it's mystery time!

that's right, today is the start of bonnie hunter's mystery called 'orca bay' in homage to her most recent alaska trip.  i'm still in my jammies but not for long.  normally i don't do mystery quilts but this one has a friendly-for-me size and i've nothing else really pressing (no pun) to do, so i'm going to see if i can keep up.  that whirring noise you'll hear a bit later on is the old viking at full tilt....care to join me?  **** last night i started quilting in the large brown triangles on the center diamond quilt.  i had to scrounge around the kitchen to find a circle the right size for my clamshells, which i'll probably start later on today.  i'm also hoping to get the feathered star assembled before turkey day plus i've got that garment item to whip up too.....good thing i got the laundry all done.

a little finish

if you saw my pink pinwheel baby quilt earlier this year, then you will recognize these leftovers.  amazingly, those 9 FQs i bought were enough for both quilts, this one being a bit smaller and simpler, but a quilt nonetheless.  this one is also tied instead of quilted.  it'll now go in the stack of finished items for some future time when needed.  i still have some pink pieces leftover from THIS quilt too, enough for maybe a doll quilt or a couple of placemats. 

center diamond so far

so this is what the first border looks like all quilted.  unfortunately, the thread shade that was available at the LQS is a tad lighter than the fabric, so it will show slightly once the chalk marks are gone.  couldn't be helped at the time and i wouldn't take it all out now.  this design is from one of my books that i cut out myself, but i did have to draw the individual feathers, helped immensely by the class i took in nashua with sue nickels.  so, it's coming along nicely i think.  it was set aside for a bit during our brief episode of warm weather, but this weekend promises a return to cool, november temps so i'll start on the brown triangles and clamshells!  ***** last night i also tied a baby quilt made of pink pinwheel leftovers; today the border.  i also worked more on the feathered star sewing up all those itty, bitty triangles for the "feathered" part.  next up is a garment item that needs to get finished before friday and the start of bonnie's mystery!

the 3 fabrics

see what i mean?  though i really like all 3 fabrics, the 3rd choice (far right) was my hands-down fave.  the middle had too much gold and the left wasn't navy at all.  i chose the first (far left) partly because of the olive green and turquoise combo, but when i saw the last fabric i couldn't pass it up at all.  no regrets whatsoever. 

star so far

i've left this photo a bit larger so you can see the print fabric i used, which i totally love!  note:  the blue/yellow dots are pinheads!  the border will also be of this luscious print.  when i was planning this project--it's a gift--i bought some fabric online.  it arrived but was not as pictured.  i then purchased another print locally more to my liking.  before i could get this project started, i saw yet another print i liked much, much better.  a quandary...should i buy yet another piece for this project?  wouldn't be frugal but would i be happy with it?  my inner color guru said "no" so i did get the 3rd piece, this one, and it's ideal i think.  i love the color combo of maroon/navy and with the gold it's perfect.  it's one of the very few times i ignored my frugal angel and went with my heart's choice.  i still have the other 2, and i'll post a photo of all 3 so you can see why i made the choice i did.   with this much progress in one day, i might have the wallhanging all pieced by week's end, thus emptying yet another shoebox!

blue cheese repost

decided to do this right away so i can get back to the old viking.  **** for the little dresden plate quilt, i heeded the admonishment of the frugal angel on my shoulder and pieced batting AND backing so i wouldn't have to make a purchase.  i still have some white scraps, pieces left over from border trimming, and hoping to piece more for other small projects backs. **** and now back to your regularly scheduled day! 

stunned

this morning i started assembling a feathered star wallhanging for DD/DSIL's home.  no surprise so i can talk/show here.  last summer when i made this pattern star it wasn't quite perfect, but lo and behold!  this morning's effort turned out pretty good....i was a bit stunned.  i always attempt this star with a bit of trepidation.  it's probably because of the oxymoronic karma in my little room, 60-degree weather AND christmas commercials on TV; 2 quilts on the bed and me still wearing my summer clothes.  ***** i've got my weekly to-do list made, not much earth shattering, just trying to keep busy.  **** went through my repro stash and surprised to find i've a number of jo morton fabrics.  i've separated them into their very own shoebox for ease with future projects.  later on today i have to post another photo of the blue cheese bowtie project, per request of janet.  i haven't done anything with this as i might possibly add to it and make it a tad larger, remains to be seen.   

another flimsy

this one's a little quilt, only 30" square; 25 6" blocks.  it's going to be hand quilted with the cross-hatch design and then bound with the lavender.  this is probably my last 30s style quilt.   i've given away all the pieces i had left and kept only the true vintage pieces inherited long ago.  done this year?  not sure...maybe or maybe not.  **** in addition to getting this little top done today, i quilted more on the amish center diamond.  i'm working on the last border segment of the first round of borders.  next come the triangles, which will be quilted with a clamshell design.  this is a no rush project but it's moving along fairly well.  ***** this week i have to make a new clothing item.  it won't take long but it must get done this week.  i might set aside a day this week just to baste small projects, too....we'll see. 

autumn change flimsy!

and here it is....this is rachel griffith's design from 'quiltmaker' jul/aug 2010.  hers was pictured with tans and turquoise with a cream background but i dove into my luscious stash of autumn prints and made this version.  it'll be quilted--hand quilted naturally--with various leaf/acorn/vine designs and then bound with a scrappy binding of....what else but autumn fabrics!  this is a future gift for somebody special.  i had to take this a bit far off at an angle because my room is small AND the close-up version completely skewed the colors, which are fabulous.  so now you know why i haven't blogged in a few days.  i've been busy sewing on this and a few other things too.  plus a bit of room cleaning was also necessary.  the shoebox left empty with this flimsy finish now has a new resident project.  they don't stay empty long, i'm afraid.  **** today i've also been quilting on the amish center diamond.  i've got all the open spaces planned except the next-to-last border, a 5" border.  i've a baptist fan stencil i might use or i might try my hand at a wavy feather design, now that i know how.  **** still on the job hunt as usual.  now that beach weather has passed, there's a lot more time to sew.  after thanksgiving holiday i plan to ramp up my efforts. 

2 little packages

from janet are some purples just perfect for bonnie's mystery quilt coming up soooon!  then, my swap gift from the jo morton online stitchers' group.  even without these two little gifts, it's a glorious day here in coastal maine...temps over 60, sunny, light breeze...perfect!  **** been doing a little of this'n'that sewing, nothing to show yet.  gotta get back into regular sewing; first, the autumn change flimsy needs finishing.  i'm also hand quilting on the center diamond.  always something to do, just a question of motivation.