If you’ve been a blog reader for a while you might remember that several years ago I challenged myself to make all of the quilts in Bonnie Hunter’s book String Fling. I did it. I made every one of the quilts that were in the book.
I wrote a blog post about it…You can read it and see all of the quilts HERE. I actually made all of the quilts in the book once and made one TWICE. That’s a real testament that I loved the book.
Well the other day after I finished the Oregon or Bust quilt top from Bonnie Hunter’s book Scraps and Shirttails II, I got to wondering how many of the quilts I’ve made from that book…
The answer is all except three. Hmm. That has me thinking. Do I want to make every quilt in this book? I truly had a great time making all of the ones in the String Fling book…Maybe I should challenge myself to make all the quilts in this book. Hmm.
It’s so funny…I looked at a past blog post when I reviewed the book, I said, “There are 13 quilts in the book, I think I’ll be making all 13 at some time in my quilting life…” HA. Now here I am 12 years later contemplating that very thing. So funny. When I said it back then, I think I was exaggerating and didn’t truly mean it. Now here I am very seriously thinking about it.
How about I do a little review here so you can see what I’ve done and which ones I’d need to make yet?
I am pretty sure the first quilt I made from the book was Criss Cross Applesauce. You can read about it HERE.
This is Stars over Shallotte. You can read more about it HERE.
I made Smith Mountain Morning. I loved that quilt. It’s HUGE. My son Karl owns it now. I didn’t make this one with shirts. It was all fabric store fabric. You can read more about it HERE.
This is Fair and Square. You can read about it HERE. This one was also not made with shirts. I constructed my blocks differently as I hate sewing blocks together in an on-point setting. You can read how I did that HERE.
Next up is Holy Toledo. This was made from shirts. This one is the one I finished most recently. It was a UFO on my UFO list in 2021. I finished it then. I really sewed up pretty quickly considering all of those triangles in the border. You can read more about it HERE.
I love this one so much…it’s Hawk’s Nest. I make the entire border with bonus triangles I had collected over the years. You can read more about how I did that HERE. This is another that was not make with shirt fabric.
Bricks in the Barnyard is the next quilt. This one has the fun braid border. That was so fun to make and was something new to me. You can read more about it HERE. I don’t know if I still have this one or if I gave it away for a benefit.
Carolina Christmas was one I had done immediately. It was the 2009 Mystery and it was reprinted in the book. If I remember right, it was my first mystery quilt. You can read more about it HERE. This one lives at my daughter Kayla’s house.
I saved my favorite for last. This is Rectangle Wrangle. You can read more about it HERE. I love-love-love this one. My husband really liked this one too. As I said earlier in this blog post, I really like the quilts in this book but this one quickly caught my eye. For a long time every time I would cut out a different quilt made from shirts, I would also cut strips for this one. That helped me get the variety of fabrics in the quilt. This is one I’ll likely never gift…and if I do, it will only be to someone I know will love it and care for it. I do remember purposely trying to pick some pinks, and yellows to go in this one to brighten it up a little bit.
Of Bonnie Hunter quilts, for me, this one is on the top ten list. Admittedly, others from this book are on the list as well.
The ones I don’t have done are Goose in the Puddle…
This one I think I would make in a similar colorway. I do think I’d make it from shirts. I might work to find a red for the sashing so that would be made from all of the same fabric. I would also make it bigger. I loved love to make this quilt as it’s lots of mindless sewing…my favorite. I might like to make it in a 5 x 5 setting.
Another one I haven’t finished is Tumalo Trail. It very much surprises me that I don’t have this one done. My friend Nell made it and after seeing hers I really planned on making it…but it never happened. Also, this is one of the first quilts I thought…I’m doing that one.
I’m thinking I might have some unfinished 3 1/2″ nine patches too so…maybe I should start this one sooner rather than later. My plan again would be to enlarge it…maybe an 8 x 8 setting. Hmm. I’m liking this idea more and more.
The quilt I’m least excited about is the last quilt in the book that I haven’t made. The quilt is Old Kentucky Album. It’s not the design I’m not hot on…it’s the colors or fabrics that were used. I might make the sashing a little thinner too. Hmm.
I’m thinking this is a quilt like Oregon or Bust…I like the design of the quilt but want to make it in some other color scheme. But what color scheme?? Please chime in if you have any ideas.
Mary, you were my inspiration for Oregon or Bust. Do you have any ideas for this one??
Well, it looks like I have to rethink my plan to quick buying used shirts. For sure I want to make Goose in a Puddle in shirts and possibly the other two as well so let the shirt buying begin. I had kind of put myself on hold. For sure I want to buy lots of white ones…some blue ones…for sure red ones. I need to make a plan. Sadly, I’m paying more for shirts than I previously have. Now I have to pay $2 each…I know they are way more for many of you.
Now…how to tackle getting these three quilts done…one at a time. I’m not going to push myself and say they all have to be done in a year. I’m just going to commit to working on them as some of my new starts. I still want to really make progress on my UFO quilting…but I have to admit, I’m pretty excited about this.
Before I dive too deep into buying more shirts, I think I’m going to dig through my pits and pieces and see if already have any nine patches made. I might have some and that would be a great jump start for Tumalo Trail. I’m writing this during nap time and my grandkids are here. Once they are gone, I’m going to go dig and see what I have. YAHOO!! A plan. I love a plan. If I do have some, Tumalo Trail might be the first one I tackle.
Jo, after seeing your Oregon or Bust quilt, I started buying shirts. I also bought the book! So while mine won’t be the orange and blues of yours (which I love) but it will definitely be scrappy.
Last weekend my daughter and I hit two thrift stores. On Sundays their “color of the week” tag goes to 99 cents per item, so I came home with a total of nine or ten shirts! I saw a bunch I really wanted but need to go back when the color of the week is blue. I am not paying $6 per shirt when I can go on Sunday and get them for 99 cents!
Do you have any idea approximately how many shirts are needed to make one of these quilts?
How many quilts you need is a tough question. I like a lot of variety so I tend to buy more than I need. I would guess, 5 orange, 5 white and 12 blue. That would be minimum and wouldn’t be a ton of variety but some.
Jo, I fell in love with Tumolo Trail years ago. I started it, then sacrificed it to make it for my niece’s HS graduation quilt. Then I restarted it for myself. I also made Bricks in the Barnyard for one of my nephews’ graduation quilt. Now I want to make another one of those. But I don’t know where I put the book! Good luck with your challenge.
Oregon and bust is gorgeous. Don’t buy any shirts yet. I am sending a box to you. Been thinking about it for a while and now is the time to dig in and send them on. Along with frolic leftovers and a bunch of HST. Maybe tomorrow. The shirts are minus the sleeves as we make wine sleeves out of them for crafting.
I’d buy $2.00 shirts in a heartbeat! Around here they are at least $5.00 or more and 100% cotton are rare!
When I made my dirty dozen list for this year, I realized I have 8 bonnie Hunter UFO’s. I love everyone of them and really want to finish them this year. i really love the quilts in that book as well, with Tumelo Trail being my top pick. I have all of the squares made, just need to assemble. I am currently working on Jamestown Landing. I believe this is the quilt that started my on my Bonnie Hunter obsession. Love your blog Jo. You are an inspiration!
I made Tumalo Trail over the course of 4 (!?!) years. Mine is completely scrappy, and I started with 3 1/2 “ none patches that I made as leaders and enders. Bonnie has shown a method of using a single strip set of two 1 1/2 inch fabrics. I made 4 twosies and added a square of the desired fabric (either light or dark) to finish the patch. I made no effort to match either my 9-patches or HST. I love the outcome!! Now to get it quilted.
Jo, if I were to make Old Kentucky Album now, I think I would go towards yellow green and blue and throw in some pink for an accent somewhere. I can honestly say that the colors from Bonnie’s quilt are something that are just too flat for me…no pizzazz and I like pizzazz! Good luck…I can’t even approach the idea of another quilt…I don’t think I will live long enough to make all the ones that are still on my “I just have to make that quilt” list!
I too dislike sewing quilts on point. If any of Bonnie’s mystery quilts are on point, I will figure a way to do them straight rows. I made the Rectangle Wrangle too a few years ago. Loved the process of that one. Gave it away as a Christmas gift that year.
I see Old Kentucky Album in warm colors: Cream/tan/brown, rust/red. Definitely some red! Have fun!
I have all but 1 of Bonnie’s books. I love her quilts! But, I have only made 1…a king size split 9 patch. ♀️. Maybe you will inspire me to drag out my books and get it in gear! Oh…forgot…I have Carolina Chain going right now for a friend.
Old Kentucky Album would be beautiful in your beloved Civil War reproductions. I started Smith Mountain Morning at a workshop with Bonnie over ten years ago and haven’t touched it since. I really like it and the colors (i used her suggested blues and browns.) My two brothers-in-law have been giving me their cotton dress shirts for years and I want to make them each a quilt using their shirts. I can’t decide which quilts to make. One has mostly plaid shirts and the other one has mostly solid colors. I can’t remember for sure which shirts were whose (some are so similar) unless they still have the sizes on them. (I have cut some up.)
I have found great shirt shopping opportunities at my local rural church basement sales. If you go on the last day of the sale, usually Saturday, they tend to have two or three bucks a bag sales. That’s a whole quilt. ..And it supports a nice church. Even if you don’t attend they are worthy of support for the many services they provide to rural areas. If you tell them you’re a quilter they’ll try to adopt you.
These sales can often be located on your local Craigslist garage sale pages or Facebook marketplace. That’s my strategy, it’s fun and it works, I have too much lovely fabric and it cost me very little.
I would love to see Old Kentucky Album done in fall colors – rich golds, reds, oranges, greens, browns, etc.
I can see the Kentucky Album done with the Civil War colors or the clear brights. You are good with either of those colorways and defining them into beautiful quilts. That would be a twist, huh? An old traditional block with a bright, fun take on it. I really want ot get another Bonnie pattern going, too.
Congratulations on your Bonnie Hunter quilts. I have only finished “On Ringo Lake” and I absolutely love it, but most of her quilts are just too busy for me that I can’t appreciate them or see how to make them mine. LOL I do like watching watching you make your scrap quilts.
Jo, the album quilt would be great in your blacks and golds! Also, the tumalo trails would go quite quickly if you scrounge your scraps for all the too small to put back into the bin pieces as you continue to clean up after projects. Use these as your leaders and enders.
I’ve always loved Tumelo Trails but that is one of the few books of hers that I don’t have. And I already own so many quilting books that I haven’t used yet and want to use. I feel guilty considering the purchase of yet another book. Also, I have lots of magazines saved over the years with bookmarks and tabs for more quilts that I want to make. If I planned to make just one quilt from each book and magazine, I don’t think that I would live long enough to finish them! Isn’t that ridiculous?