Quilting Linda: A Quilting Blog by Linda West

Apr

24

Good Fortune Mystery Quilt – Finished!

Posted Wednesday, April 24th, 2019 in Quilting | Read More

I put the last stitch into the binding on Monday, April 22.  The quilt was loaded on the quilt frame for about a month before I decided how to quilt it. Because it is a very busy pattern, I quilted it with a loopy meandering design.

On Monday a group of friends from my quilt guild met at a local library to sew with our Featherweight sewing machines. This was the third monthly meeting of the Featherweight Club.  We worked on our own projects, visited, ate lunch, and sewed some more. Owning a Featherweight is not a requirement to join the group and you can work on the project of your choice. I started the morning sewing on my machine. Because I planned to take my Good Fortune quilt to the guild meeting the next day for Show and Tell, I switched to hand sewing the binding in the afternoon. I put the last stitch in the binding just as we were getting ready to stop for the day.

Joining Common Threads Ohio Quilt Guild has been one of the best things I have done since moving to Columbus. I have enjoyed sewing with others again.

Dec

17

Good Fortune 3 and 4

Posted Monday, December 17th, 2018 in Quilting | Read More

Bonnie Hunter’s mystery quilt continues….

Clue 3 had us making half chevrons and half square triangle (HST) units.  The leftover corners from the chevrons were used to make the HSTs. I hadn’t finish this clue before clue 4 was released but I stopped working on it to make strip pieces for clue 4.

Bonnie gave instructions for three different ways to construct clue 4. I chose one of the faster and easier methods. I cut strips from aqua fat quarters to make strip sets. I then cut the size units needed from the strip sets. I started and finished clue 4 on Friday afternoon. That evening I finished sewing clue 3 and on Saturday I finished pressing all of the finished HSTs.

Clue 3

Clue 4

These are my finished pieces for the first four clues.

Bonnie has a link-up party on her blog. To see the progress of others making the mystery quilt, click the following link.

Mystery Monday Link-up

Nov

25

Bonnie Hunter’s Good Fortune Mystery Quilt – Clue 1

Posted Sunday, November 25th, 2018 in Bonnie Hunter mystery quilt, mystery quilt | Read More

Here we go again! I look forward to Bonnie’s mystery quilt every year. This will be the sixth year that I have joined the fun and the eighth Bonnie Hunter quilt I have made. In addition to the mysteries, I made Tropical Twist after taking a class with Bonnie and I made Pumpkin Patch from her pattern in a magazine. Both of those quilts were made in 2017.

The name of the quilt this year is Good Fortune. Bonnie chose colors she saw during a trip to China. (Click here to read more about her trip and to get the clues.) In the past I followed her color choices but this year I decided to switch some of the colors.  This is my plan:

Bonnie’s  colors                                          Linda’s colors

green                                                                   purple

blue                                                                     orange

red                                                                      green

orange                                                               aqua

We will see how this works!

The first clue went live on the Friday following Thanksgiving. Since I swapped colors, I am using green and neutral for clue 1. I cut them out and started sewing on Friday. On Saturday I finished the first clue.

The seams on the back are swirled to prevent bulk in the center of the four patch.

The finished four patches are counted and clipped together. I’m ready for the next clue!

Click here to see other Good Fortune quilts.

Sep

21

A Halloween Mystery Quilt 2018

Posted Friday, September 21st, 2018 in mystery quilt, Quilting | Read More

I have made quilts and table runners with holiday themes but I never made a Halloween quilt. When I saw the free Halloween quilt-along at Fort Worth Fabric Studio I decided it was time to make one.  I had to go shopping because I did not have any Halloween fabric in my fabric stash. I found some nice Halloween prints of spider webs, glow in the dark eyes, bats, candy corn, pumpkins, and some nice black and orange pin dots. The background fabric has white ghosts printed on the white fabric. This was all purchased before I won the Halloween basket as shown in my previous post. I am sure there will be another Halloween quilt in the future!

The first clue gave the cutting instructions for the entire quilt. I cut it out and labeled the pieces. I made the blocks as the clues were presented.  The last clue gave the instructions for assembling the blocks into a quilt top. This is a wall hanging size quilt, about 38 inches square.

I am trying to decide how I want to quilt it. My thoughts are to quilt pumpkin vines and leaves but am still pondering the design. Do you have a suggestion? Tell me how you would quilt it in the comments section below.

The instructions for the quilt are available here – 2018 Boo to You Halloween Mystery Quilt.

Jul

30

Summer Quilting

Posted Monday, July 30th, 2018 in Bonnie Hunter mystery quilt | Read More

This summer is going by so quickly! It is hard to believe that July is almost gone!

Since the arrival of my new quilting machine and frame, I haven’t done much piecing.  I literally have a closet full of tops to quilt. My plan was to quilt all my Bonnie Hunter mystery quilts first. I could have quilted them on my old machine/frame but they are almost as long as that frame. It would have involved lots of bobbins of thread and a lot of rolling on the frame. I am happy to announce that all of my Bonnie quilts are finished! I quilted Celtic Solstice, En Provence, Grand Illusion, and the last mystery quilt, On Ringo Lake. I also quilted a top from the workshop taught by Bonnie last summer, Tropical Twist.

I enjoy quilting with the new machine! It has been problem free (knock on wood). One of the nice things is that I don’t have to change bobbins as often. I haven’t done dense quilting and only have had to stop to change the bobbin once on each quilt.

Besides the five quilts I mentioned previously, I have quilted five other quilts. The first was a baby panel that I loaded for a practice quilt. I used flannel on the back and it turned out very well. I donated it to Moms2B through my quilt guild. (I forgot to take a picture.) I finished a small house wall hanging , a paper doll quilt with clothes for the dolls, and a wall hanging made from a Moda Frivol.

I did piece and quilt another baby quilt this month for my new granddaughter who is expected in November. I used the Yellow Brick Road pattern with fat quarters I received last Christmas. I had four blocks left over which I made into a doll quilt for her.

I am sorry for the poor photography. We had a rainy week when it was taken.

This is Tropical Twist. It is made entirely from my scraps. The reason I am enjoying Bonnie Hunter’s patterns is because she is a scrap quilter. I have learned how to choose fabrics from my scraps by following her patterns. Thank you Bonnie!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

Nov

21

Getting Ready for the Mystery Quilt

Posted Monday, November 21st, 2016 in Quilting | Read More

Bonnie Hunter’s mystery quilt is beginning on Friday, November 25.  The fabric requirements have been posted along with the colors she used. As in previous mysteries, she has given paint chip colors for easier fabric selection. She also explains how to use the  Ultimate 3-in1 Color Tool.  I picked up the paint chips at Lowes and I also have the Color Tool.

I love to make these mystery quilts entirely from my fabric stash if possible. I went through my fat quarters and fabric yardage and found everything I need except for the magenta.  I bought 2 magenta pieces, one for the constant in the quilt and the other for the binding.

This year she is introducing a new ruler that she designed. It is not necessary to use this tool.  I ordered the  Essential Triangle Tool and am excited to try it in this quilt.

These are my fabrics.

Jan

5

Grand Illusion – Reveal

Posted Monday, January 5th, 2015 in Grand Illusion | Read More

On New Year’s Day, Bonnie revealed the final clue to the mystery quilt. With this clue, she shows how to use all the parts that we have been making for the last five weeks.

This is the first block for my quilt. There will be a total of 25 blocks. The green checkerboard block is the sashing that will go between each block. When the blocks are all joined, I will make a pieced border from the blocks I made in clue 4.

Some of the quilters have finished their quilt tops. Click here to see Bonnie’s finished quilt. Stay tuned for my finished top  next week!

Dec

29

Grand Illusion Mystery Quilt – Clues 4 and 5

Posted Monday, December 29th, 2014 in Quilting | Read More

I have been busy preparing for the holidays and trying to stay current with the mystery quilt. I had clue four sewn but not pressed before Christmas.  Clue five was given on Friday, the day after Christmas, but I didn’t begin to work on it until today. (Monday, Dec. 29) Today I made all of the blocks for clue 5 and pressed all of the finished blocks.

We are getting near the end of the mystery. I can’t wait to see how everything goes together!

I am linking to Bonnie’s Link Up where you can read more about the mystery.

Dec

14

Grand Illusion Mystery Quilt – Part 3

Posted Sunday, December 14th, 2014 in Grand Illusion | Read More

This week the blocks are easier to cut and  assemble. The piecing was quicker because I made strip sets, re-cut, and sewed again. I pressed each strip in opposing directions and was able to nestle all the seams and sew without pinning.

I had a large piece of solid green that was left over from the Zelda quilt I made for Tristan in 2012. I  used the  this green fabric for all of the blocks rather than making them scrappy. I used fat quarters for the other colors in this block.  I have been able to find all the fabrics I needed in my fabric stash. It feels wonderful to make a small dent in my piles of fabric!

Here are my 120 blocks for clue three.

I am linking up to Bonnie’s link up page.

Dec

11

Grand Illusion Mystery Quilt – Part 2

Posted Thursday, December 11th, 2014 in Fabric Stash, Grand Illusion, Quilting, Scrap Quilts | Read More

This week we are making 200 pink, black and white rectangles and sewing two together to make 100 blocks. Bonnie gave us three different ways to assemble the rectangles. I chose to use the second method.

I printed the template for the diamond and taped it to the EZ Angle ruler to cut the diamonds. I wanted to try to make a block before cutting 200 pieces and took the template off my ruler to cut a few triangles. The pieces fit together perfectly.

I like to sew assembly line style. After sewing all 200 rectangles, I pressed them. Next I pieced all the blocks together and again did all the pressing.

To see the progress of other mystery quilters, click on this link.

Dec

1

Grand Illusion Mystery – Part 1

Posted Monday, December 1st, 2014 in Fabric Stash, Quilting | Read More

The first clue has arrived and I am busily sewing blocks. My Thanksgiving guests left early Friday morning and I started cutting my fabric in the afternoon. On Saturday I was busy putting up Christmas decorations but did squeeze in some time for sewing. I now have all 288 half square triangles finished and sewn to the solid squares, reserving 80 for another clue to come later. The block assembly has begun! I am making 100 Broken Dish blocks.

I used Triangulations to make the HSTs (half square triangles) rather that using the EZ angle ruler. I’m not sure it saved any time because of having to remove the paper but my blocks all finished perfectly.

All the fabric for this quilt came from my fabric stash. I found that the pink fabric matches the paint chip perfectly. I had been saving this fabric for something special and the time to use it has arrived! To see all the fabric I am using, click here.

If you are also making this mystery quilt, you can link up to Bonnie Hunter’s blog with this link.

Oct

20

Grand Illusion: A new mystery quilt

Posted Monday, October 20th, 2014 in Grand Illusion, Quilting | Read More

Each year, Bonnie Hunter gives her blog followers a free mystery quilt pattern. The mystery begins the day following Thanksgiving and a new clue is given each week until it is completed. She gives the fabric requirements earlier along with numbers for paint chips that are available at Lowe’s. The paint chips are the colors she used in her quilt. She posted the “Introduction” on October 9 which includes the paint chip numbers and pictures of the fabrics she used in her quilt. She chose colors that she saw in the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island.

Last year I made the Celtic Solstice mystery quilt from Bonnie Hunter’s blog.  I was able to find all the fabric colors I needed for the quilt in my fabric stash. I enjoyed the process very much and want to follow along again this year. I was hoping to find all the fabrics from my stash again. I picked up the paint chips last week. These are the fabrics I pulled from my stash for the new quilt, “Grand Illusion”. Bonnie makes scrappy quilts, so if I need to add a bit more fabric it will still look great.

My fabrics are not a perfect match to the paint chips but are actually closer in color than they appear in the picture.

I will be blogging about my progress with the quilt as I do each step. Would you like to join me? Click the links above to see Bonnie’s blog and to get the fabric requirements.