I love Mary’s Triangles!

    I’ve switched to Mary’s Triangles for making the shaded 4-patch units for Clue #5 of Celtic Solstice. Why? Honestly, I was struggling for accuracy with the individual pieces cut with the EZ Angle ruler. I’m sure it’s my cutting. I have trouble seeing the edges clearly against the color of my mat. Also, the light isn’t the best.

    With Mary’s Triangles (MT), you use squares and rectangles, or in our case, half-square triangles and rectangles.

    I used a chart in a book, Triangle Tricks, published by Martingale & Co. It’s a whole book devoted to the unit known as Mary’s Triangles or the shaded 4-patch. I‘ve had it for some time but never made anything from it. Lucky for me that I remembered it because it’s really helped me with this stage of the CS mystery.

    For a 3-inch finished block, the chart in the book calls for two 2-inch squares (our HSTs), two rectangles cut 2 x 3 inches and one rectangle cut 3 1/2 x 4 1/2. The description of how to make them sounds much more difficult than it is to do them. I made 30-plus units the prescribed way over the course of two days. Using this method I've made 36 in an afternoon.

    And, they're more accurate! I couldn't ask for anything more. If you're interested, here's a link to a tutorial on making a block using four of these units.

    The book came out in 2003 and is available on Amazon, here.

I'm certain I'll be able to finish Clue #5 on time and probably catch up with Clue #4 (4-patches) I'm doing those as Leaders and Enders while working on the MTs.

    This mystery has been a lot of fun so far! I haven't done many of these because I've had unpleasant surprises a couple times. I feel confident that Bonnie's design will be wonderful in my colors. Wish me luck!

    And, my wish to you is a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year.

    I'm linking up with Patchwork Times and also Bonnie's link-up. Check out the creativity!

Jeanne in Ohio

Clue #4, here I come!

I’m nearing the finish line on my previous clues, so I plan to begin cutting Clue #4 tomorrow. Clues 2 and 3 are done and I’m almost done with #1. I've chosen to go on and finish #1 because that's a difficult unit for me and I wanted to get it out of the way. The 4-patches shouldn't be hard, although 150 is a lot!
I have some gray squares precut because I goofed on the second clue (Bonnie’s green is my gray). I have a few yellows also, so I think I’ll make 4-patches with those as Leaders and Enders while I strip piece the majority of my 4-patches. I’ll need 150 to continue my plan to make half of the number for the large sized quilt.

Wish me luck! My wish for you is a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year!

I’m linking up with Bonnie and barely in time. I’ve had the sewing done for a couple days, but had holiday responsibilities so waited until the last minute to write this post. I’ve got to stop procrastinating!

Clue #3 is mostly done

I’ve made great progress on Clue #3. My HSTs are all done (I made 280) and pressed. After I trim them, I plan to make 30 pinwheels.

I’m making about half the number of units for the large quilt. Then I’ll decide how to set them if I cannot use Bonnie’s layout. I still haven’t begun Clue #1 other than some preliminary cutting. I’ve finished Clue #2 and made 120 chevrons.

 

I like to summarize what I’ve learned with each quilt I make because I always try to learn something new with each project. So, here goes:
1. It’s OK to use what I have. I don’t have to have 50 yellows. I have about 12 that I think work in this color scheme. They’ll be fine. (I just have to keep telling myself that so I don’t go shopping. . .)
2. I must stabilize my rulers! I was struggling with the Easy Angle. It kept moving on me. Once I applied InvisiGrip on both sides of the ruler, I was fine. It’s a wonderful product. Why did I wait?
3. I’m a process quilter. I love the various parts of making a quilt, from picking out the fabric to the very end. I’m not in a race, so it doesn’t matter that I’m behind. I will do the best I can within the restraints on my time that the Holidays impose. (I really need to get out and do some shopping!)

I’m having a great time with this mystery, my first with Bonnie. I love my colors and also that I’m using my stash to make it.

I'm linking up with Patchwork Times Design Wall Monday and Bonnie's Monday Link-up. Check out the inspiration!

Celtic Solstice: I caved!

I wanted to join in on the Celtic Solstice Mystery, but I was afraid I’d be disappointed or I’d never finish it. However, I love Bonnie’s patterns, so I was sorely tempted!

I went back and forth several times until I was drifting off to sleep on Thanksgiving eve and the color team came to mind. That was it. I was hooked. My color scheme was born and I began plotting when I could start.
I was MIA for Clue #1, but I’m about 3/4 done with Clue #2. I’ll go back and pick up Clue #1 now that I’ve decided to make half the number of units for the Large sized quilt.

Bonnie’s Blue is my Teal. Her Green is my Gray. I kept her Oranges and Yellow gold. Her Neutrals are my White. I’m loving my colors and they’re all from my stash!
(Thanks, Deb, for encouraging me to post again.)
I’m linking to Bonnie’s link-up today.

Book review: The Last Victim

Note: Updated 6/16/13 to add link to Weekend Update Linky Party

Dr. Charlotte Stone is an expert on serial killers. She's also the only survivor of the vicious Boardwalk Killer. When a series of family murders resembles the Boardwalk case, she's asked to consult on the case by the FBI.

Her adventures bring her into contact with a hunky FBI agent and his team, as well as the ghost of a man she tried to save. Charlie sees dead people, especially the recently departed, such as Michael Garland who was murdered in the hallway as she left the prison to join the FBI team. Her efforts to save him were futile, but they caused him to "attach" to her. This is where the story became too much for me.

From that point, Charlie juggles her attraction to the agent, Tony Bartoli, and Garland, the apparition, while at the same time trying to find the killer.

I received this book as part of the Early Reviewers program on Library Thing. I cannot say I loved the book, but I was absorbed by it and finished it. I'd rate it 3 1/2 stars out of 5. It is well written and the characters are well-crafted, although cliched (Charlie is beautiful and smart; Bartoli is a hunk and  Garland is a seductive bad boy). There's a twist at the end that I didn't see coming that I found too too convenient. Maybe it's just me.

If you enjoy paranormal fiction, this may be the book for you. I have two copies to give away. Contact me by email and I'll send them on.

Details:
The Last Victim, by Karen Robards
Published by Ballantine Books
384 pages, paperback

I'm linking up to Weekend Update here.

Challenge, check!

    I finished my butterfly panel challenge yesterday and to say I’m happy with it would be an understatement. I’m thrilled!
     This started with a Christmas gift from my friend Sophie and a challenge to “do something.” We were supposed to have them done last May (I’m very late with this!), but I  couldn’t proceed with a plan. Once I finally had a plan I didn’t really have any problems finishing the piecing.
     But. Then I was afraid to begin the quilting. I took the plunge Saturday and It went very well. I quilted gentle breezes into the sky, circles on the butterfly wings, a small feather in the one border and scrolls in the other. The outer pieced border was a challenge. The piecing had bumpy intersections where eight seams met, so I didn’t feel I could do any all over design, so I stitched in the ditch and added a motif in the wings.
     This project is around 36 inches square. Now that it’s done, I’m left wondering why I was so afraid. Lesson learned: Take the plunge and do it. Give yourself permission to learn.
     Now if I can only transfer this to my next project!
     An overall view:



     I'm linking to Design Wall Monday , the Free Motion Quilting Project, and Let's Get Acquainted Monday.

Design Wall 4/1/13

 

    I've spent the last couple days piecing these strings for a quilt I'm making along with my friends, the Material Girls. We're making this as a memorial for our friend, Joe, who passed last month. He was married to one of our members, S.

   She wanted to use some of her Asian fabrics which she's been collecting for at least 20 years. We picked out this pattern from Bonnie Hunter's Quiltville site, and we're all going to piece strings.  When we have the strings, we'll pick out the background fabric or fabrics, and we'll decide on a border when we can see the center. Right now, I'm leaning toward a string-pieced border; I'm pretty sure we have enough fabric cut for it! S was extremely generous with the ones we picked out.

    I used my Accuquilt Go! and it really didn't take very long compared to using a rotary cutter.

I’ve done string piecing before and didn’t enjoy it, but I loved doing this! Maybe it was the variety of perhaps the ones I was using were so different from mine but it was so fun!  We have a tentative plan of getting this together later this spring. I’m not sure about the quilting. We’ll decide that later.   More about this project later. I’m linking up to Design Wall Monday at Patchwork Times. Check out the cyber creativity!

Please excuse the formatting errors. I cannot get Blogger to work today!