Sometime back, Quiltmaker magazine ran a three part mystery quilt designed by Bonnie Hunter of Quiltville.  I love a good mystery so I started in and here is the result.

I am not big on Christmas-y looking quilts so I decided to use some Civil War reproduction fabrics…change the green to more of a black and got busy sewing.  Like all of my quilts, I ran into a snag.  When it came time to sew the blocks into their setting, I realized I hadn’t cut the setting triangles the right size.  So off to the quilt shop for more fabric….the same print wasn’t available so now more choices (I am bad at choices).   I got the blocks together and decided to tackle the borders.  I changed the order of the borders and again….not enough fabric.  So back to the quilt shop.  No more fabric.  But I did find a decent red for the outside border and bought something for the final 6″ large border.  Got home, sewed on the next border and hated the fabric for the last larger border (you many be saying to yourself, I don’t see a large border-EXACTLY)  I gave up and didn’t add the last border.  My hubby assured me that it was just fine without it. (actually I think was just sick of me lamenting over the whole process)

Anyway…this weekend I put the top in my quilt machine and here is the end result.  I put a nice charcoal colored fabric on for backing…some of my $3.99 Nancy Gere Alco find fabric.  I just did an all over stipple type quilting design….I’ve learned on dark colored scrap quilts, that’s sometimes the best.

Now for some good news…Bonnie is hosting a new free mystery quilt project over on her website….yes I confess, I am going to do it.  Like I said before, who doesn’t love a good mystery…..

Over the Thanksgiving break, I attached myself to my quilt machine and didn’t let go.  Follow the blog over the week and you will see what I mean as I reveal all my finished projects. 

My first finish was my Schnibble…

The gals from A Quilting Life and  Pink Pincushion put together a group that is making a Schnibbles quilt pattern from Miss Rosies Quilt Pattern Company each month.  The November Schnibble was Picnic.  I made mine from two charm packs from the Pashmina Moda Fabric line.  I haven’t seen the fabric anywhere except for Missouri Star Quilt Company.  I LOVE the fabric…obviously it matches my walls perfectly.  I was new to Schnibble making and had a great time with it and plan to make the December one too…to see the parade of Schnibbles, check out A Quilting Life and  Pink Pincushion on December 1st.  The new Schnibble for December will be revealed then too.

Check out Pink Pincushion‘s giveaway….who can resist anything with French General…

Over the weekend, I was sewing like crazy…and I accomplished a lot…. but did I finish much?….NO.
I did however find a baby sized quilt top that I put together a couple years ago with leftovers from my son’s graduation quilt.  It’s been sitting there on the self all this time  just waiting to be quilted, but now here it is all finished and ready to be given away.

I had completely forgotten about it until I saw this blog entry from over at Fat Cat Quilts announcing a new Snow Ball Quilt Along.  It shows the quilt that I made for my son’s graduation….isn’t it beautiful.  That was one of the fastest quilts I have ever put together.  My daughter Kayla was home from college so she spent the day ironing for me and I just sewed.  We got the top together in about a day and half!  I had a great time with Kayla AND I got a quilt top finished.  His quilt was the first real quilt I quilted with my Grand Quilter.  Oh, have ever learned a lot about the machine since then!  I absolutely love it now…then, I was ready to give it away.