Allietare - Finally a Finish..

After a few very very hot (40C+) days here in Lara, with high humidity on the cooler days, not a lot of sewing was done.  Actually not very much of anything was done!

But in the slightly cooler evenings I finished my Allietare top.  Not quilted and bound, but the top is finished.  I have decided not to do the wide border as Bonnie has, but just to keep a narrow border and then I will bind in the same black material.

When, at the beginning of this I didn't want to make the full size quilt, but a smaller version, I chose to make 3/4 of the numbers of each step.  Not knowing what the block/s would look like and also how the whole thing would come together, choosing 3/4 was a great choice in the end.

Only a couple of times did I have to add an extra one as 3/4 came out as an odd number.  But when putting the lot together as in Step 6 - I only had a few pieces and one complete block (the star block) left over.

Originally I thought about only doing half of the requirements, and then make extra blocks (if needed) at the end.  BUT I do not like doing this - generally I find I'm too lazy and want to get on to something else.  Would rather have some over than have to make extras.

So pleased making 3/4 turned out this way that next time (??) I will stick with 3/4!!

Step 4 - Allietare

Step 4 was typical of Bonnie Hunter and her mysteries.  A lot of sewing, sorting and cutting.

We had to make 30 sets of four blocks.  Each set had to have the same red, the same black, but a variety of neutrals.  This is one set of 4.  They finish at 3.5" x 4.5"

When I finished this mammoth task I downloaded Step 5. Unfortunately NOT the reveal - there is still Step 6 to come..... This bit of sewing is only a small part of this step, but was all I could get done before going to Melbourne tomorrow.  We need 16 pairs of these.

When I return on Friday, hopefully will be able to proceed with the rest of this step.

Then it is on to Step 6 and the reveal!!!!!  Which is the instructions for putting all these pieces together.   

The New Year is upon us.....and a mystery is in the wings...

It crept up very quickly.....

Wishing everyone a safe, happy and healthy 2016.

After finishing off the grey quilt, I was itching to do something with a bit of colour.  I had decided early in the December that I would sew Bonnie Hunter's mystery this year.

Over the past couple of days with the heat we are having here in Victoria (some days of 35-40C) and with the air conditioning on I started on the mystery.  I am a little bit behind as the reveal and final steps will be posted later today.  But that's OK - I will only look at each step as I finish the previous one.

Here is what I have achieved so far - my materials sorted - blacks, reds, golds (although mine are more yellow/gold), neutrals and the one piece that is used throughout the mystery a grey.

 One of the reasons I decided to follow along on this journey is the colours that Bonnie chose to use. I know some people choose to use different combinations when making a mystery quilt, but generally I go along with what the designer suggests or what they have said they used.

This next photo shows the first step - a pile of 2" finished half square triangles using the grey and neutrals.  Typical of Bonnie's style - heaps of little sewing.....

 Step two the cutting and then the finished pieces sewn together.  In this step she introduced the red with the neutrals and the grey material.

 The finished sewing of step two.  I am only showing 4 blocks here so you can see more clearly how they look.  Besides the pile was too big and it kept falling over.....
These had to be sewn in groups of four - the same four pieces of red and the same four pieces of neutral, but each group of four to be different but the actual four to be the same.

 Lastly step three.  We used the gold with the neutrals and cut 2" squares and sewed them into a 4-patch block.  Very easy step.  So am wondering what step four will be like.  So far each step has been easy sewing.  I am sure step four will have a lot more in it.

Tomorrow I will look up the instructions and start cutting and sewing, while trying my best not to look at step 5 which is generally the reveal and final part of the sewing.  There has to be a lot more as so far it doesn't look like much.  The last couple of her mysteries I usually have a gazillion little piles of blocks.

Well, we will see and I will post in a couple of days when I have sewn step four.

Finally I have a quilt top.

At long last, after much thought and umming and aahing, I have finally put together my blocks for Grand Illusion. For those of you who were wondering what I was going to do with the larger green/neutral 4-patch blocks - well I did use them.

As you can see from here I put them in the centre of the main block and then cut down a number of them and used these as the cornerstone blocks in the sashing.

These are the blocks up on my design wall (without any sashing).
It looks quite different from the original that Bonnie Hunter designed, but I am happy with it.  Although I do have a lot of blocks left over - but these will not be wasted - they will be sewn together, somewhat a little different again and given to my local Monday night group - Regent St Stitchers - for their charity quilts that go the local hospital.  I think the bright clear colours of the quilt will be loved by one of the older children.

And here we have the top with the sashing - as you can see the green/neutral as the corner stones.  I chose the same blue as in the blocks - had plenty of that particular piece of material.  Then I put a dark mottled grey as the framing border.  Not sure if I want to go further - I think it needs more borders, perhaps a wider one.  What do you all think?  I don't have quite enough of the green/neutral blocks,but could still make more., or I could add some of the other blocks that have been left out as I haven't made it as big.  That is the corner blocks with the yellow/dark blue - there could be enough to go around.  If not I will make some more.

Mystery is solved!!!

In my last post I related the story of the upcoming Retreat and the Angel/Mortal swap that was happening.   Well, I can now tell you who my Angel was - Christine from Qld.  She was even further devious with one of the gifts at the retreat - when I was arriving to dinner on the first night she had the girls at the desk hand it to me!  The only clue there was that I knew she had to be in the room - among 60+ others.  A really lovely person and I hope we keep in touch.

Townsville is a beautiful place in far north Qld.  Retreat venue was fabulous and the staff very attentive and friendly.  This is a view from my room overlooking the river (around the corner from the main beach).

 And this is what we saw when we went to Magnetic Island for dinner on Saturday night - a supurb sunset overlooking Horseshoe Bay.  Just look at those colours, I took this photo with the camera in my phone, (and while on the bus) so not quite as good as the real thing, but still beautiful.

I will have more to tell you about the retreat as soon as I get myself back into gear and into the real world!!  Oh how I wish I was back there, relaxing in the sun, instead of rugged up in my winter woolies with 0c degrees the last 2 nights.  brrrr.

Mystery no more

The blocks of the mystery quilt I was doing are now all sewn together with borders.  This was such as easy one to do I am thinking of doing another (wont be a mystery!!) in some batiks I have, or maybe I may use some Japanese fabric I have,......or........???  Who knows what I will use - got to still make it a mystery!!  The quilt top will now go in my basket of tops waiting to be quilted.

I am one of those quilters who has a lot of tops, not many quilted or finished, but this year I am getting through some of them.  Some just need the binding - isn't it the way you get so far and then onto something else.  This year I decided (all by myself.....) to not purchase any more fabric, only what I absolutely require to finish an already started project.  So far I have been good.  Next year - will wait and see.