SusieQOH

Debby Downer here! I am not having fun with this project!
There- I said it

I have spent the entire month of January consumed by it now going into February.

I have most of my half blocks done so I'm seeing the light at the end of this tunnel.

I have enjoyed our thread though and hopefully I will like the finished result.

Iceblossom

Hang in there Susie! This was your first every mystery I think? And your first Bonnie Hunter project? You are doing great to be as far along as you are. Not my first mystery and I'm familiar with Bonnie's style but this is the first time of me doing this in real time. But yeah, I thought I'd be done with this top (and finished with my work-in-progress that just needs border) all by the end of January and now I'm just hoping for Valentine's Day.

If you are really not wanting to do it, put it all in a box, with the directions, and write notes to yourself on why you stopped and what you were having problems with. I think most of the problems most of are having are not with the design or instructions but the mystery aspect, in her finished non-mystery directions the process will be changed to reflect some of the realities. Well that and those darn geese!

The thread will still be here when/if you are ready to resume or next year's mystery even. I'm going to great lengths of silliness to use up my fabric by using more fabric so I don't end up with unused fabric... but I am doing it to myself and I could have been done now if I just followed directions, I just would not have been happy and we want to do what we have to do to be happy and have fun. Despite my grouchiness I'm going to be happier at the end.

Today in my small group I am pinning the second set of border units. Should be half the connections so I should have pins left this time, but it is a motivator for me to work on that part of the project. When I get home, I'm usually motivated to sew so maybe will get those extra blocks finished to see what I have. Not looking forward to another round of 4-patches and neutral cutting but I have plenty of scraps left for the blue/red and probably enough strips that just need to be subcut.

I have never bought a kit (although I have finished many UFOs started by others) and rarely follow a pattern even from a magazine, been designing my own projects most of the time I've been quilting. I'm inspired by things I see certainly, but usually design them to fit my style, vision issues, and size of fabric. Certainly there are things I would do differently or wouldn't do at all (like I rarely cut smaller than 2.5" for a bed sized quilt), but that's the point for me to do this, to learn something and be able to play along in a group setting. I knew in advance that I'd have my usual OCD-style issues, but again, I didn't expect quite so many from just my fabric.

So from the beginning, I knew I could be unhappy with the end result (which I'm not really, it just could have easily been better with my fabric on hand), but the outcome for me was always that someone would have a quilt out of it at the end -- and that it would be bright! I certainly have that, well the bright I have and the quilt is just ahead.

SusieQOH

Thanks, Iceblossom. Yes, this was my first BH anything.
I'm finding the assembly tedious/boring. Maybe it's just me or the time of year, I don't know.
I don't usually make anything this detailed with a zillion pieces.
However, I'm not sorry I made it.
I'm going to stay with it and to "reward" myself send it to a longarmer to quilt it.
I know I'm going to have leftovers so I may do a scrappy binding. Not sure yet. Also not
sure how I'm going to do the borders. Not going to worry about that today.

QuiltingLawyer

Bonnie Hunter quilts are a special sort of thing. The are a million little pieces and usually come out looking beautiful. But they are really fiddly and very tedious. They are the same small thing over and over. I have put this project in time out for right now. As much as I actually love the final look of the 5 blocks that I have finished I do not have the patience to be this repetitive right now. My biggest issue right now is that even though I checked and checked each of my sub-units is just a smidge to big making the overall block a almost a half inch to big.

So I'm going to need to make each of the sub units of the overall 9 patch (That's how I think about it in my head) and trim them to size so I don't lose my points. This on it's own wouldn't be a big issue..... but the fact that I can only do one block at a time is what makes me want to pull my hair out. If I could just chain piece everything and then press and trim it would be better for me personally. But you can't because of the matching sets.

The whole thing is much more time consuming because I can only do one block at a time. So this quilt is in time out for right now. In the mean time I've made a ton of progress on a cross stitch that I've been working on for over a year LOL!!!

joe'smom

SusieQ, I'm sorry you're not having fun. Once all the excitement is over, there's a lot of work to do. Such repetitive piecing is not everyone's cup of tea. I know I will be very glad to get to something quicker and easier!

Iceblossom

Today's a new day and I am ready for my last grand work party before all my extra blocks are done. I hope, can't be much more than that. Maybe tomorrow.

Unless I've miscounted I believe I will have 9 additional full blocks, that's the count for now anyway. From the "setting sets" I made one set into all four corners, then I've made enough into two setting triangles for all needed. To finish the extra blocks I need to make a few more Blue/Red 4-patch units, and cut some more of those neutrals. Mostly all I've been doing is adding one extra "Corner" unit (4-patch, 2 neut, 1 HST) plus two rays of the star for those setting triangles. For the remaining sets I do have to make all four corner units.

I did get my border units pinned at group, still used up most of my pins, last time it was just two per piece and this time it was 3. Even got them sewn, not pressed yet.

I only had 3 block sets completed ready to turn into finished blocks but got those done yesterday as well and have replaced 3 of the worst workmanship blocks, even though one of the new blocks had a horrible funky monkey goose, the rest of it looked better than the one I took out. Hoping to smooth out my colors some with some of the rest of these extras.

Plan is still to put them on the back, but dang, 9 blocks is the start of something of it's own.

QuiltingVagabond

I agree that Bonnie Hunter quilts can be tedious. I find that it is good for me to take the parts to a retreat to sew. Having others to chat with as you make a zillion units makes it seem to go so much quicker!

tallchick

Suzieqoh, I’m sorry your not enjoying it, perhaps doing it in small doses will help, remember this is not a race and there are no rules regarding completion. I too get bored easily with some projects, tedium and repetitiveness are not my friends! I still plan to work on just a few blocks and sections at a time and I refuse to stress about it, it gets done when it gets done! Perhaps you can start another project to help you forget about all the tiny pieces. Hugs!

joe'smom

So I've finished sewing my block corner and geese units; it's now time for me to get back to the En Provence I need to finish, so I have cleared my wall and put all of my Frolic pieces away for the time being. Hopefully I'll get back to it before the new mystery thread goes up! I'll continue to check in here to follow everyone's exciting progress.

SusieQOH

Hi everyone! Thanks for the kind words and encouragement!
I finished all the full and half blocks. Now on to the sashings.

I have a question:
From the photos of the reveal it looks like there are some small blue squares in the sashing strips but
I can't find any info.
Does anyone know? Or is it part of the finished design?
Thanks