You might remember that last week I wrote a blog post about the possibility of my finishing all of the quilts in Bonnie Hunter’s book Scraps and Shirttails II. You can read it HERE if you missed it.
Well, after writing that post I decided to look at another book of hers, More Adventures with Leaders and Enders.
I knew I had made a lot of the quilts in the book but didn’t know how close I was to making them all. I thought I would take you on the journey with me as I counted and calculated how many quilts I’d have to make in order to have made them all.
This is Scrap Crystals. I did mine in batiks. You can read the whole story on this quilt HERE.
This is Winston Ways…You can read the whole story on this quilt HERE. I loved making both of these. I love intensely pieced quilts!!
Those aren’t the only intensely pieced ones from the book. Here is Spoolin’ Around. I loved making this one too. I started this as the challenge for the year but didn’t finish it until the book came out. You can read more about it HERE.
Four Patch X…Man, I love that one too!! You can read more about it HERE. I love a quilt like this too. I can just sit down and start cranking out four patches. For me, that’s therapy sewing. HA!
Texas Tumbleweeds I made and gifted as a wedding present. I did mine all in batiks. I could happily make this quilt again. I think it might have been my first quilt made with batiks. You can read more about it HERE.
I made two versions of Easy Street. I did a green version…This one I gifted to a friend. You can read more about it HERE.
I also made a version as it was called for in the mystery. I’m not sure if I still have this one or not. It might have been given for a benefit. You can read more about it HERE.
That mystery was super easy until it came the time to put the quilt together. Then it wasn’t so quick and easy.
Cheddar Bows…I still have this one. It’s another one that I love. Sorry it’s not the best picture. When I made this I wasn’t sure about the outer border but ended up liking it. You can read more about it HERE.
Narragansett Blue…This I might have gifted. I’m not sure. You can read more about it HERE. I remember twisting a few blocks in this one…
Lazy Sunday was a mystery in a Quiltmaker magazine. It was later published in this book. You can read more about it HERE.
This was fun to sew too.
So those are the quilts that I have finished…If you’re keeping track that was nine finished. There are 12 in the book so that means I have 3 that aren’t finished.
First up is Friendship Cross.
I like the quilt just fine…what I haven’t liked is the instructions. I’ve tried to rethink them before. I’m not thrilled because the piece is 2 1/4″ based and I don’t have fabric that size. I’d have to cut it all down. More work. That’s why I haven’t made them. I’m thinking about redoing it with 2 1/2″ fabrics. We’ll see.
I haven’t tackled Lucy’s Baskets either. The maid reason it there is hand sewing to sew the basket handles down. Hmm. Besides that, I like the quilt.
The last quilt that I haven’t made is Midnight Flight. Here’s the story of this quilt. My daughter Kelli and I organized a retreat that Bonnie Hunter came to and taught classes at. We had such an overwhelming response of people who wanted to go so we opened up extra classes. We taught the other classes. We had already picked this quilt for her to teach. We ended up not getting to go to the class. UGH.
After the class, we had a bunch of gals having trouble making their quilt because they were getting pieces twisted when trying to make their blocks.
I am famous for having trouble with twisted blocks so that put me off from making it. I LOVE the quilt though. I just might have to get over it and make the quilt. HA!!
For now, I think I’m going to focus on making the quilt from the book Scraps and Shirttails II. But maybe, just maybe one of these quilts will slip into the line up too. You never know.
Thanks for coming with me down memory lane as I calculated how many quilts I’d have to make to finish the whole book. All I can say is that I got my money out of that book for sure!!
You could fuse then top stitch the baskets for the basket quilt if you don’t want to applique them by hand. That will take a lot less time. Happy stitching!
If you have Bonnie Hunter back I would love to be there. I missed out last time.
She doesn’t travel like she previously did.
Bonnie Hunter has a retreat center in VA, maybe. Sometimes she will do a weekend for a group to come together who don’t know each other. You might want to google her and she what is currently offering. If others have a group looking for a spot for a retreat this might be the place.
For Friendship Cross, you could draft it in EQ using 2-1/2″ instead of 2-1/4″ and maybe make fewer blocks. EQ will give you all the rotary cutting sizes so you won’t have to do the conversion yourself.
Could someone give me a good definition of leaders & enders?
https://quiltville.blogspot.com/2005/06/leaders-enders-whys-and-hows.html
Leaders and Enders: I never got into the practice of do it but it is good to do.
It is a way to start (Leaders) and End (Enders) a chain of sewing. It usually will prevent a knot/nest of thread on the backside of your sewing. Plus if you are sewing triangles you will not lose the points.
You can just use a scrape of fabric OR use something that will be a part of block, Like two pieces of fabric the same size. You start sewing with this block or scrap then what you are actually sewing on Then when you are at the end you repeat yourself. So if you are working on four patches you could get a lot of the first two patches done first
An online friend and I just did Midnight Flight as a sew along. It is intense and I wasn’t really thrilled about doing it but oh my gosh, I am so impressed with myself and the results! I made mine a bit smaller. It was a challenge but a big payoff!
So do you cut out the entire quilt that will be the leader/ender project, including the sashing, cornerstones, and anything else, and just keep that in a separate box by your machine to make squares as you sew on other projects? I’d think I’d get confused if making anything other than a 4 patch or a 9 patch where it didn’t matter the color arrangement (but I’m easily confused). The quilts posted don’t seem very scrappy or random, but more designed blocks.
I typically don’t sew them leader and ender style…also I prefer controlled scrappy.
I do leaders and enders all the time. I don’t cut out everything; but instead break it down. If there are four patches in the blocks, I will do those first. When I have enough four patches then I choose another element and cut those and do the piecing. Just do it in steps and, yes, keep a container of the pieces in one place near your machine so they are easy to grab and sew. I have made lots and lots of quilts using the leader-ender method. I love it.
I love when you do your Bonnie Hunter recaps! . I have all of her books now…just ordered Scraps & Shirttails 1 this morning. I fell in love with your Virginian Bound quilt! Had to have the pattern. I could have drafted it myself, but I like for the authors to get paid for their ideas. I love a lot of Bonnie’s quilts, and everytime you do a post like this, I makes me get my book out and see if I can rekindle a desire to tackle one of her quilts. Can’t wait to see what you decide to do.
Or on the baskets, Edyta Sitar has little basket quilt with pieced handles, that you could adapt. It is Gabriella on page 106 in Little Handfuls of Scraps. It would be a ‘customized’ quilt then!
I have made 4 of the quilts from this book…Easy Street (this was my 1st mystery, she lives on my guest bed); Texas Tumbleweed was next (my cousin who had just moved from Texas to Georgia was given this quilt and she latter moved back!); then came Lazy Sunday (I, too, made this one as a mystery from the magazine, when my #1great niece went Oklahoma State it went with her); lastly was Midnight Flight ( I started this one in Chicago at a Quilting Cocoon where Bonnie was one of the 4 instructors, it took me awhile to get 2 blocks completed, it was intense, but I finished it, this quilt went to college in east Texas with #2 great niece).
I have to say that Bonnie is one of my favorite quilt designers.
I do like her quilts – she used such tiny pieces though and I don’t really get along with them. ;-) However, after seeing your quilts, I’m tempted to give them another shot!
Love and prayers
Quilters have been known to increase the size of the pieces in Bonnie’s blocks. Another way to make the pattern your own.
I love memory lane! I seem to recall you stitching down stems on quilt blocks so what’s a few handles! Ha!
YES…You’re right!
I twisted pieces making Texas Tumbleweed with Bonnie and ended up with two quilts!
Sorry- first section of tonight’s blog- One More Sleep is not readable.
You are inspirational! I need to get my Bonnie Mojo going again. I haven’t made as many of her quilts as you have, but I love them all.
As Barbara said, tonight’s post “One More Sleep” is not readable.
I love to hand stitch ! If you get some done , you could send me some and I’d be soo happy to stitch down your handles ! I’m serious.,
Hi Jo, did you decide which quilt you were going start or work on from from Bonnie Hunter’s books? You may have posted but I didn’t see it. If someone else know the date it was posted I can look up myself. Thanks everyone! V
I am making Tumalo Trail. You can find that in this book. https://amzn.to/47buuGi