not a spectator

Every year for the last several years I have enjoyed watching Bonnie Hunter's annual mystery quilt unfold.  This year when she announced her colors I was hooked - what a pretty palate to work with!

So the first clue was released on Friday and by Sunday evening I had all of these delightful scrappy little 9 patches made.  

 Bonnie's Monday link up is here.
I pulled plenty of fabric to use from my stash.  It's been sitting on this card table tempting me for weeks so I'm happy to be sewing with it now.

 Now I have to wait until Friday and the next clue...

In the meantime I am steadily making progress on quilting my son's quilt and I pulled out this little ufo that I'd love to finish up before Christmas.

I misplaced the pattern so I took the pieces and attached them.  I think its wrong but I like it and now I just need to quilt it as well. It would be great to use it for Christmas decorating :0)

Happy Quilting!!

free motion quilting



Happy Thanksgiving to all my American friends.  

I was so pleased with this little pumpkin that I grew in the garden I wanted to share a picture.  I've never tried to grow pumpkins before - the squirrels chewed off all the other little ones that started but they never found this one hiding in the rhubarb :0)  Pretty soon it will be time to put out Christmas decorations so this little guy will get cut up and used.

 

 I finished all the blocks for a quilt for my son recently. The pattern is Just Toasty by Betsy Chutchian.  I wanted to make the quilt super long so it would stay tucked in on my son's extra long bed so it was a lot of blocks to sew. 

 Of course I had to play a bit before I sewed them together :0)

 This was the arrangement in the pattern and its what my son wanted.

 I added borders to frame it and to make it a little longer and wider yet.  It's really long!

On Tuesday I managed to get it pin basted and yesterday I started quilting it.  It's going so well and I'm so very happy with my Juki machine.  The extra size of the opening makes it so easy to maneuver and it is much easier to free motion quilt with this machine than with my old one.  The bottom tension is perfect everytime. I'm doing a fairly simple boxy pattern in the squares and not too dense - I want it to be soft and comfortable to sleep under.  I hope to get this finished soon so he can use it!  (And, because I promised myself I could do the Bonnie Hunter mystery quilt this year if this quilt was nearly done ;0)

 

I made a bag last week too.  I used a French General Moda candy pack.  I was pleased it went well with this brown fabric because it has names of Jesus on it and the bag is for carrying my Bible to church, Bible study, etc...

 I free motion quilted it a little denser - fun and a good warm up project for my son's quilt.

 I'm starting to get a small forest of these trees - pieced for fun every once and awhile.  No clue how I'm going to set them.  I'm just going to keep making them until I get tired of them and then I'll decide.

 I was delighted to win this giveaway prize from Barb at Fun with Barb  I was most interested to read the Quilt Study seminar booklet.  One day I would LOVE to go to a seminar.  It was great to read about the offerings and tours.  I love Barb's blackbird cards and the fabric very much too :0) 

Happy Quilting!!