Mystery quilt finish party

When I taught the Against the Tide Mystery quilt last month, some of the participants got the idea that it would be fun to set a date and meet to see each other's quilts. So some of them came last week to share their quilts. Cathy's turned out gorgeous in all purples.

Dianne's murky background and watery border really set off her pinks. 

Kelli changed the position of her blocks, and came up with a whole different design. We liked it too!

Lora didn't like one of her color choices, so remade some blocks and came up with this setting.

 Kathy made this one for her husband and he laid out the blocks himself, coming up with this arrangement. Hers is quilted already and ready for binding.

It was fun to see them and they all said that having that "finish party deadline" really encouraged them to get it finished. The quilt below was made by Kerstin, who participated in the mystery from Germany by testing the pattern for me. Hers is quilted as well.

 Here's mine. I will probably be teaching this again next fall, since there is usually interest after people see the finished mystery. Let me know if you are interested!

Sewing day

 While I was on retreat in Jan. we decided we needed a sewing day before our next retreat, so planned one for March. We met on Saturday, bright and early and sewed and chatted through the day. Pat had her center all put together for this sampler, but was unhappy about the stripes on her border so spent most of her time recutting them and taking the old ones off. It is so gorgeous! She has the woven border ready to put on, so it's just a matter of time until she has a finish!

Diana worked on a Miss Tess baby quilt and brought this one to show us. She also brought her two finished Zigzag quilts...she made these for twins and used the same polka dot fabric for each, coordinating with the pink and purple so they will be able to tell them apart.

She also brought her finished Spiderweb Stringpiecing quilt for show and tell.

Dianne got her Against the Tide Mystery quilt finished. It's not as light as it appears in this picture, you can see the light from behind showing through. It's hard to get good pictures of larger quilts in the classroom!

She also got her border sewn on her Miss Tess quilt. She found a black with small white polka dots that seemed perfect and mirrored the black and white polka dots in the centers of the shapes.

Here's a close up so you can see the dots!

I worked on my red and white challenge quilt. I like it so far.

Awhile back, Carole emailed me from VA that her daughter loved the Circle and Spin quilt she saw on my blog and wanted her to make it for her.  I believe it was for a wedding gift. I received an email the other day with a picture of the finished quilt...it's so beautiful! I love it when people send me pix of quilts they've made with my patterns!

My daughter and I did a little thrift shop shopping yesterday...she found a rocker/recliner that looks like new so snatched it up after we determined it would fit in her Kia Soul. I didn't find anything, but that's ok since I don't really much at this point. It's always fun looking though!

More randomness ...

Dianne has finished her Miss Tess quilt top...isn't it gorgeous? She is debating what to use for a border.

Barb's Which Way is Up? quilt is quilted and ready to give as a gift.

In case you missed Kerstin's post about her Against the Tide Mystery quilt, here it is in all its glory. I can't wait to see the other mystery quilts finshed!

Diana sent me this picture of her Spiderweb Stringpiecing quilt...she is almost finished!

Cindy brought this to S & B, our small quilt group, the other night. This is a quilt she was working on during our retreat. I don't know the pattern, sorry, but if you are interested I can ask her.

Do you ever get tired of kitty pix? Smokey was sitting quietly, watching me sew. Conrad jumped up beside her and started the tail swishing back and forth, back and forth....

in her face, over her back....he eventually left and she took a nap.

I'm sewing with my retreat group today...it's our mini retreat day! Are you having a quilty Saturday!

Against the Tide Mystery Revealed!

Against the Tide Mystery quilt 2014

Yesterday was the finale for the second group doing the mystery quilt so I can finally  reveal the Against the Tide Mystery quilt! TaDa!

I started them off making blocks, so they worked on those for awhile before I showed them the quilt. I love how their colors are coming together!

Dianne's mystery blocks

Lora's mystery blocks

Kelli started a new job this week and had to work today, so wasn't able to come to class. She stopped in to go over the pattern and see the finished quilt.

The first group received their final clues about 10 days ago, so they probably have their quilts put together by now, right?

Marilyn's mystery blocks

The colors are more washed out in this photo than in person. Marilyn chose a muted group as she is making this for her son and wanted a masculine look.

Cathy's mystery blocks

I saw Kathy the other night. She let her husband choose the fabrics for this quilt and he has arranged them in a different manner. I can't wait to see the finished quilt!

Kathy's mystery blocks

Both groups are meeting at Cut Up and Quilt on April 15 to show off their quilts. The first group set that date to give themselves a deadline and the second group is going to try to bring what they have completed too. I think it will be fun to see them all together!

Kerstin, at Cookies Treasures, is posting about her finished quilt today too. She was kind enough to test the pattern for me. I can't wait to see it! She sent me a picture of the blocks on her design wall, but I haven't seen the final quilt yet either! She is good at keeping secrets, isn't she? I'm not sure when she will post, so keep checking back if she hasn't posted yet. 

One of the students and I decided to stay and sew yesterday after class, so she made some good progress on her blocks while I started working on the red and white challenge quilt...I couldn't wait to get started once I had finished the design. The SewCalGal Make It Challenge is from March 24 - Sept. 30. Even if you didn't design a quilt, you can make a red and white quilt from a purchased pattern. There are two separate categories for the Make It challenge. Check out the rules here and scroll down to Make It Challenge...just note that these quilts have to be made in 2014. Click here to see all of the designs entered in the Design It Challenge. 

As I was binding this quilt, I had it draped over a chair and onto a table to help hold the weight....guess it looked like a good resting spot!

Conrad approved Against the Tide Mystery Quilt

Against the Tide Mystery....half way there!

The mystery quilters were busy the week in between classes, working on their clues 1 and 2. Most had them completed when I gave them Clue 3, which was the final cutting directions as well as some lovely half square triangles using their backgrounds and their color A fabrics.

The last half hour of class they put this row together. That is Clue 4....we are getting there! These are Cathy's fabrics. 

 Marilyn's Clues 3 and 4.

 Kathy's clues 3 and 4.

 Kelli's Clue 2.

 Kelli's Clues 3 and 4. 

Not sure why the coloring is so funky...this is the same background as in the previous picture!

 Lora's clues from last week and Clue 2.

 Lora's Clues 3 and 4.

Dianne's Clues 3 and 4. 

I am excited to show them the completed quilt next week and see what they think! You can visit Kerstin at Cookies Treasures to see her progress on her Against the Tide Mystery quilt as well. I'm not sure what time she will be posting her Clues 3 and 4 because of the time difference, but check her blog to see how her quilt is coming along.

My daughter flew home from Malaysia last night....I know she had a great time, but I'm glad she's back on US soil again! I am going to cut out a new quilt today...are you quilting?

Random pictures from class and other news....

It's been a busy month for classes. I love when people bring in show and tell! Lora finished her sampler quilt top from the Wed. night Sampler Pick class that recently ended. She also brought her little spools quilt made out of sewing related fabrics.

Last Thursday night the beginners worked on layering and tying their quilts. It's exciting when they are almost finished...for me as well as them.

You might remember that I forgot to take a picture of Lisa's quilt the week before...well her it is!Love the shades of brown and dog related fabrics.

I finished the quilting on the Against the Tide Mystery quilt over the weekend. I love how it looks. I used the Ebb and Flow panto and a medium variegated thread that blended well on the quilt top, and stood out a bit on back.

Smokey loves it too....both cats had a turn sitting on it. They think any quilt is fair game. I worked on the binding on Sunday so it is finished! Just in time!

I'm meeting with the Colorwheel Stash group tonight....should be fun to see what they have gotten done since last month. I've had some teasers, so I'm ready to see! I will take pictures this time...I promise!

And the mystery begins!

I spent a lot of time working on the Against the Tide Mystery quilt the past few months, but couldn't post any pictures of it because it is a mystery class and needs to stay a surprise! I am teaching it at both locations that I teach at, so I have two groups that are working on it. The first group started about 10 days ago, but I had to wait until the second group started yesterday to post pictures.

Kathy  hst

Cathy hst

These half square triangles are part of Clue 1.

Marilyn hst

Kelli hst

Dianne hst

Lots of variations in color and textures, so it will be fun to see how they turn out.

Lora hst

I sent Clue 2 home with both classes for homework after Clue 1. Since the second group has met the second time, here are some pictures of their clue 2 sections. They are working on Clue 3 and4 and will get their final clues Wednesday night. They are enjoying the time in between classes to work on each clue and are excited to see the finished quilt!

Kathy's clue 2

Cathy's clue 2

Marilyn's clue 2

My German friend Kerstin at Cookie's Treasures agreed to test the pattern for me and is almost finished with it. She did it clue by clue so emailed me when she was ready for the next one. I really appreciate her work and feedback on helping me get this pattern just right! She will be posting about it sometime today as well so go and take a look...her fabrics are gorgeous, but I will let her show you!

Most everyone in my family likes to make things and my daughter Angie is no exception. She made these cool coasters with a kit she got from Darby Smart. To see more about it and get a $10 off coupon code for their website, check out Life With Angie. These look like fun to make and would make great gifts for loved ones who have made you many beautiful quilts (do you think she got the hint?).

Last but not least, you can still comment on the original giveaway posts for one of my patterns, a McCalls Quick Quilts magazine and the Chantilly charm pack until 8:00 tonight. I will post the winners tomorrow!