Bonnie Hunter Winter Mystery 2021/2022 - Rhododendron Trail
12-30-2021, 08:32 AM
#451
Junior Member
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Northeastern New York
Posts: 148
I decided that I had to not only clean up my sewing space, but completely reorganize. So all the furniture is now where it should be (at least in this iteration), but there are boxes of stuff piled on every surface, and nothing is plugged in. And of course, we are getting company today, so need to clean up the rest of the house. I'm just hoping that I can put away enough stuff to be able to start with the next clue.
Iceblossom: Love your double uglies and homely faces concepts. I accidently stumbled upon the double uglies as a way to put the blocks together when I did the 5th clue. While it was easy to put two fabrics that I loved together, I just couldn't bring myself to put two fabrics that I didn't particularly like together. I ended up with a few strange combinations, so we'll see how they look in the finished quit.
Professionally, I am an epidemiologist and statistician, and the whole concept of randomness is why I have shied away from scrap quilts. This is my second, the first being a log cabin that I made about 10 years ago. And this one, like the last, is less a random assignment, and more controlled mixing. On the other hand, I have started planning the first quilt to be made after I retire (June - yeah, only six months away), based on a particular version of random assignment, as a way of easing into retirement. Maybe then, I'll be able to actually embrace scrap quilts.
Iceblossom: Love your double uglies and homely faces concepts. I accidently stumbled upon the double uglies as a way to put the blocks together when I did the 5th clue. While it was easy to put two fabrics that I loved together, I just couldn't bring myself to put two fabrics that I didn't particularly like together. I ended up with a few strange combinations, so we'll see how they look in the finished quit.
Professionally, I am an epidemiologist and statistician, and the whole concept of randomness is why I have shied away from scrap quilts. This is my second, the first being a log cabin that I made about 10 years ago. And this one, like the last, is less a random assignment, and more controlled mixing. On the other hand, I have started planning the first quilt to be made after I retire (June - yeah, only six months away), based on a particular version of random assignment, as a way of easing into retirement. Maybe then, I'll be able to actually embrace scrap quilts.
12-30-2021, 08:54 AM
#452
Super Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2018
Location: Greater Peoria, IL -- just moved!
Posts: 6,047
Woodland -- My college work was a dual major in Business/Sociology, with a BS -- I had to take a lot of math and statistics. I ended up finishing the Business degree as more marketable. Although I started out in Advertising, I spent most of my working career in Engineering and related disciplines, most of the time with large civil projects. Peoples eyes glaze over when I start talking about my concepts of frequency distributions and whatever.
On the other hand Karla Alexander, in her Stack the Deck books does something very similar to what I do in handling my pieces and explains it much better!
https://www.amazon.com/Karla-Alexand...rwt_scns_share
She works in a more modern style and allows my declining vision not-so-picky ways to quilt
I first started quilting when I was quite young, so back in the 1970s and I can honestly say I had never seen a scrap quilt that I liked until Judy Martin's book Scrap Quilts came out in 1985. While the instructions are dated (templates even) the discussion and pictures of what a scrap quilt could be changed my view/style in quilting.
https://www.amazon.com/Scrap-Quilts-.../dp/096029709X
On the other hand Karla Alexander, in her Stack the Deck books does something very similar to what I do in handling my pieces and explains it much better!
https://www.amazon.com/Karla-Alexand...rwt_scns_share
She works in a more modern style and allows my declining vision not-so-picky ways to quilt
I first started quilting when I was quite young, so back in the 1970s and I can honestly say I had never seen a scrap quilt that I liked until Judy Martin's book Scrap Quilts came out in 1985. While the instructions are dated (templates even) the discussion and pictures of what a scrap quilt could be changed my view/style in quilting.
https://www.amazon.com/Scrap-Quilts-.../dp/096029709X
12-30-2021, 10:35 AM
#455
Super Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2018
Location: Greater Peoria, IL -- just moved!
Posts: 6,047
Joe'smom --
Always a good discussion
Shortest form I can manage is we each have our own expressions of scrap quilting. Random is one component but not required. I generally have a rule set for each project such as no more than 8 uses of any given fabric, or whatever it might be. I'm happiest making identical (usually "traditional") blocks in different fabric sets, where each fabric for each block is indeed carefully chosen and sometimes even fussy cut.
I'm lucky enough that mostly I make quilts because I like to make quilts. Really, mostly I like to piece and find quilting down a necessary evil, but I'm working on that. Without someone in particular to make a quilt, my choices of design and project can be based on something from -- it's time to do something with that pansy fabric or gee, that purple box is getting pretty full. Or, you know, it's been awhile since you did any set-in corners, maybe you should improve your skills.
I like using these Bonnie Hunter projects as chances to use up small pieces. Sad to say, some of these are 10" squares I got from fabric swapping back around Y2K!! I can follow her directions and trust that it will work out in the end. I don't have to worry so much about perfection in a mystery quilt (I fully understand the folks that don't want to commit until they see the final reveal!). There are going to be some homely faces and maybe a double ugly in there, but when you put it all together (with a little luck) it's all fine.
Always a good discussion
Shortest form I can manage is we each have our own expressions of scrap quilting. Random is one component but not required. I generally have a rule set for each project such as no more than 8 uses of any given fabric, or whatever it might be. I'm happiest making identical (usually "traditional") blocks in different fabric sets, where each fabric for each block is indeed carefully chosen and sometimes even fussy cut.
I'm lucky enough that mostly I make quilts because I like to make quilts. Really, mostly I like to piece and find quilting down a necessary evil, but I'm working on that. Without someone in particular to make a quilt, my choices of design and project can be based on something from -- it's time to do something with that pansy fabric or gee, that purple box is getting pretty full. Or, you know, it's been awhile since you did any set-in corners, maybe you should improve your skills.
I like using these Bonnie Hunter projects as chances to use up small pieces. Sad to say, some of these are 10" squares I got from fabric swapping back around Y2K!! I can follow her directions and trust that it will work out in the end. I don't have to worry so much about perfection in a mystery quilt (I fully understand the folks that don't want to commit until they see the final reveal!). There are going to be some homely faces and maybe a double ugly in there, but when you put it all together (with a little luck) it's all fine.
12-30-2021, 03:07 PM
#456
Super Member
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Nebraska
Posts: 3,252
Anyone working on Leader/Ender projects with these trimmings? I have not ever done this before but thought I should give it a try. Looked up a couple on Bonnie's blog. So today I sewed the triangle trimming from using her Essential Triangle ruler and then corner trimmer, can't think of the name right now, and it turns out to be about a 1 and 3/4 inch square. Pretty little things but I think I'll have to pass on these.
12-30-2021, 04:08 PM
#457
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2020
Posts: 706
While waiting for the 1st clue in November, I cut out the pieces for a baby quilt to use a leader/ender for the MQ. So far I haven’t gotten very far with the baby quilt, but I think I’ll get more in as we start putting blocks together. Last year, I finished a quilt I started in the 1990s as my MQ leader/ender (happy to say that quilt is now quilted and bound).
I saved the bonus triangles from one of the clues last year. And still don’t know what to do with them. I’m not saving weird sized triangles this year.
I saved the bonus triangles from one of the clues last year. And still don’t know what to do with them. I’m not saving weird sized triangles this year.
12-30-2021, 05:30 PM
#458
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2018
Location: Sherwood Forest
Posts: 482
The pictures look great! I still haven’t had a chance to do clue 5 so I will need to play catch up at some point. I did finish my big hand quilting project last night. I started it back in 2016 so it’s great to be done!
12-30-2021, 05:31 PM
#459
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: NY Adirondacks in Summer and goes "South" to WNY in the winter!
Posts: 480
Originally Posted by suern3
Anyone working on Leader/Ender projects with these trimmings? I have not ever done this before but thought I should give it a try. Looked up a couple on Bonnie's blog. So today I sewed the triangle trimming from using her Essential Triangle ruler and then corner trimmer, can't think of the name right now, and it turns out to be about a 1 and 3/4 inch square. Pretty little things but I think I'll have to pass on these.
