Celtic Solstice Mystery Quilt Part 5

I started part 5 by cutting mirror image neutral triangles with the Easy Angle ruler from 2" strips.  The notches where the missing dog ear is will help line everything up.  To do this I had to cut with two strips right sides together.  after that I cut the blue triangles with the Easy Angle ruler from 3-1/2" strips.

Part 5 is made starting with the half square triangles from part 3 that weren't made into pinwheels and attaching the neutral triangles to the yellow sides of part 3 and the blue triangle attaches to the neutrals.

I'm not sure how many more parts there will be before we start putting the pieces together.  Besides the sewing I did for Christmas, this is the only thing that I've started this month.  Check out everyone's progress on the Celtic Solstice Mystery here.

I will be linking up with Barbara over at Cat Patches for the 2013 NewFO Challenge - December Update.   Click here to see what others have started this month.  This is the last update for the year; however, Barbara has decided to host a NewFO challenge for 2014 that I am going to participate in.  You can read about it here if you're interested.

Hope you all have a wonderful year coming up!  Happy New Year!  Tami

Celtic Solstice Mystery Quilt Part 4

I really like 4 patches and 9 patches so Part 4 was a breeze for me to do.  It's a good thing too because I have some Christmas sewing to get finished.  These were made with green and orange 2" strips and will finish at 3" in the quilt.

I've made three Christmas table runners as gifts for my two sister-in-laws and my mother-in-law. They have to put up with me talking about my quilting all the time, so I thought I'd make them a little something.

And, because I promote the use of  fabric bags instead of paper or plastic, I also made some Christmas bags to wrap them in instead of paper.  

They can use them for wrapping presents in next year.  These are made using the pattern developed for the Green Bag Lady which is an eco-friendly art project started by Teresa VanHatten-Granath in 2008.

Check out everyone's progress on the Celtic Solstice Mystery Here.

2014 NewFO Challenge

I would like to make a Churn Dash Quilt.  I asked my hubby to help me decide what it should look like.  I showed pictures of some on goggle and he liked this one the best, I'm going to make one something like this.

I have several quilts on my To Do List that are designed by Bonnie Hunter of Quiltville, starting with Boxy Stars which is on her Free Patterns Tab.

Ohio Stars and Rails is another of Bonnie's quilts that I'd like to do.  I think I'd like to do this one or another red, white and blue for a QOV quilt.

Pineapple Blossom is yet another of Bonnie's patterns I want to do!  I particularly like that pattern that was made in Christmas colors.  Red and Green and my favorite colors.

I'd like to make some Oven Mitts and Potholders for my kitchen.  Mine are getting a little tired looking.

I have a pattern called Arrows All Around  by Cheryl Brickey of MeadowMistDesigns that I'd like to make.

Towards the end of the year, I'd like to make You Got Cookies that is in the Nov/Dec 2012 issue of Quiltmaker magazine.

I'd also like to make Merry Baskets which is in Nov-Dec issue 2013 of Quiltmaker magazine.  Again, I would be using my favorite colors!  Hopefully, we'll be able to have a Christmas tree next year.  We had trouble with the cats loving it!

I'm sure there's lots more that I'd like to do, but those are the ones I'm thinking of now!

Celtic Solstice Mystery Quilt Part 3

Pinwheels

We need Half-Square Triangles for Part 3.  The half square triangles will measure 2” and finish at 1-1/2” in the quilt.  Some of our half-square triangles in this step will be made into pinwheels, and some will be left single.  The pinwheel unit will measure 3-1/2” and finish at 3” in the quilt.  I used the Easy Angle Ruler and 2” strips to cut the units for my quilt. 

Check on Bonnie's Monday linkup  to see how everyone else is doing on the Mystery!
   Keep on sewing!  Tami

Holiday Hullabaloo Blog Hop Winner!

This has been such a fun hop!  And for sheer beauty in photos and in inspiring posts, you can't beat The Art of Home, where Jacquelynne Steves shows us craft projects, recipes, patterns, note cards and more!

I loved reading all your comments!  It's amazing how many people are busy rushing to get something finished for a loved one for Christmas.  So, lets get down to it.  The winner will receive the surprise package from Jacquelynne Steves at The Art of Home!

Mr. Random chose:

And number 99 was Barb!  Yay!! Congratulations, Barb!  I'll be contacting you by email right away to get your snail mail! 

Barb said...   I have been sewing non-stop for I don't know how long. Prepping for a Christmas Bazaar this weekend. I still have an entire quilt to make as I gift. That I have to mail. No stress around here.

Be sure to check out Jacquelynne's blog to see who wins that awesome Grand Prize!!

Merry Christmas,  Tami

Celtic Solstice Mystery Quilt Part 2

This year's mystery parts 1 and 2 are done!

Here is a recap of step 1 with the blues, oranges and neutrals.  I used the Tri-Recs rulers to make these 3 1/2" squares.  This was the first time I've used them.

We used green, yellow and neutrals for part 2 . So far, all of my fabric has come from my stash and hasn't made a single dent to it!  I'm not even trying to guess how it will all go together!  I never did make a guess at it on last year's Easy Street Mystery.

I still need to trim them up a little bit, but I finally got them sewed together correctly.  Fortunately,  I didn't have to take my seam ripper to many of them.  Linking up with Bonnie at Quiltville! 

Holiday Hullabaloo Blog Hop

It is time for the Holiday Hullabaloo Blog Hop with giveways, sponsored by Jacquelynne Steves!  The giveaway will be open from December 2nd to the 6th.  Prizes will include fabric, books, patterns, stationary, gift items, etc. All prizes are donated by Jacquelynne and are different, with a retail value of $15-30.

The fun part:  All of the prizes for the blogs will be a SURPRISE. No one, not even me, will know which prizes go to which blog (Jacquelynne will be drawing them from a hat at the end of the giveaway.) Here is the schedule and links to all the bloggers:

Monday Dec. 2               Lily Pad Quilting  http://lilypadquilting.blogspot.com/

Tuesday Dec. 3              Sew Cal Gal  http://sewcalgal.blogspot.com/

 Bejeweled Quilts by Barb  http://bejeweledquilts.blogspot.com/

Wednesday Dec. 4         Upstairs Hobby Room  http://upstairshobbyroom.blogspot.com/

                                                 Freemotion by the River   http://www.conniekresin.com/

Thursday Dec.5              A Quilt & A Prayer  http://aquiltandaprayer.blogspot.com/

                                                 Tami’s Quilting Adventure  http://tamichaulk.blogspot.com/

Friday Dec. 6                 Needled Mom  http://needledmom.blogspot.com/

Be sure to visit Jacquelynne's blog for the Grand Prize Giveaway.  Retail value of Grand Prize is over $100 US and includes fabric, books, patterns, gift items, etc.  You can enter every day on her blog! 

Jacquelynne is introducing some new products (really excited about these!!) and is having a Holiday Sale at her Etsy Shop. Stop by for some holiday shopping!

The Giveaway is open to everyone (if you are no-reply, please leave an e-mail or you can't win).  Leave a comment telling me what sewing or crafting you have done lately!  The deadline to enter will be 11:59 pm EST on Sunday Dec. 8th. 

If you are a follower of this blog you get an additional chance! Please leave a comment and tell me how you follow!  New followers are always welcome!  That makes (2) possible comments per person!

I would be very remiss if I did not thank Jacquelynne for organizing this fun opportunity.  

                                                  THANK YOU JACQUELYNNE!! 

Celtic Solstice Mystery Quilt Part 1

Like many others, I have decided to do Bonnie Hunter's Celtic Solstice Mystery!  She gave us the fabric suggestions and yardage requirements a month before the start and I was really excited that I was able to pull all of the fabric I'll need from my stash. There were quilters all around the world that were doing the same.

This is my second Bonnie Hunter mystery.   If you haven't participated  in one of her mysteries before, it's certainly worth the effort.  Bonnie Hunter is the Queen of Scrap Quilts.  I love her theory about fabric...  If it's ugly, you need to cut it smaller!  I love scrap quilts because I've been collecting a little fabric here and there for years and now I'm finally using it and I have just completed the first step!

Bonnie has offered us plenty of options on how to approach this quilt. I have opted to use the Tri-Recs rulers which has 'notch' which is used for alignment.  I am making the a smaller size quilt and am now waiting for our next clue which we will receive this Friday.

There is a Group on Facebook for people who are participating in this mystery.  It's really fun to see how everyone else is doing.  There's almost always someone on line if you have a question as there are over 2,500 members.  It is a fun way to make new quilty friends and improve your quilting skills at the same time!  I'm always learning something new.

You can see what others are doing – hundreds of others are doing – by going to the link-up post on Bonnie’s blog that is posted each Monday morning and can be found here.


Come back next week for Part 2!  

2013 NewFO Challenge - November Update

I have decided to make some shopping bag for my NewFO this month.  I am making the shopping bags out of Christmas fabric and will use them for wrapping presents.  Then, instead of throwing away paper, I'll be reusing them for shopping!  This wasn't my idea originally, it was the Green Bag Lady's idea.  I volunteer with the Colorado Chapter of the Green Bag Lady project and when we met last time, Teresa had us working on shopping bags that were made with Christmas fabric.

I had be busy preparing for Thanksgiving and trying to get some of my sewing done, so my sewing area was quite a mess!  I'm also preparing our condo for a new couch and love seat that my sister-in-law is giving us.  They are redoing their family room and decided to do it with several recliners instead.  Yipee for me!

Well, now that Thanksgiving is over and the new furniture is here and settled in, I've finally gotten a chance to do some more sewing.  I had planned on making some snowmen mug rugs but that didn't work out.  I did however get my Christmas bags made.

I think this is first NewFO project that I started and finished in the same post.  Maybe I'll squeeze those snowmen mug rugs in before Christmas after all.

If you want additional information about Green Bag Lady, check out the following links:

New to Green Bag Lady? Click HERE.

Like Green Bag Lady on Facebook HERE.

To make your own bags, this is a super easy pattern HERE.
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Visit Barbara over at Cat Patches and see what others have started this month.  Happy quilting everyone!

Free shopping bags anyone?

                          Shopping bag giveaway is over!  

Follow Green Bag Lady on Facebook for next giveaway.

Yes?  Then you should hop over to my sponsors at Green Bag Lady because they are having a huge giveaway running until Wednesday, where you can be the winner of one of 50 reusable shopping bags!

Help us save the environment by using reusable/fabric bags instead of paper or plastic. All the time!

Here is the pile of 50 bags.  All are lightweight and can be folded small enough to fit in your purse or pocket so you will always have it with you.  No excuses.

Picture courtesy of Green Bag Lady

On top of that they are giving away 3 prize packs for those bloggers and posters who send over the most people to sign up for the giveaway.  If you join their shopping bag giveaway after finding out about it through this post, mention that Tami sent you!
                                           
All you have to do to enter to win a bag (open to everyone, world-wide) leave a comment and include your email address so you are entered in the freebie right HERE!

Good Luck!  Tami

2013 NewFO Challenge - October Update

I ran across a picture of Tumbling Leaves that I really liked.  It reminded me of all the colors of the hardwoods back east in the fall.  I'd like to make a wall hanging to hang above our love seat.

I found the pattern for it in allpeoplequilt, however, I didn't follow the pattern because I planned on using fabric from my stash, that was already cut into strips I wanted to use.  So I started to work on the leaves.

I put them all together and added a narrow inner border, but haven't decided on a border just yet.

While trying to decide what fabric to use for the border on my leaves wall hanging, I decided to finish up the work on the tote bag designed by Gudrun Erla of G.E. Designs, that I had started last month.

It turned out a bit bigger than I thought it would, but I really like it how it turned out with the Riley Blake Snug as a Bug fabric.  I'll be able to stop carrying multiple bags when I go out!   Visit Barbara over at Cat Patches and see what others have started this month.  Happy quilting everyone!

2013 NewFO Challenge - September Update

I needed a new purse as mine was not large enough to carry all the things I wanted to carry.  I never am able to find one that I really like that fits my needs so I started looking for one that I could make.  I never realized that there are so many purses and totes out there!  I finally ran across a really cute tote that hit my fancy.

It was posted in the Facebook group Ozark Fabric and other Fun Stuff! by Yvonne Ginter Thompson.  I asked where she got the pattern, and it ended up being a designer I already followed, Gudrun Erla of G.E. Designs.  The book was called Fast & Furious quilting as you go and the pattern is Strip to the Beach Bag.

So, I ordered the book and started looking for the fabric I wanted to use.  I loved the orange batiks that were used for the one I found.  But I didn't want to copy hers and that wasn't something I had in my stash so I thought I might do it in reds.  I picked reds from my stash, but that didn't pop like the oranges did.  Then Ozark Fabric had a new Riley Black design for sale called "snug as a bug" and that caught my attention.

So, I am going to try Gudrun's quilt as you go method!   Visit Barbara over at Cat Patches and see what others have started this month.  Happy quilting everyone!

August NewFO Challenge

Well, I have finally gotten around to making a new table runner to replace the one that ended up at my daughter's house in Tennessee.  This was my original table runner.

And this is my new one.  I made it a little larger because I decided to put this one on our sideboard.  I'll probably make another one for the table behind our couch.

I have also been working on my Miss Rosie's Toulouse.  I have all of the blocks finished now and have them sewn together into rows.  Now I need to sew the rows together.  Then I'll be working on the border.  I'm liking how it is coming together.

Visit Barbara over at Cat Patches and see what others have started this month.  Happy quilting everyone!

July NewFO Challenge

This month I started another project that I saw on Ray and Jeanne's blog called Crazy Eights.  It was done completely from their stash and I'd like to do that as well.

I've only got two of the blocks finished so far as red and green are my favorite colors and I have enough of those colors to cut 32 unique squares out of my stash.  I didn't want to have any duplicates.

My version of Crazy Eights will have to be a work in progress for a while until I have enough of other colors to cut 32 unique squares.  Don't tell my DH, but this will mean purchasing more fabric!  I did have help working on my blocks!  Popeye got pretty lazy while I was working on the red block.

I have finished my Birdhouse pillow that was my New FO that I had started back in May here after finding Leisa's Whimsical Birdhouse pillow.

I had won a bag from the Green Bag Lady back in May and was asked if I wanted to be part of the Green Bag Lady Colorado Chapter once she moved to Colorado.  We have our first meeting in a couple weeks! For the Fourth of July, our family got together for a barbecue at my sister-in-law's house.  I decided to give some bags away that I had made using the Green Bag Lady pattern.

Visit Barbara over at Cat Patches and see what others have started this month.  Happy quilting everyone!

June NewFO Challenge

I was browsing the blogs and ran across something that really caught my attention.  It was from Carla of Cora Quilts and was her American Jane 9 Patch Baby Quilt:

I'm not sure what it was about her baby quilt, but I knew I needed to make one.  So, I went digging through my 2 1/2" blocks to gather a variety of fabrics and started putting together some happy blocks.  They weren't as happy as Carla's and I might just have to do this one again using the fabrics that she used which was ABC 123 Charm Pack by American Jane for Moda Fabrics.  Here's my top put together:

I've also made a couple of pillow cases.  I originally made them for a charity give away, but when I showed them to my daughter, she fell in love with them.  Maybe she'll forget about them before I have a chance to mail them to her.

I've been sort of busy this month.  I have finally got my Sister's Choice blocks put together into a top.  I first posted about this quilt in March and am now on the search for a border for this:

I'm happy with how it has turned out.  There are so many different fabrics that have been accumulated over the years as well as some that were given to me by friends and family.  There are lots of memories here.  I look forward to having this one live on my bed.

To see what everyone else is doing for the 2013 NewFO Challenge for this month click here.

     

2013 NewFO Challenge - May Update

I'm following the NewFO Challenge where anew project has to be started every month.  They don't have to be finished ... just started!  While visiting April's NewFO Linky Party I found a really cute pillow I liked at Leisa's Day by Day called Whimsical Birdhouses. Leisa was kind enough to send me her Birdhouse Block pattern.  So, that was the project that I started this month, right after mailing off my To Boston With Love flag.  Here's Leisa's pillow that really caught my attention!

The rules for the NewFO Challenge include the fact that you don't have to finish the project that you start.  I got the birdhouses all built, but didn't have to time finish up the pillow.

I am part of a group called Ozark Fabric and other Fun Stuff! and we are creating quilt blocks that are going to be put together by one of the group to make a quilt to send to Moore, Oklahoma.  I have sent off my blocks already and many more are arriving at the quilter daily.  I remembered to get a picture of them before mailing them off.

I have also finished all of the blocks needed for my Sister's Choice quilt.  My sweet little helper Popeye helped me get them all sorted out into rows.  Now I need to get them put together and choose the fabric for the border.

 Visit Barbara over at Cat Patches and see what others have started this month.  Happy quilting everyone!