Post Updates & Copyright Comments

The last few days have been (re)educational.  For those of you who follow Bonnie Hunter/Quiltville, you know she had a recent issue over someone posting her copyrighted material in an inappropriate way.  

I always try to be respectful of copyright yet know that in today's media/social-centric world, inadvertent lapses could be made.  In that respect, I went back and reviewed what she had written in her Grand Illusion Introduction and she stated there that neither sizes nor (element) quantities should be posted on our blogs, and I thought, uh-oh, I may be guilty there, so I went back and reviewed all my own posts that dealt with G.I. and found a few personal offenses in that vein and have changed them.  I don't expect anyone to go back and review my blog posts, the changes wouldn't be obvious anyway, but should someone new come along and read my older posts, hopefully they will be inclined to look up Quiltville for the instructions and/or purchase Bonnie's (future) book when the pattern is removed from the website to be put in that book.

As much as it relies on me, I will keep the piece (peace) in the quilting world; won't you join me? :) 

Quilter's take on the adage "To err is human, to forgive Divine."

Stash Report - Week 5, 2015

It's the first stash report of February but the fifth of 2015.  Time is once again flying by. 

The fabric out that I reported last week with having turned Grand Illusion into a flimsy, was swallowed up this week with new purchases at the LQS here in my dad's town.  I went there in search of more of the yellow constant as I really had my heart set on using it also for the binding, and I knew I had an insufficient amount left over at home for that purpose.  I found that they still had quite a bit of it on the bolt, so bought a full yard.

The yellow constant for the binding.

While there, I thought, well, why not look for backing fabric, so downstairs where they keep their discounted fabric, I found this and bought five yards.  That's probably a couple yards shy of what may be required, but I can fill in with plenty of leftover pieces from what was used in the top.

Backing for Grand Illusion

And while I was already downstairs rummaging through the discounted bolts, I found this very nice looking neutral/green paisley.  There was less than three yards left on the bolt, so I bought it all. 

Lovely, fairly large design, green paisley.

How's that for trying really hard not to increase my stash?  Well, I already know that's not working too well, and this coming weekend a group of five of us will be piling into a vehicle to do the southern portion (from Newport south) of the Coastal Quilt Run...hmmm, how much MORE fabric will I be reporting in a week?

Used This Week: 0 yards
Used Year to Date:  8 yards  
Added This Week Month: 8.75 yards
Added Year to Date: 0 yards  
Net Used / Added for 2015: .75 yards 

Linking @ Patchwork Times 

Delayed Intent

Last Sunday when I posted my update for the stash report, I had the intent to follow that up on Monday with a photo of my completed Grand Illusion top, though technically it wasn't on my design wall, and I forgot to do so.   That delay actually turned out ok because now I can post it and link it up with Bonnie Hunter's Link-up for showing our G.I. progress.  

Flame is giving it her final once over...she approved.

Add caption

I went to the LQS where I had bought the yellow fabric back I think in July, and they still had more, so I bought an additional yard.  I will use it for the binding and what I have remaining at home was less than what I need.  Any extra will go into my stash.  I also found a fabric I think will be good for the backing and if I didn't get enough yardage of it, I'll incorporate some of the leftover scraps and miss-cuts.  I'll report about those tomorrow for stash report....if I can remember to write up the post.  I don't have my purchase amounts committed to memory so will have to do that post a bit later as I'm watching a sappy Hallmark Channel love story.

Stash Report - Week 4, 2015

I did it!  I finished piecing the top of Grand Illusion.  The borders went on easier than I expected after battling my motivational issues on getting it done at all.  And it was done before I headed back here to the Northwest.  Now, to figure out the numbers on that quilt, hmmm, seems I left all the paperwork at home :/  so how much fabric should I guesstimate for a top with a gazillion pieces and seams, that measures xx" square.  I was thinking a minimum of five yards, and then remembered that Bonnie gave us yardages.  Do you know her yardages added up to 12.7 yards fabric not including backing and binding?  That seems quite high to me, but maybe with all those seams it's close.  I think I will only guess about eight at this point and then when I get back home, I'll adjust my numbers after I take a true count from my own records.  

Used This Week: 8 yards
Used Year to Date:  8 yards  
Added This Week Month: 0 yards
Added Year to Date: 0 yards  
Net Used / Added for 2015: 8 yards 

Linking @ Patchwork Times 

Now next week may have a slight adjustment as I'm going to head over to the quilt shop in town today and see if they have any more of the yellow constant I used in G.I.  I still have some at home, but measured and it's not enough to do the binding in yellow, which is what I wanted right from the get-go.  Had I not made a mis-cut, I would have had enough.  If they don't have the same fabric (I did buy it originally at this quilt store) I'll use something from my stash, but then I also know I just still may walk out with something.  

There's a Coastal Quilt Run coming up real soon too which my aunt and I plan to do, so I'm sure I'll be reversing that stash outage - what's a girl to do when she's never completed a shop hop and that's my goal for this quilter's run on the coast.

Stash Report - Week 3, 2015

I had hoped to have Grand Illusion done to flimsy by today, but while I'm close, I still have six long seams to accomplish and I'm out of steam today....and it's only a little past mid-day!

With not being able to count this quilt's yardage out since it isn't yet a flimsy (MY rule for MYself), I have no changes to last week's numbers once again.   

Used This Week: 0 yards
Used Year to Date:  0 yards
Added This Week Month: 0 yards
Added Year to Date: 0 yards
Net Used / Added for 2015: 0 yards 

Linking @ Patchwork Times

The yellow border has been added to just two sides - how funny, in this image, it almost doesn't look sewn on, but it is.

The pieced borders prepared and awaiting their turn.  I pinned the ones on the left up over themselves to keep them off the floor, in case you were wondering why they look funny in the middle, but the far right row....:

Oh darn, looky there! and compare the photo above.  The far right border row has a section sewn on backwards; guess that means yet one more seam after I unsew it - at least it's a short seam!

What Was My Plan?

While working on Grand Illusion, I was distracted a lot.  I'll explain that in part later.  One of my distractions comes from hanging out on the computer far too long.  I hang out on Facebook (my real me one, but I do have one set up as Lee Young), I read many other blogs, I check email and the myriad of listings of potential property I might want to buy (dreaming) that show up via Trulia, I watch TV in the background, I do housework, and I take naps.  Naps are important.  Unfortunately they want to happen right before I need to pick Nick up from school and they have to be postponed till I get home, and then when I awake, it's time to think about dinner.  All of that to lead up to What Was My Plan?  And, have you ever done this?

I set aside these two-inch squares, wrote that very sketchy note/plan, and wrapped it all up in another piece of paper, stuck a rubber band around it and stuck it in a drawer to be worked on after Grand Illusion.  I'm sure I saw a quilt or block on a blog or in a store advertisement or who-knows-where, that I thought would be great to do, maybe for my grandson?, but I have no real clue!  I didn't make note of where I saw what - guess I thought I'd remember, and clearly I don't.  I suppose I could use the line my dad is now sarcastically saying "maybe it's that dementia".  Should I be worried?  And better yet, will I be able to figure out and make whatever I thought about?  I even wrote down a project # for it and that I'd spent .8 of an hour selecting those 2" squares!  Even if I don't remember, I can put them away and start any one of hundreds of projects available, or make an effort at finishing the double-digit number of flimsies awaiting a finish!

Lest you be thinking about this time, that I'm done with G.I., I'm not, I am still making progress, but I only have a couple more days.  I will be leaving on Tuesday barring any potential delays.

The rows are done and I laid them out over the stair railing to get an idea of how it was looking.  Looks pretty much like so many others.  Are you all tired of seeing the same quilt, same colors everywhere you look?

Here I have the sashing strip rows attached to the rows of blocks.

Here they are all sewn together and placed in a more, ahem, photographic display (?).

And laid out on the railing with the photo taken from the top of the stairwell instead of from the hallway door.

I really, really like the block and overall pattern of this quilt and I've written about how much I struggled to stay motivated and on task with it.  That which has become evident as 'bothersome' to me is with some of the color choices - this is not at all to fault Bonnie Hunter, it is merely what appeals to me, or doesn't, in general.  For me, the greens and teals do not bring me peace.  The quilt is bright, which is also something I don't normally piece, but I'm open to trying different styles.  Funny though is, green has been my favorite color and I've always liked teal/aqua shades, but together - meh, not so much, and maybe it's that this shade of green tends to read more lime than grass even though it matched the paint chips.  I wonder if a more pine-green might have worked better.  Once I get the two borders on, I may find I like it better, but of three Quiltville mysteries I've participated in, this is probably my least favorite from the color choices.

Design Wall Monday

For some reason I've been thinking today is Tuesday.  Before Tuesday does get here, I'd better get Monday taken care of, so I'm linking my update at Patchwork Times.

I made pretty good progress on Grand Illusion over the weekend.   

I've sewn all the sashing strips together into rows.  They're hanging vertically, though I sewed them horizontally, but it probably doesn't matter since it's a square quilt.  It was easier to pin them to the wall vertically :)

Flame is finding these sets quite comfy.  This is the stack of completed inner blocks with the sashing edge pinned.  I think my next project will require a lot less pinning!  I'm very tired of pinning and trying to make sure I don't lop off points or leave the points floating. 

Sewn on and pressed.  I now have the blocks pinned to make rows, so will work on those while I root for the Ducks :)

I'm still not sure I'll get this to a flimsy before I leave for the wet land, but it'll be close. 

Slow, Yes Really Slow!

I'm sure glad this Grand Illusion thing isn't a race, because I'd be losing big time!  I found the reveal exciting and the quilt is gorgeous - aren't they all? - but good golly Miss Molly, I am flat out struggling to stay focused on getting it to the flimsy stage.  

I'm pinning alot to try to get as close to perfect on the points - no easy task since I seem to have every seam of every unit off by a thread...or a few or more.  

After the reveal was released, I pinned up one block, sashings and cornerstones.

All the sashings ready to be joined.

Progress on those sashing sets.

I added an aqua square to the end of the sashing strips.  I reserved an aqua square for the final end of each row.

Eight of the basic blocks set out on the design wall.  The 9-patch-constructed-units within the block have not yet been sewn together.  As I placed the parts on the wall, I found I was taking a lot of time making sure that not too many of the same fabrics were in each block.  It was really frustrating me.  I think I actually like this look, without the greens, but I will finish as Bonnie designed...besides, what would I do with all those sashing units?  Make a separate quilt maybe?  Hmmm.  Could happen. 

So, I then removed those eight from the wall, stacking them in their appropriate positions on my table.  From there, I tossed all the remaining units (of the same type) into a bin and basically closed my eyes and counted enough to reach the required number.  They were then placed on the table in their respective places.  I repeated this process until  I had the equivalent needed for all the large blocks.

Bin of broken dishes units.

Here's where some of my perfection was, well, anything BUT perfection.  As they say, rippit, rippit, rippit.

The central part of the overall block is now in three rows, ready to be sewn together.

The top and middle are now sewn together.  The remaining row was all pinned, and I sewed a little over half, but have run out of steam for now.  Tomorrow's another day!

I readied the inner border even before tackling the blocks and wrapped it around a section of wrapping paper tube.

So much to do, so little time; less than two weeks before I head back north.  I'm beginning to think that having this reach the flimsy stage may not happen until after I get back.

Linking up at Quiltville...even if I am later than everyone else :)

(edited 2-4-15 to remove some numbers)

Oh Yeah, it's Monday!

I'm late to the party! Can you believe it?  I spent the morning working on some personal bookkeeping and then after having watched the second Hunger Games movie the other night, I wanted to see the third one before it left the theater, so Nick and I went to the movie and had lots of butter-flavored oily and salty popcorn - but oh it tasted so good. Why is that?  Something so obviously bad, tastes so good! No dinner for me!

Anyway, back to the party.  Bonnie Hunter gave us a very easy clue this week.  It only took a couple of hours to finish it.  I'm still completely clueless as to how this is all going to fit together.  I've a smattering of the different components pinned to my design wall and in no specific arrangement.

Grand Illusion Blocks

Grand Illusion Clue #5 Simple 4-Patch black/yellow/pink

Grand Illusion Clue #5 4-Patch in yellow/aqua

Don't forget to check out those linking up at Quiltville, and at Patchwork times - I'm hitting both those parties today.

With having even more time on my hands after completing the latest clue, I cleared my workspace and put together the two remaining hot pad kits I had purchased in 2013 at Sisters.  Both have the same aproned hen with eggs, but the fabrics are different.  While making them, I was conscious of my placements when layering so that when I trimmed, I'd save as much fabric as possible - now added to my scrap bin but not counted as an addition to my stash, only a couple of strips, however, remaining also were the strips of InsulBrite, so I zig-zagged those together on my machine and used that to make yet another hot pad pulling a little fabric from my stash - believe me, it doesn't use much!

All four hot pads. 

Center was pre-embroidered on papery foundation

Love the cute little chicks fabric!

This one from 'pieced' InsulBrite - no embroidered center here!  It's only slightly smaller, under an inch, than the originals from kits.

 The hot pads were a nice change of pace on which to work.  They went together quickly.  They're quilted in the ditch along all the inner border seams.  I should make a bunch of these and practice my free motion quilting.  The binding is just a one-inch extension of the backing fabric rolled to the front and sewed down.  I chose not to add hanging loops on the latter three, but did include it in the first one - it was a bit of a pain, so I figure I can just get some round plastic loops and sew them on, but if I keep them all, I may not bother at all as I don't hang my pot holders and hot pads - they'll be used and get stained and all that goes with daily functions, and I just stack them in a cupboard.

Friday...and I Forgot!

It's Friday! And I forgot until just moments ago that today is the clue for Bonnie Hunter's Grand Illusion Mystery Quilt!  I'm going to go check it as soon as I post this.  Why did I forget?  I was SO focused on getting Nick to his appointment to take his driver's test!  And he PASSED first try, with only being gigged on one thing, whoohoooo!  Off to look for that clue :)

Mystery Monday Progress

It feels good to be completely on track having all steps of the Grand Illusion mystery quilt completed.  That's at least one item of NON-stress during this time at home.

Linking up to Quiltville and wondering if in the next step, only two left, we will be tying all of the components together or if there's still a missing component to work on.  How many are playing with possible solutions?  I'm most intrigued by the green and neutral with one black square and how it will fit with the other components given its size is different.  Go to Quiltville and see how others may be guessing - and if you stopped by from there, thank you and have a wonderful Christmas.

Our tree had not yet been decorated but I had chains of Step #4 so took advantage and draped them on the tree for this photo.

Close-up, duh, right?  I'm good at stating the obvious ;p

All of the individual clue blocks grouped together.  How will they go together?

Design Wall and Grand Illusion

Clue #3 for Grand Illusion arrived on Friday - something I'm sure most are aware of by now - and the first thing I did was print out the clue as well as save it to my computer.  I do that with all of Bonnie's mystery quilts  - well, at least the ones I've done, as well as one I wanted to do but didn't - it was right about the time I 'discovered' Quiltville. 

As anxious as I was for this release, for some reason I struggled with getting moving on it.  It was a much easier clue than the first two, but still took me about as long to get it done, but done it is, except for the pressing open of the gazillion units.  I'll leave you now with just a few photos of mine, and I will be linking at both Patchwork Times for Design Wall Monday, and at Quiltville for the Grand Illusion Mystery Monday link-up.

This is an assortment from the first two clues; three separate components: half-square triangles, an hour-glass 4-P block, and doubled diamonds. 

Clue #3 gave us these, but these are only half of the finished unit.  What? No, wait! Oops, these are mistakes - did you catch that I sewed the two greens side by side whereas the neutral square should be between the greens?...a little unsewing only to resew correctly did the trick.

A gazillion 1/2 units.  the 1/2 is 1/2 too many - oops. .

And finally, a selection of the finished units. 

I haven't tried playing around to see how Bonnie might have these for a final layout, I think we're missing too many pieces yet.  

I've been trimming (Bonnie's system) any smaller pieces as I work each unit - hoping that will keep my leftover scraps tamed to the point of only having a little to tend to when this project is finished.

My iron awaits, so off to press these units and then I can be busy with wonderful housework (I jest on the latter.).

Open, Open, Open

Remember that television commercial that said that?  I think it was for Mervyn's but maybe not - shows how much attention I really pay to commercials.  But the shopper was really anxious for the store to open to do her shopping, and that's how I feel about tomorrow's Grand Illusion Clue #3.

Are you anxious and ready for it too? 

Do you think we'll get to cut into those greens yet? 

Maybe some more of the yellow constant. More neutrals? Pink? Black or turquoise?

Can't wait!

Mystery Progress

There are a whole lot of folks out there working on Bonnie Hunter's Grand Illusion Mystery this year, and today we link up at her blog to show our progress. Click on her name and it'll take you to her post.

I started mine on Saturday, a full day after the release of Part 1.  Even so, I spent the rest of the weekend working on very little else, so by 11:00 p.m. last night, I had it all done.  Now my week is free for the endless stream of household chores and other activities needed to get my home in ship-shape (as if, lol) for Christmas.  

Some of my options for three of the colors, I weeded a few out.

My constant fabric all cut.

Chains of block components.

Oops! that needs to be unsewn, flipped and resewn! I found two of which I had sewn with both squares right sides up instead of facing each other.

Some of the blocks finished.  I'm not even going to attempt to guess as to how Bonnie plans these in the overall layout.

Will next week have us working with the greens and the neutrals, or a combination of those and some of the ones we worked on this week?

_______________

I am also linking this as my Design Wall Monday post at Patchwork Times.

Stash Report, Week 46, 2014

I am home and catching up.  During this week I have done laundry and lots of it, but probably not much else other than decompress.  Considered part of laundry are the fabrics I purchased during my four weeks in the wet land.  All fabric gets pre-washed.  My aunt and I took part in a small shop hop but only made it to four of eleven shops - we just didn't have the time to make it to the others, though it was very tempting to get to a couple more one day when we went to a memorial service, but we had one of my uncles and a distant cousin with us so decided not to and our time was too short anyway.

So, back to the details.  My numbers are clearly going in the wrong direction, but after actually seeing my aunt's stash, I think I have room to grow ;p


Used This Week: 0 yards 
Used Year to Date: 15.62 yards  
Added This Week Month: 22.43 yards  
Added Year to Date: 100.99 yards  
Net Used Added for 2014: 85.37 yards 

Linking @ Patchwork Times

My aunt let me go shopping in her stash!  Can you tell what these colors are for?  There are at least two that won't be included in that project.

While at my dad's, my sister and I went through a cedar chest my mom had.  In it were these cotton fabrics, along with five or six bleached feed sack fabrics.  The pink & whites are both pillow ticking, but aren't real heavy so can be used for quilting, even if only for storage sacks for finished quilts.

This is one of the feedsack fabrics.  You can still see a remnant of whatever markings were originally on it.  You can also see quite a bit of staining; I believe at least a couple of these were used as kitchen toweling.

These came from a favorite quilt shop that I go to up there each year.  I was shopping for fabrics for an upcoming mystery quilt.  Do you know which one?

These came from a shop I've been to before, but one whose fabrics don't generally appeal to me.  Some shops are that way.  This shop is still for sale in the capital city.  The green (maybe?) and the blacks will go in the mystery quilt.  I'm not sure about the bit of yellow in the banana leaves nor the purple for that quilt so will wait and see when the first cutting instructions are released.

These came from a big crafting store in that capital city.  I'd never been there before.  All, or only some, will go in that mystery quilt.  Those that don't will go back into the stash.

Do you know I had to look up the difference between capital and capitol to make sure I spelled it correctly.  I'm slipping in my "old" age!  I had it with an "o" but found out that only refers to the capitol building in the capital city.

So how have you done on additions or subtractions to your stash, whatever time frame that encompasses?