It's mystery quilt time!
I've never done a mystery quilt before and it's a little intimidating, but if I know one thing, it's that I can do hard things. And besides, if my current definition of "hard" is making a quilt, well, then, I'm doing pretty good in life! Trust me, I deal with a lot harder things on a daily basis.
I mentioned Quiltville and Bonnie Hunter in my last post. She is the one doing the mystery. The mystery is called Celtic Solstice. She picked the colors and I've decided to stick with her recommendations. Here are my fabric choices.
I only have a yard of that colorful fabric in the back. I bought it on a whim, it reminds me of vacation in Mexico. I went back to Joann's to get more when I saw the colors Bonnie picked, and of course it's all gone. Somehow I might work it into a border, or it will find it's way into another fun quilt.
When Bonnie offered us this quilt she also gave us three options for piecing. She suggested specialty rulers, Inklingo or she would make templates available. I opted to go for Inklingo. I think it's a fascinating product, and quite honestly it seems to make some of the tedious parts of quilt making a little easier. As I also mentioned in my last post, part of why I love quilting is because I love history and quilting to me is a connection to the past. That does not, however, mean I'm going to throw away all modern conveniences. If that was the case I wouldn't be able to use my rotary cutter or my sewing machine. I spent a little time getting to know Inklingo, first trying some of the free shapes offered on the web page. I still had a bit of a learning curve after I bought the shapes, mostly because I failed to read the instructions thoroughly.
I think I may be in love with the Inklingo method though. Now that I've worked out my kinks the program is working great. My biggest issue now is that I have an HP printer, and they don't allow you custom size pages. But with a little observation, I'm discovering how to print on the fabric in the allowable parameters to get the most shapes on the sheet.
I'm still working on the first clue. I've cut almost everything, but I've only sewn a few squares. The day after Thanksgiving, and this whole weekend has been set aside for Christmas decorating. I'll have more time to focus during the week.
Merry Christmas and Happy Quilting!
You have a lovely selection of fabrics there. Thanks for this post ... I was trying the Inklingo free shapes and could not understand why I couldn't get them to fit - and if they did fit they were too small! Now I know - I too have an HP printer! Light dawns!! I'd given up in frustration and was thinking myself lucky I hadn't spent any money yet - now I'll go back and have another look... What size paper did you use? It looks longer than the recommended size?
ReplyDeleteThanks for visiting! That sheet in the picture is 8.25inches by 11.25inches. It enabled me to get 10 triangles per page with very little scraps. It takes some trial and error, but It has been worth the effort to learn something new. In no time I think it will become old hat. At first I thought I wanted to get a Cannon printer, and I might eventually to make things easier since I like Inklingo, but I think I am making this work, so it's not an urgent need. Play around with it, don't give up. And Linda Franz, the creator of Inklingo, has been very helpful on Facebook with advice and pointers.
ReplyDeleteIf you are wanting more of the background fabric, just do a search online for the name of the fabric and you should get a few options. I think there is a search on fabric.com
ReplyDeleteOh, Lori! It is available on fabric.com and it's on sale! https://www.fabric.com/buy/0264664/folklorico-talavera-garden-brite?cm_vc=756b1813-cbc1-43b3-84bd-29889bf8fb7b I may just have to order some, although I just bought some fat quarter samplers that were on sale from Connecting Threads. Maybe I should tell my husband to count them towards my Christmas presents. ;)
DeleteTime out for decorating? I have to do that now that my Link-up Blog is posted. I wondered how the Inklingo worked. Thanks for trying the different method.
ReplyDelete"...if my current definition of "hard" is making a quilt, well, then, I'm doing pretty good in life!"
ReplyDeleteThis is the best thing I've read on the internet in a long time! Thanks for the reminder...and the great pictures! Good luck with the mystery.
I'm glad you like that. And it's true isn't it? :)
DeleteInteresting to see someone using one of the alternative methods. Enjoy the mystery!
ReplyDelete