Grand Illusion Mystery Quilt Post #3

I had good intentions this last week, but only managed to make 35 chevron blocks....but onwards and upwards. Bonnie posted clue #3 last Friday so Monday I cut all of the fabrics for this clue and strip pieced enough (8 strips) to make up 20 blocks...only another 100 to go, then I'll go back to clue #2 and work on those other 65 chevrons....well, in the rule of thirds, I've past the first third mark, that's a threshold I stepped over so working to the next threshold should be easy.....right???

And yes, I know my colours are a little different, it's my quilt!

On a good note I did finish up all of my promised Client quilts today and moved on to a special Christmas gift quilt, it may take me the rest of this week to finish this one and it needs binding before gifting too. Did I say I have yet to write Christmas cards or wrap gifts....better get organised!

Linking this post to Grand Illusion Mystery Quilt Monday link up

Grand Illusion Mystery Quilt Post #2

Clue # 2 was released on Friday, Bonnie gave 3 options to receive the same outcome. I tried all three techniques and even a fourth using post it notes.

Bonnie's third option is to me the most consistent and we all know that Bonnie likes to keep bonus triangles so this is obviously the technique she uses.

So, trying out the different techniques took a little more time but it's best to make up test blocks to ensure your blocks turn out the correct size and your points aren't cut off, those points are suppose to meet in the middle, point to point. I now have all of my squares marked to follow option three and will work my way through this clue over the next few evenings.

16 blocks done 84 to go....this block makes up a pretty good design all on it's own.....

Catching up on 'quiltcam' while piecing....

I'm linking this post to Bonnie's GIMQ Monday linky over on http://quiltville.blogspot.co.uk/2014/12/mystery-monday-link-up-part-2.html

Grand Illusion Mystery Quilt Post #1

I didn't intend to do it, never planned, don't have time, honestly I don't have time!

But you know what, it's good for me to jump in and start something without planning. I'm a strange old fish, for me starting is the worst part of a quilt . I procrastinate at starting, I'm one of the very few who like the middle and absolutely love to finish a quilt, maybe that's why I'm a longarmer?

While surfing the Internet last Friday night there were lots of references to Bonnie Hunter's Grand Illusion Mystery Quilt, (you can find the link in the side bar on the right). So late that night I took the notion to go pull some fabric, all from my stash.  I knew I didn't have time to fuss, I had to make a snap decision else it would be a no go area. I have made a few quilts from Bonnie's patterns but never one of her mystery quilts, it's not a good time for me but I'm not whining at all. Bonnie herself has said that this years mystery will be less intense than previous years so maybe I'll be able to keep up alongside my day job of longarm deadlines for my customer quilts leading up to Christmas, I know I will be up against the wire with those so maybe a little extra curricular activity will spur me on, we will see? If I fall behind before Christmas I can always catch up again in the new year, either way I'll finish it!

Here's a photo of Bonnie and Myself at Festival of Quilts in Birmingham, UK, August 2014. Bonnie came to visit us on our APQS longarm stand, Bonnie has her own APQS Millennium to quilt her own quilts, love my Millie.

I do have a scrap system, but decided on using yardage in constant colours, I thought it would be a quicker, easier choice just now, these were my choice following Bonnie's own colourway.

That's all of the half square triangles (hst) sewn and squares cut for this clue, yes, I've already changed out some fabrics, I didn't like the yellow, the colour was OK but the fabric wasn't of the same quality as the rest so I swapped the green into that position, it is greener in real life....honestly, try taking photos at 1am.

So today I'm linking up this post with Bonnie's first linky for the  Grand Illusion Mystery Quilt  pop over to check out more fabric choices...

In the Red....

Catching up again, I had a run of red quilts.....although my camera is refusing to show the true colours. My trusted to do the right thing camera is at the moment unreliable so am having to fall back on a previous purchase.....not the same.....

My lovely customer Anna sent me these beauties....

A smaller topper or lap quilt with a star centre....... lovely colours and fabrics.....custom quilted....

Another with strips, another beauty..... this time edge to edge quilting with a Surf pantograph.....

Lastly a beautiful improvised star quilt, again custom quilting using both freemotion and Quilt Path motifs.

All are beautiful Anna.....

Although this quilt isn't strictly red, in real life it shows more red, it does have a red border and it was made for the Ruby Wedding Anniversary of Linda and her husband...All kinds of everything in this quilt just like life......

A wonderful tribute to forty years of marriage.....

Delicious!

Ooooo...... look at that.....liquid chocolate.....

I have a friend who would love these????

Just teasing....lol....

Snow Dying....

Seems like a long while ago now but before Christmas we had some snow, just a little. I had been intending to try out Kathy's tips and techniques for snow dying.  Well, what do you know, leading up to Christmas was a busy time?
I decided in the afternoon to collect a couple of buckets of snow ready for later in the day when I might have more time to follow through.  The snow was actually ice and I had to scrape it from the grass but I did manage to collect two buckets full which I left outside until later. I left my fabric soaking in the soda ash solution.
So, the intention is to pour the dye over the snow, the temperature of the snow slows down the dying process allowing the dye to break down into it's various mix of colours and grab to the fabric at different rates giving texture to the fabric.

By the time I was ready to proceed my snow/ice had frozen into one big ice cube, as I had already mixed my dyes all I could do was tip the ice out on top of my fabric and add my dye, the ice just sat there on top of the fabric in a big hunk!
My PFD (prepared for dying) fabric is 60" wide so I had nearly 2 yards on each tray.
I used Procion MX dyes.

Tray 1....
1 tsp currant + 1/2 tsp sodium sulphate + 1/2 cup water
1/2 tsp purple + 1/2 tsp sodium  sulphate+ 1/2 cup water
1/2 tsp cerulean blue + 1/2 tsp sodium sulphate + 1/2 cup water
I placed this fabric on a refridgerator shelt over a deep tray.

Tray 2...
1 tsp avacado + 1 tsp sodium sulphate + 1 cup water
1 tsp turquoise +1 tsp sodium sulphate + 1 cup water
This fabric was place in an open basket from a vegetable trolley over another deep tray.

You can see the extra vegetable matter collected when I had to scrape the ice from the grass....

So,  as this was around 9pm at night all I could do was leave everything here in my utility room overnight and hope that there would be no avalanch before morning and all dye solution would stay either in the trays or drain off into the sink.

I need not have worried as by morning I still had big chunks of ice but there had been some migration of dye down through the fabric....who knew my utility room was so cold through the night? So I moved my fabric through into my kitchen where it was warmer and left it there for 2/3 hours to allow the ice to melt and the fabric to warm through hoping that the colours would set.

After a good rinse until the water ran clear and then a quick wash in the machine with Retayne, here are my results.  Although not a controlled scientific experiment the results are quite interesting, I was trying to use enough dye to make sure it soaked through all of the 2 yards of fabric in each tray.  The avacado/turquoise mix is more subtle but with lots of texture.....

The currant/purple mix is more dramatic with quite a bit of solid colour (wonder whether that's the currant or the purple, I'm thinking it's the currant) but lots of interesting ice textures, there is really no white on that piece it's more pink in colour but very interesting all the same.

There didn't seem to be any difference/marks left from using the open shelf or the basket and as the dye didn't dye the veg basket maybe next time I'll try two baskets instead.
That same day the snow/ice outside thawed and we have had no more snow falls since but watch this space, now that I have a little system in place I will be having another try to see how this works with proper snow with a quicker melt time?

Handy Andy!

My new customer is a really handy lady, all of Margaret's quilts are hand pieced beautifully...because of this we chose simple quilting so as not to overpower the charm of her quilts.

This one really matches the colour scheme of my room......

The next two are '10 minute wonder' quilts

I have to add that some Longarmers may have continued there overall/pantograph pattern and quilted over these 3D medallions, even though it is more time consuming there is no way I could do that, I needed to make a feature of them!

All done and actually already delivered!

Friends Across the Ocean!

Remember these? These are my block swap blocks....the deal was pick one black with white fabric, one white with black fabric, and two bright fabrics......

These 2 x 30 sets of blocks flew off to to my friend Shannon in Atlanta, Georgia, Shannon sorted all of the Friendship Star blocks and I received these blocks in return....of course you all know these are 'friendship stars'.....

My blocks are in the four corners pulling it all together, borders added and quilted with a 'star burst' pantograph which blends right on in and is hidden....Hmmmm.....to me the quilting can be the best part of a quilt and it can't even be seen....'Oh Well'

I had a few blocks left over that were perfect for pillow shams.....

I set myself a few tasks to finish up some UFO's before the end of the year and here it is all finished at last from my 'Friends across the ocean!'

Can you see your blocks?




Update:- this quilt now lives in Scotland capital city of Edinburgh with my youngest Son....