Keeping up with mysteries

Keeping up with En Provence, next clue 5 on Friday! The mystery clues are easy to keep up with this
time.  Here's clue 4 (not all are pictured, there are 50 here and I've done 80).

I finished my 2nd rail fence quilt, this time in batiks with a couple non-batiks thrown in.  I want to quickly make a few hot pads to pass out at our Christmas party, and at this point everything's right on schedule!

En Provence Part 4

I've made over half of the number needed for this clue.  But I have a huge stack of the neutral triangles left over - don't know why cut so many extra!

Then I finished quilting on the QOV mystery, so it's ready to go..

I also put together the wonky rail fence top, and picked out a backing.  I'll get this one ready for quilting next...  the backing is a sheet I found at Savers! 

En Provence purple

Next clue of Bonnie Hunters mystery, http://quiltville.blogspot.com/2016/12/mystery-monday-link-up-part-3.html
I love these, my favorite color!  only about half of what is needed... pretty!

here are 100

 

Rail Fence, last 5 squares

Now to get busy and lay the squares out for the quilt top... maybe like this

En Provence, clue 2

100 of these are done, ready for tomorrow's clue...

Waiting for some fabric I ordered for backing for the last QOV mystery, I believe the weather is causing delay...

En Provence progress

Now I've finished the first clue of  220 4-patches.  Started cutting the 2nd clue.

Also finished the December clue for the Mountain Meadow mystery, blocks 1, 3 and 4 randomly arranged on the wall: they sure are boring, I wonder if she's going to cut them up like in the last mystery...

Some more rail fence squares

and now there are 15, 5 to go...  oh why is it turned sideways!!

En Provence, first clue

Half way through the first clue, for some reason I thought I needed 110, but in re-reading I need 221!  Get to work...

Batik Rail Fence progress

Added a few more squares...

and now

 

 

 

also finished the QOV mystery top....

Excited for the day after thanksgiving for the first clue of Bonnie Hunter's mystery!!

 

new project - use my batiks

I've been collecting batik fabric for years and have decided now is the time to use them!  What better way to showcase the lovely designs than another rail fence pattern using Sujata Shah's pattern, from her book, "Cultural Fusion."  Here are a few I've made so far.  The green one is a mistake, just not enough contrast, but I'm keeping it anyway...its okay for a corner out of the way!  I have 5 more in various stages of completion...

Next QOV clue

Here is the predictable quilt so far!  not sure how the strips we made awhile ago are going to fit...

November

Keeping busy in November...
I finished the next clue for the QOV mystery - it looks very simple but the mystery isn't over yet!  This can't be right, it's too predictable...

Also worked on the next clue in the Meadow Mystery.  Such an interesting assortment of pieces!

And I pulled out of my stash the colors for Bonnie's next mystery..

Monday

I've noticed what seems to be a loss of interest in bloggers both by readers of the blogs and the bloggers themselves.  Including me.  I mostly set up my blog for my own benefit as a journal-type record, and if there's a way to download it, I'd be interested. 

So I have been busy on things, lately binging on Netflix has been my main interest.  I found these to be of great interest:
1.  Pablo Escobar, Patron del Mal.  Story of Pablo Escobar, drug lord in Columbia, in Spanish.  It is refreshing to see actors NOT from Hollywood! and interesting scenes.  Based on fact.
2.  La Esclava Blanca.  About slavery in Columbia in 1800s, in Spanish.
3.  Lady, la Vendenda de Roses.  True story of a rose seller from Columbia, in Spanish.
4.  La Viuda Negra.  True story of Griselda Blanco, drug dealer from Columbia, in Spanish.  Wonderful acting in all these Spanish films, I even picked up some Spanish language.  Another favorite is
5.  Velvet, a Spanish "soap opera" set in the 1950-60 time frame.  Fabulous dresses, music and actors.  In Spanish.  Am impatiently waiting for the next season, which I hope Netflix gets sometime next year.

AND, I have also done some quilting!.  Finished my Summer Solstice quilt, a summer quiltalong, it is real big!  I love the back as well as the front, makes me want some orange, raspberry and lime sherbert...

 

Also doing the next QOV mystery quilt by Alycia.  Here are the first couple of clues:

and also following the Meadow Mystery quiltalong, here is progress:  Very boring compared to what others are doing.  If I like how it turns out might make again with bold dynamic fabric...

 

Meadow Mystery, October clue

I Finished the October clue, not without making mistakes! But all are squared up and ready for November.  Also half done the quilting on my Summer Solstice quilt...

Help blogger!

Where is my blog list?  Are you working on the problem?  I hate not being able to check other blogs! I am trying to reconstruct my old list, wish I could remember more of them....

Thursday

Yikes almost the end of September! where did it go... I did finish the Yahoo group QOV mystery quilt, and just in time as the next one starts on Friday September 30th.

and keeping up with the Meadow Mystery quilt, have completed the September clue, which was super easy and looking forward to October.

I just noticed today that my blog list no longer appears on my blog!  don't know what happened there.  Wonder if anyone else has had this problem?  I hope if comes back cause I sure don't remember all the blogs I had listed!

Summer Solstice sashing

Sashing done, I think it needs a border!

also made a new flag wall hanging, its not quilted yet...

and next up, need to sew together the first clue of the Meadow Mystery!

Summer solstice blocks done

here are the nine blocks, sashing comes next

Summer Solstice

I am making great progress on my Summer Solstice quilt along.  Lots and lots of sewing, nothing hard, just sewing.  Matching seams, points, etc.  I was reminded to match the points and centers and forget about the ends not meeting as that will be taken care of in the seam.  The next clue comes out on September 1, so I will be ready for it.  Here are some of the blocks, there will be 9 total:

QOV top done

Ready for quilting - I am calling it Friendship Star QOV.  Of course, it is going sideways!

Saturday

I can't be the only one who is unmotivated during this long hot month! But I really am working a little at a time.  I've been following the QOV mystery quilt on Yahoo groups, and have an almost completed top, just need the borders.  I made a little mistake and accidently cut red instead of light blue, thinking red was the accent color.  I kind of like the way it turned out!  but hate that I can't rotate this photo!!

 

I'm also taking part in the Meadow Mystery, so far all we've done is choose fabrics.

 

 

And taking part in the Summer Solstice quiltalong, first two steps include making flying geese and half-square triangles of each of the 9 different fabrics.  I've been working on but that's all.

 

 

Looking forward to cooler weather and return of energy and enthusiasm for quilting....

The rest of the story

 Here are the two completed stripe quilts!

closeup of border

 

 

Some catchup photos

I completed another Quartered Stripes quilt, using a length of fabric from Connecting Threads.  It looks totally different from my first quilt.  Such fun to see the results!  I added borders to make it bigger.  This is not the finished quilt!  Need to find that photo...

Then I brought home two quilt tops my sister had quilted, and I finished these.  One is a QOV mystery

and the other was an earlier quilt of hers she never got around to finishing

I'm working on another QOV mystery, and we've completed two blocks, here they are laid out.



Surviving the heat

Wondering where the month of June went...I know, I was in Texas.  It was hot there and it's hot here, just no humidity like in Texas.  But hot weather is good...  While I was there I made a dress (Washi dress pattern), a hobo bag, and quilted a quilt.  Photos later, they are on my phone!  For July, I'm working on a QOV mystery quilt (Alicia on Yahoo groups), and debating what else to work on.  Meanwhile tending to my granddaughter who just had knee surgery.  It may be awhile until things get back of somewhat normal...

Quartered Stripes

Watched a tutorial from the Missouri Star Quilt Company with Jenny Doan, and just had to try out her technique for Quartered Stripes, using striped fabric.  I bought this from ikea several years ago.
Here is the length of fabric before cutting:

and then after cutting

I am doing a completely random arrangement, because I sewed the 4 squares together to make a big block.  It didn't occur to me to arrange the separate blocks...and I really don't think it matters!  that's my story....unless I decide to rip it apart


I also made a Christmas Tree Skirt for my nephew who requested one.  I bought a cute looking kit from Connecting Threads last year and  here is what it looks like.