Busy Sewing Time of the Year.

Christmas is a busy time for many people, for me it mystery quilt time of the year. Every year since 2011 I have made Bonnie Hunter's Quiltville Mystery. I haven't always completed them to finished quilt, but at least I have finished the tops - except for the first one - Orca Bay. This year the mystery is called Old Town Mystery. Everything you need to know is on the Quiltville site, with clues released each Friday - Saturday in Australia. Last weekend I finished part 1. I'm making only half the number of block to make a smaller quilt.

Also released at the end of each month is the next row of Between the Lines sewalong. This month the is row 1 - Zig-Zag Stack. 

I'm making it with purples.

It is foundation paper pieced, which I don't mind.

I've completed 2 of the 5 blocks needed and will continue this weekend using clue 2 of Old Town as leaders enders until I've finished.

Another mystery that I like to do each year is Merry Mayhem New Year Mystery. The fabric list (part 1) came out this week, with part 2 revealed on Christmas Day, and then the rest of the parts on New Year's Day - or the day after about 1am if in Australia. I don't usually get up at 1am to sew, even for a mystery, but I have been known to get up at 5am and work my way through the clues, being careful not to check social media just in case I see spoilers.

Link Up Parties: 

Wednesday-Wait-Loss – The Inquiring Quilter

Finished(or Not) Friday – Alycia Quilt

Off the Wall Fridays - Creations - Quilts, Art, Whatever

Scrap Happy Saturday - So Scrappy

Mystery Quilt Time of the Year

I often spend my Saturdays, when I'm at home, catching up on YouTube quilting shows and one was Missouri Star's Jenny, and I happened to come across a 'Fall Shenanigans' wall hanging.  Even though we do not celebrate Halloween in Australia, it is our daughter's birthday, so parties were always Halloween themed. So out came the Halloween fabrics and in a day I made the top - who knows how long it will take for me to sandwich and quilt it!!!!

I have always looked forward to this time of the year - Halloween and Christmas. Not only is it getting closer to Christmas, a happy time, it is Bonnie Hunter's mystery quilt time!! A time to create a beautiful quilt, step by step and spend a calming time sewing. Not all sewers would agree as at times Bonnie's Quilts can be quite involved, but never the less, I do enjoy the stress relief these mysteries have provided over the years.
Now that I'm retired, the joy of the mystery is still there, as is the relaxing, calming, peaceful time that it brings.
This year Bonnie's mystery is titled 'On Ringo Lake'. You can find the fabric requirements and instructions here. First impressions - I was very happy with the colour choices. I usually change Bonnie's colour suggestions, but this year I had all the fabric on hand - although I almost changed the browns for dark purples, but as they didn't look as good, so I went back to browns.

 Part one was released on Friday, and compared to other years this clue is quite easy - thank goodness. (This is not a whinge Bonnie 😊).

Bonnie's mystery is the start of the mysteries. I will still have two New Year Mysteries, (including Merry Mayhem's - with fabric and cutting instructions released today) and the Super Bowl mysteries to make - and I'm looking forward to it. We will be away on a cruise the next few weeks (woo hoo), so I'll be playing catch-up mid December. (See my travel blog: Are We There Yet?)
To see what others are doing go to Bonnie's Monday Link up.

Happy 2017

I'm not one for New Year resolutions, I like to make plans and set goals to achieve all through the year. One goal is to update my blogs more regularly, well, at least two of them (not sure I will continue the third). As in previous years I have been busy working on mystery quilts. I have been doing Bonnie Hunters Mystery quilt every year since Orca in 2011 and usually complete the last clues while camping beside the Bellinger River. Not this year. Camping got too expensive at $92.50 a night, so we decided the stay home and maybe have a city break at $99 a night at Southbank - much better value!
Anyway, how many mystery quilts can one do at a time? Over Christmas /New Year I was doing 5 different mysteries. The only problem was because I like 3 colours, I always try to use those colours. Doing 5 different mysteries with the same colours, when the clues came out at different times was very difficult. I had each mystery sorted into boxes, and moved fabric from one box to another when needed. I got a little scared that I would run out of some fabrics as the clues came to an end - but so far so good.

The mysteries I was/am doing are:

1. Simply Colorful Brown Bag mystery - this one I started first in September, but had to stop in October as I needed a special panel. I couldn't source it here in Australia, so needed to think of something else to use. I think I know what I am going to use now, but this mystery has been on the back burner, although it does have a lot less purples than it did.😇 

2. Love Shack Quilts Peace Love Mystery was started 15th October. The clues come out every two weeks, and I'm pleased to say I am all up to date with this one.

3. Bonnie Hunter's Quiltville Mystery 2016 - En Provence - started 25th November, and I am determined to finish the top TODAY!!!! Bonnie has wonderful quilt patterns and her mysteries are always large quilts, so I only do half the required number of units and if I have to make more to complete the size I want (like today) I will.

4. Quiltbug's Blooming Rails New Year's Eve mystery was a two day quilt with clues coming out by the hour during NY eve and NY day. I have only done this mystery a few times over the years, usually I don't hear about it until after the event, but my friend Cleary is great keeping us quilting buddies up-to-date with happenings. I have everything cut except the panel (a bit scared) and have completed the first couple of steps. Will get around to it - watch this space!

5. Merry Mayhem Mystery Quilt is run every New Years Day - which is 2 January here in Oz. The first clue comes out about 2am our time, so by the time I get up the first 3-4 clues are already out. This years mystery is #140 Nifty Thrifty, and I started doing it scrappy. By the time it came to put all the units together, it didn't look very good scrappy, so I ended up making four table toppers that will be great for caravan stove toppers as well. This is the only mystery that I have completed so far.

So that is what I've been doing, and am doing for the rest of this month at least - well that and Farmer's Wife blocks.