Orca Bay Mystery Quilt-Along
 

Hi ya’ll! Welcome to the Orca Bay Mystery Quilt-Along for those who are working on Bonnie Hunter’s Orca Bay Mystery Quilt. Everyone is welcome to come and play along with us!!!

This thread will be the "homebase" for our Quilt-Along. Setting up a "Group" didn't work out a a viable option, so we are going to hang out here to chat, share pointers and encouragement, and cheer each other on. Remember Bonnie's rule! NO WHINING!!


I will be acting as your host through this journey, any questions, comments or conflicts can be addressed to me through a p.m.. If you can’t reach me Sadiemae has agreed to help me out as we take this step as the first Quilt-Along for the new Quilting Board!! I know you will find her very knowledgeable and helpful. Patrice J. will be lurking in the background to boink me in the head if ya’ll misbehave really badly.

Introduction to the Quilt

Bonnie has written a wonderful introduction to this quilt on her website.
http://quiltville.blogspot.com/p/orca-bay-mystery.html

Ground rules and Guidelines

As much as I dislike “rules”(boy do I dislike rules!) it is necessary to lay groundwork so that we all understand up front what to expect and what is expected so things can run smoothly. Please take the time to read the guidelines set forth here.

1. Be kind, there will be No Flaming. This is a very friendly, encouraging and supportive group. Be patient, please keep in mind that there are those participating here with a wide range of quilting skills from the novice to the master and every level between. We want this to be enjoyable for all.

2.All copyrights will be honored and protected.
The only link that will be posted for this mystery quilt is listed above. Bonnie will be removing all access to this ystery in May 1, 2012. It will be coming out again in her new book due out July 2012.

Because we wish to respect Bonnie Hunter’s (the author's) efforts to create this quilt, as well as any contractual obligations she has to the publishers of the commercial products, we will not permit uploading of the PDF files of this mystery quilt. That decision is based on ethics and because it is much safer from a legal perspective than trying to guess what would or wouldn't get somebody or everybody - including Bonnie - successfully sued.

3. This is not a swap it is a Quilt-a-long. This means you are making your own quilt. Therefore you can choose whichever fabrics you like best.

Share your pictures at Orca Bay Mystery Quilt Picture Sharing Thread so everyone can see what we are up to:
http://www.quiltingboard.com/picture...d-t168881.html

Awesome! Thanks Coyotemagic for all your work in getting this set up. I can't wait to get home next week to start pulling fabrics and get started on this quilt.

I just found this tonight, and it sounds exciting. I need to get creative again, since my slump last winter. I think I"ll go gather fabrics. . . . . quiltville has the BEST patterns around! (I love scrappy)

I'm game!!! But I can't start until after thanksgiving... Is that ok?

Sure you can jump in anytime. The links will be up until May so we have a while to get this done.

I think this is going to be lots of fun ya'll. I've got to run and see if I can pick up a smaller cutter tomorrow. All those little triangles are hard to cut with a large cutter. I don't have the rulers either been cutting the triangles with a little square ruler with 45* marks. Takes a few minutes to get going but if you can get a rythm they roll right one off.

Woo hoo! Can't wait to get going with this one. Tanks for getting the ball rolling :)

I can't wait! I am going to try to get some of these done this morning (but with 6 kids running around it might be a impossible lol)

I have done lots of Bonnie's mystery quilts. I hope to get started on this one today. I just love her quilts and she has such good instructions.

not me, I work, I cook, I clean, I enjoy my family. . . .

OOPS! I posted this on the "Pictures" thread so thought I'd post it here too since this is the "chat" page. Sorry to be redundant to those who have read this on the other page. I'll get it right soon!!

I'm still a bit undecided about colors. I have started cutting for the first part, and boy is it a LOT of cutting. I don't have precut strips of any width so have decided to cut squares first (3 1/4 x 3 1/4"), using blacks and neutrals, like Bonnie. I did sew one to measure for accuracy, and it came out right on!!(I was wondering if Triangulations did QST too. Hmmm, thinking of buying that!!)

We leave, tomorrow, for a week of camping with family for Thanksgiving, so doubt I will get much done till after the holiday. Have fun fellow quilters and have a very happy Thanksgiving!!

If you start off making 3-1/2" HSTs, you can make them fairly quickly. Then, if you cut them in half you have 2 QST. It's a lot easier to handle making the 3-1/2" HSTs than starting out with the QSTs. You end up in the same place eventually, but the road is less bumpy.

Are you quick with math? What size square do we cut, to cut it in half, to make a 3 1/2" HST???

I started the QST yesterday. I am using the square method, although I totally cheat by cutting it 3.5 inches than true the block to 2.5 inches. I am undecided on what my two main colors are going to be but since the beginning is neutral I'll decide when I have to. Thanks Coyote for doing this. I have never done a mystery quilt. Really excited.

Bonnie made a comment on my Facebook post that her RED is the predominant color of the quilt. I was using yellow instead of red but am going to switch my yellow with my purple.


I got my rulers. Realized when I started using them that all the triangles I cut yesterday don't have all have a 1/4 seam allowance :thumbdown: Oh well. Good thing I have lots of scraps!!

I've been hoping to do this too. I may be running along behind everyone else, tho. LOL. I just got word of another chemo quilt I need to make, plus I'm working on the quilt for a Marine and I have been requested of another of the pink ribbon quilts.... It's so good to be needed!!!!!!!

Wow Linda you are busy. I've got a Relay For Life quilt I'm working on too. One for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, one for my Aunt's Grandaughter and one for my old Marine DH. Gives me something to do to save my sanity between cutting all these danged triangles!!!

Are you talking an HST finishing at 3"? Not for this mystery right? If so, then cutting squares at 3 7/8 " will give you 3.5" HST, but I normally cut my squares at 4" and square down to 3.5"..gives me a little fudge room which I badly need.

For the mystery ,once I get home and pick my fabrics--I don't have a lot of scraps, so I will be using FQs, I will be using the square method to make my QST, cutting them at 3.5" and squaring down to 2.5". Woo hoo, lots of sewing, cutting, sewing and cutting and pressing. I will just be making a few units each week just to follow the progress and then finish up after Christmas, as I have a couple of projects I need to get done before,but couldn't resist this one,al though I have never done a scrappy before. :)

I cut a bunch of strips last nite and sewed some QST this morning. 3 of the grnadkids are coming over tonite so I won't get any sewing done . We are leaving for TN monday and will be gone for a week so I am starting out behind. lol I do love Bonnie's quilts and hopefully will catch up when I get back home

So would like clarification: if we are cutting squares to make our QST, will we need 112 each of two colors we are using, i.e. 112 neutral squares and 112 black squares to make the necessary # of QST--sometimes my math isn't the best!?! LOL

Karen, you are correct. Your math is right on target!

Yeah!! So glad! Now have to get cutting some more squares!

Cutting, cutting, cutting.

Ok I admit it, I'm slow

I retired once, work again full time, my husband (retired professional chef) cooks, my husband cleans, and we both enjoy our family :) I still managed to get about 95 hour glass units completed last night! Wasn't home today so none today though!

I'm getting afraid to start this. I have never done HST nor QST. I'll follow all y'alls directions. 112 3.5 squares of two olors, to make HST then cut to make QST.... I CAN do this.

YES YOU CAN DO THIS!!! I've only made the HST but big ones and did it with Thangles never from scratch

Ummm.... What's a Thangle and do I need it?

I'm getting confused between the the photo thread, and this discussion thread. I just posted a photo of how I made those cute little quarter square triangles for step one of the Orca mystery. http://www.quiltingboard.com/picture...t168881-4.html (page 4)

The picture helps
 

Sara,

Your picture and instructions helps us visual learners immensely. Not to get back to it and try to copy it.
I could read all day long about HST's and QST's but not really "get it." Once I see the picture...I GET IT!

Thanks for doing this..

Thank you Coyotemagic for getting this thread started! Yesterday, three of us in Seward who are doing this mystery got together for the day to work on the first step. We tried the different methods of making our quarter square triangles, and, no matter the method, spray starch was a very helpful tool. Of course, good company and carry out Chinese didn't hurt! This is going to be fun!

How fun to have friends to do it with. That sounds like so much fun. Wish I were there and could join you.

I was thinking the same thing, Judy. The only Quilters I know in my life are people on this board. Wish I knew Quilters near me to have such quilting parties.