Merry Mayhem Modern Mystery Finish!

The final borders are on, the addition of cornerstones I think has helped to make the added borders appear more as if they were originally planned!

I haven't quite decided how to quilt it, either with overlapping circles or perhaps Baptist Fan. I am really very happy with my first official "modern" quilt, and as if to celebrate I have subscribed to "Modern Quilts" and received my first copy today.

There was a special offer for  a one year subscription and I thought I would try it, I will report on my first impressions when I have had a chance to peruse it!

Snowing And Sewing!

Not much sewing done this week, too much family fun!
Wednesday I went into the Montrose Huggy Bunch quilt group and sewed, and ended up frogging pieces I had sewn in the wrong order! Too many distractions, there was a big group 20-25 I think, lovely to see those dear ladies.
But last night I sewed a little while the guys played cribbage, and today managed to get Merry Mayhem all together, not properly pressed yet!

It's a bit on the small side for a lap quilt in my opinion, so I am planning a stop border of one inch with the dark grey then another four inch of the grey pin dot.
It snowed pretty much all day and we took a long walk, lots of good pics and the guys built a great snowman in the driveway.

 Helping..........

Grandfather!

 "All done" he says!

Catching snowflakes. 

Pile on Daddy!

Fun In The Snow

The Boy loves the snow, in fact there can be quite a ruckus when it is necessary to bring him into the warmth of the house!

 Burying himself in the white stuff!

 Good times with Daddy!

Yesterday in Telluride on the Gondola..............

Wheeeee!

 

It  was a big day!

Merry Mayhem Modern Mystery [MMMM]

Having already cut the pieces for this quilt it was too tempting and I got started piecing it last night. Warning: the cutting directions are not wonderful, you definitely should not be multi tasking when you tackle it, turn off the TV and just do this one thing!

These are just a few of the stacks I cut and labeled in detail so that there would be no confusion when it came time to sew it all together. As it turned out I was happy that I took this extra precaution.

These are the first blocks I put together...............

then these.

As you can see there isn't a lot of contrast between some of the fabrics so you really have to watch what you are doing and of course, no multitasking! It is in fact a very simple quilt, these four blocks, two different sashings and two sets of cornerstones- it will go together fast as long as you check and double check each step.

The directions for this mystery are also less than stellar towards the end, a few other quilters have mentioned their confusion over construction so it was not just me! However, if you go by the pictures and match up their fabrics with whatever fabrics you have chosen, it is doable. I was very careful to mark each of my fabrics as I cut them so I would know which was which! Then you must pay close attention to the final construction or the woven effect of the subtle color variation will not be there.

Here is a mock up of my blocks, there are just six of them for this sized quilt. The blocks are identical but are rotated to give the 3D effect.

Below you can see how the finished quilt makes up.

The fabrics and blocks for MMMM will pack up and go with me to Colorado for the week and it should all be put together while I am there.

This morning I met up with BJ, Jacki, Andee and Kathy over at the 35th Ave store to pick up our packets for the first month of the beautiful BOM to which we have committed.

 I am doing the smaller size and must cut and sew lots of tiny [1.25"] squares, can you tell these will be really tiny once sewn into the quilt? I must not have paid attention though when I signed up because they have a gorgeous Amish looking version with a black background. 

This is the first month block in black, it's going to be smashing and I have decided to substitute the black for the white so now I need to purchase 4 yds of a nice Kona or other black fabric.  I will check at the website for Thousandandonebolts.com and see what they have in black on black or Kona or Michael Miller solid black.

Finished [Piecing] For Friday

Finally Easy Street is ready for the longarm. Because the borders ended up being whatever I had left of these fabrics I made them up as I went along and I am content with them. It is quite large, almost 100" square.

 A one inch, a two inch and finally a one and a half inch border.

This uses up most of these fabrics, now to figure out a backing-do I need to purchase some? I haven't checked the backing stash yet!

"Easy Street" Quilt, Almost There..........

Linking up with Wordless Wednesday ,Stacy Uncorked, Frugality Is Free

Easy Street And Another Quilt for The Boy!

Finding this a bit slow going, these final very large blocks especially with all the distractions in my life this week, mainly a 3.5 year old!

However all the triangles are done and I am working on the large square blocks. This is how my blocks will look together. Once again I ran out of the green, this time I had to cut more 5.5"squares for another 8 triangles. I have no idea how I could have been off in my count but it happens with a quilt that has as many pieces as Bonnie's do. I began to add up the number of pieces in each of these blocks and then realized why they take so long! I need another 12 of the "A" blocks to be able to put them all together

Hoping to finish this tomorrow and perhaps even borders!

The Boy's favorite cartoon is Sponge Bob Square Pants, and I remembered that I had purchased some fabric for his older cousins when they were about the same age. I think I planned to make pillowcases but it never eventuated. I pulled it out the other day and he was so excited about it that I knew I had to make him something. He has several quilts but I am a quilter so what else would I do with the fabric?!

We have been reading, The Boy and I and he likes me to sing the nursery rhymes. He has taken a particular shine to Humpty Dumpty and there right next to the Sponge Bob fabric on my shelf I found some with Humpty Dumpty. I gave that to him too and he couldn't decide between them so the other side of Sponge Bob is Humpty Dumpty.  I took a little break from Easy Street to make this quilt and took it off the longarm and bound it last evening, the little boy hasn't seen it yet!

After all, even a three year old can't have too many quilts, can he?

Cruising On Easy Street

Today I pieced samples of the final four blocks of this Mystery. I find it's easier to work from a sample block than the pattern with the designer's fabrics.

There are triangle blocks,

four small corner triangles.....

and twelve large side setting triangles. 

Then there are two different designs of 15.5" blocks that are combos of the smaller ones we have been piecing in earlier clues, these make up the body of the quilt. Nine of the above..........

and sixteen of these. 

It is a dynamite design and I can't wait to have mine ready to load on the longarm but it's going to take me a while to get all of these pieced and we have young Matthew this week plus I have three post-op rehab therapy sessions for my back. I did have to scrounge up more greens for these last blocks as I ran out of a couple of the originals but it makes it more scrappy and that's just a good thing!

Below is how it will look all done. Isn't it fabulous? I haven't yet decided on my borders it will depend on what is left of my fabrics.

A Finish Before Friday!

One mystery ready to quilt, now on to Bonnie's "Easy Street".

Wordless Wednesday

The Merry Go Round

The joy of a little boy!

Merry Mayhem Modern Quilt Mystery Fabric

Below are the Merry Mayhem Mystery designer's choices for her quilt, left to right, A-G.

Using these as a guide I checked out my grey/black/neutrals in stash and found these candidates.

Then I went by Arizona Home fabrics today and found these four to add to the growing list of choices.

That grey pin dot is a beauty, I purchased the "end of bolt". Two yards of the grey streaky one, one yard of the little flowered and the "end of bolt" of that luscious cream.
Then I headed over to visit with my longarm friend Gale this afternoon as she was down from CO. to her house in Surprise for a few days, and we collaberated on a final selection.

So here is what I have decided on, left to right A-G same order as the Merry Mayhem at top of the page. The grey pin dot will become A, my background fabric, B and C, the creams, are those light narrowest strips,  and D and E will be the larger strips. F and G I believe are those darker cornerstons.

Below you see the final clue in this mystery -click here for the link. I am very excited to get going on this quilt- it seems like a very different departure for me into such modern lines and colors.

Perhaps I will yet become a thoroughly modern quilter-- but first I need to finish the other two mystery tops I have in progress!

New Year's Eve Sewing

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL!

Yesterday Jacki, BJ and I sewed and "Skype- sewed" with Andee and Kathy as we all worked on the NYE Mystery.

Checking in via Skype.

BJ making progress.........

a completed block for Jacki..........

and mine!

Four laid together showing the secondary pattern, not yet pressed though.

This evening I hope to complete my blocks and get them together into a top. 

There's a "Modern Mystery" over at Planet Patchwork by Merry Mayhem, I want to check that one out too! They are using black/grey/ cream/neutrals and it looks like it might be interesting. I need one more project.......not!