Orca Bay update...

I have part seven done!

Here is the rest of the Orca Bay Mystery parts. I am liking all of them and really do not know what the final layout will be. I think the reveal will be New Years Day.

Back to step five.....

Yesterday I received some wonderful red scraps from Amy. She is a very generous Blogger who offered to send me the scraps after I blogged about being short on red scraps. Thank you Amy for filling in the reds I needed.

I got ten more pairs of string pieced triangles made today. I have only twenty more to make.

This is a new tool that I got in December. It comes from the Gypsy Quilter and makes separating chain pieced blocks easy. It now looks like I will be ready Friday for Bonnie Hunter's  next clue on The Orca Bay Mystery

Orca Bay update...

Finished part five.

 

I have twenty one of the fifty six stars of part six done! I hope to be all caught up by Friday when part seven is revealed.
To see the progress of other Orca Bay participants click HERE 
To see more design walls hosted by Judy Laquidara click HERE 

Merry Christmas...

Hope that everyone is having a very enjoyable holiday get together with their families. I will be cooking Christmas dinner for my family today.

 

Orca Bay update...

Bonnie gave us clue 6 as an early Christmas present. I am behind on 5, as I have all the little triangles cut out but not assembled to the HSTs. I am waiting on some red strings to finish step 5 strip pieced squares. Now I have step 6 squares cut and just could not resist assembling two of the stars. I will only get little bits of sewing time until the day after Christmas. Gotta go to the store now and get the items together for Sundays Christmas dinner that I am in charge of making.

Tonga...

I finished block 12 of my Tonga BOM. Now I have to construct all the pieced setting triangles and two zigzag columns that go between three block columns.

The bakening weekend...

First I must show you the Cotton Angel that one of my friend made for me. She can stay out all year to watch over my quilt fabric stash.

For now the Cotton Angel is hanging by my Christmas tree, my Mother made for me.

We started on Saturday with our standard nut roll cookies. Then my Daughter and her friend continued baking all evening and did a few more Sunday morning. I am helping tonight by baking one more type of cookie. Then tomorrow we will pack up a variety of cookies to gift to friends.

Busy Friday...

I went to Augusta this morning to pick up the last block for my Tonga BOM and the finishing kit. I was able to get half of my red triangles done. not sure if I have enough red scraps to finish these.

 I am also getting low on black/white scraps. So far I was able to cut out about half of the Orca Bay step five triangles. I assembled four to see what they will look like.

I must now stop and make the dough for our traditional nut roll cookies. My MIL and SIL are coming over at 10:00am tomorrow to help assemble the nut roll cookies. So, I have to put away all my quilt stuff back into my quilting pantry and clean the rest of the kitchen. No more stitching/cutting until the cookies are done...

Orca Bay part 4 progress...

I Have about one quarter of the triangles done.

It has taken me awhile to get these done, because I have been finishing the last quilt for a friend. Also I killed our main computer somehow. Don't know what I did, but it is now at the computer doctor. Luckily I have my DD#1's old notebook computer to use as a back up. I have been unable to remember or get my email so until further notice I cannot answer or read emails. Now my DH is happily planning on getting a new desktop computer. I hope to be caught up by Friday evening with Orca Bay part 4.

This is the front of the Batman quilt. I did stars and loops on it.

The blue thread showed up really nice on the borders.

I used a primary variegated thread on the back. I think her Grandson is going to love this quilt.

Two done and one more to do....

This is one of two quilts that I am quilting for a customer. I love the bright colors on the front.

The does not disappoint, it is just as cheerful as the front.

This is the second quilt it was a mystery quilt class that I also took. I love the batik fabrics that she used. Seeing this one done makes me want to get mine done.

The back is just as beautiful as the front.

I am now going to take a break and fill out the paperwork on these two quilts. Then I'm off to dinner and The Hopeland Garden Christmas lights with my MIL.

Ruby update...

This is the BEFORE picture. These are the side tension clamps that came with my machine. They are a nuisance, because when you get to the edge of the quilt Ruby would get hung up on them. Making jags in the stitching.

I saw a YouTube video 

(www.youtube.com/watch?v=tEq_LQB9F98 ) 

"Speedy Side Tensioner" 

So, I made my own version using clamps from www.clip-n-seal.com

(These clamps are very similar to the "Red Snappers") The printed canvas fabric and blue velcro came from Hobby Lobby. By making them colorful I hope that they will be easy to keep track of. 

Hope you are having a good week. As for me I am going back to quilting.

Orca Bay so far....

I worked on the Orca Bay Mystery last night, since TV was not very interesting. I am now done with steps one, two, and three.

I also finished sewing together the blue/cream strips into four patches and a few sixteen patches. I am thinking of using the sixteen patches in the centers of some churn dash blocks. They are 3 1/2" unfinished. Do you have any suggestions for quilts blocks that these would look good in?

I now have the next few days free to quilt a few small Customer/Friends quilts. Check back to see them after they have been quilted.

Monday progress...

I have finished cutting out the 350 pairs of triangles for the Orca Bay Mystery. I have 170 sewn together and should have the rest of them sewn together by Friday when clue number four is revealed.

While in my scrap bin I found a bunch of 1 1/4" strips and decided to sew all the blue and cream strips together. Thinking of  putting them together into 16 patch blocks and then maybe adding something red.

Finished the week by organizing the scraps that I got from my Mom. I ironed them and cut them into 2 1/2", 2", and 1 1/2 " strips. The leftovers will eventually be squares or triangles.

On Sunday I went to 2nd and Charles (a used book store in Augusta) with my husband. While he looked for a book to use for his class, I looked at the quilting books. I found two that had ideas and tecniques on what quilting designs to put on quilts. They were very reasonable (about $12.00 for both books) and will be good reference.

Now I have to get busy and see what I can accomplish this week.

Orca Bay step 2....

I got twenty string blocks done today. I hope these colors work in the quilt, my plan is to use blue to purple for the strings. Only fifty two more blocks to make by Friday....

 Alright, it's Wednesday afternoon and I have finished seventy two string blocks. I am now ready for step three....

I'm back....

We got back today at around 1:30pm. It was a really good Thanksgiving visit with my Parents in Ohio. I forgot to take my camera, so I have to wait for the pictures to arrive in the mail next week. The kitties were well taken care of by one of my DD#1's college friend.

Chipper and Scotty checked out the Friday sale stuff that I got at JoAnn's and the Saturday fabric I got on the way home at Sew What Fabrics.

This 2.5 gallon bag of scraps is probably the best thing I brought home, besides the leftovers from dinner. I love to empty my Mother's trash basket in her sewing room. It always helps give my scraps variety. The blue will go into the current Orca Bay Mystery.

Orca Bay so far....

Scotty was very helpful today when I was making the 224 quarter square triangle blocks.

Here are the finished blocks just before I trimmed off all the little ears. I will not be able to get to the next step until I return from my Thanksgiving trip on Sunday. So you have a few days to get ahead of me.

Scotty hopes to make bigger more colorful blocks in the next step. He didn't get very excited about these, although he was proud of me for using up almost all of my one and a half inch B+W strips.

Happy Thanksgiving to Everyone!

I'll see you when I get back on Sunday.

Saturday's progress...

I continued working on Orca Bay mystery and have enough pairs of triangles cut to be able to get 90 quarter square blocks . Only 134 more to cut and sew....

I also went to a meeting of The Girls With Long Arms and was amazed at how much I learned. The potluck soup lunch was really good and the company was the best. Thanks Karen for the talk you did on quilting show quilts. Next meeting I will try to remember my camera and take some pictures to share.

 The Inspectors were bored with nothing finished to check out.

Friday Night Sew In...

I actually finished blocks 9 and 10 of the Tonga BOM last night. Tonight is the Friday Night Sew In, you can sign up HERE .

This morning I gathered strips for the Bonnie Hunter Mystery.

I finished sewing block 11 this afternoon, but Chipper didn't want to let me show it.

 I changed the color placement on block 11. Now I have only one more block to pick up next month and also the rest of the fabric plus the backing. I hope to get this quilt top finished and assembled in January.

 Eight mystery blocks are finished now to get the other 216 Quarter Square Triangle blocks to go. I leave on a Thanksgiving trip Tuesday, so I may not get to the next step until a week from Sunday. Are any of you working on Bonnie's mystery?

 I was able to get 120 pairs of triangles cut out and a crockpot of chili made for a pot luck Saturday. Not bad for the Friday Night Sew In. Now I am off to bed.....

One more Charity Quilt quilted...

I used a pantograph on this one today and will add the binding all by machine tonight.

 Finished

and inspected.

I am taking my Red Snappers to share at our local Longarm club on Tuesday so no more quilting till Wednesday. Scotty will be missing his hammock bed till then, poor deprived kitty.