is starting to have some issues and I had been looking at the new machines since last fall. In February I went to the Viking Gallery at Easton and looked at the models available that have the same features as my Quilt Designer. I found that the Sapphire models have the same features and went back with my daughter to try it out.  My old machine makes a perfect scant quarter inch seam and found that the Sapphire makes the same size seam with the foot from my old machine. All the extra feet that I had purchased for the Quilt Designer also fit the new machine. The extension table that I have won’t fit but the dealer said she would include an extension table for the Sapphire.

My first project with the new machine was to finish the hexagon quilt that I am making with Kaffe Collective Spots Kaleidoscope Hexagons from Missouri Star Quilt Company (more about that later). My next project was to use my Go! Cutter  to cut out Winding Ways blocks from the fat quarters I received in the gift exchange at Piecemakers last Christmas. I used the leftover white fabric from the hexagon quilt to cut the light fabric for Winding Ways. I am still in the process of sewing the blocks but I am getting familiar with using the Sapphire. I am LOVING it! It sews just like the old machine but much quieter, smoother and without the issues. It is also a little bigger than the Quilt Designer.

Sew, that is what has been happening here in Columbus.  Stay tuned to hear about the Brown Bag Mystery quilt that I am starting soon.

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Feb
13

En Provence Quilt Top Finished!

Posted Monday, February 13th, 2017 in Quilting | Read More

I finished the Bonnie Hunter Mystery Quilt, En Provence, in January. I have been waiting for a sunny day to take a picture of the quilt top. The first picture was taken indoors and shows the true colors.  The outdoor pictures were taken in my backyard which is shaded in the morning.

All the fabric used in this quilt were from my stash except for the pink. I didn’t think I had much purple but I did find several fat quarters that were the right color. The light purple plaid was a piece leftover from an apron I made for a gift several years ago.


The free pattern for this quilt ended on February 1 but is now available for purchase from Bonnie’s website, Quiltville, as a digital pattern.

Click here to see En Provence quilts made in other colorways and lots of them just like mine.

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