Nannykins, I may do this also, and I read through the first instructions. I'm not sure I have interpreted them correctly, but it looks to me that one should end up with 280 two and one half inch HST of light/dark fabric?

I didn't read through them totally but that was the impression i got. It sounds like a quilt of hst's and it will be interesting to see how they are assembled.
Theresa

This looks interesting to me as well. But a total of 40 fat quarters to make a 48" x 60" quilt? That can't be right. I'll have to think about this a bit.

I have a lot of leftover civil war fabrics that might work for this, light and dark.

Here is a link that might be useful: Planet Patchwork mystery

I can see why the 20 fat quarters now. It's for the variety of fabrics, not to use up 20 fat quarters. So a person could mix up dark scraps and do the same thing. So I'll try to group the six if I do it. She is specific that six of each must match. I'll have to ponder this a bit but might try it just to blow the cobwebs from the season out of my head. I'm finally able to use a sewing machine a bit now and this looks like fun.

Reading Part One very carefully to be sure I understand the directions. Head is foggy this morning, lack of sleep.
Theresa

I tried to draw out a cutting chart and by my calculations, a strip of 8" by 21" should do it for one colour. Won't swear to it until I do a sample.
Theresa

I'm puzzled. Her instructions say to begin with ALL your 2-7/8 squares to pair up and make HSTs. Then she says you will need forty sets. She's made us cut 120 sets. What am I missing?

What do you think, Theresa?

With the 120, She says to take 3 of each as a set so that would be 40 sets. I was thinking I would number my fabrics 1-20 both light and dark. Then match fabric 1 light with fabric 1 dark. Next would be fabric 1 light with fabric 2 dark. And so on. That's means that there will be 6 identical hst's in each combo. I hope it doesn't get too confusing.
And I hope I have it right.
We are having our Christmas dinner tomorrow with one son and family and my brother and his wife. As soon as they leave, I will go through my bins.
Theresa

She posted corrections on her cutting directions.. I have mine cut out and ready to go... Might be a little wild because I pulled from scraps my only guideline was no flowers.. 20 dark and 20 light.. We will see. Have fun..

Where did you see those corrections?
Theresa

OK, I think I've got it now. Thanks Theresa. She said to cut in groups of six but ends up with you using matching sets of 3. And, forty of those sets of 3 make 120.

If you put one light and one dark 2-7/8 inch square together and mark on the diagonal, sew and cut it, you end up with two 2-1/2 inch squares. So if you do six matching ones, you end up with twelve matching 1-1/2 inch light over dark squares. Twenty times that for each fabric would give you 240 squares, not 120. You lose NO fabric by doing it this way, right? You can't start out with six X twenty light squares (120) and 6X twenty dark squares (120) and come up with anything less than 240 2-1/2 inch squares, since you lose NO fabric by doing it this way.

Agreed. We're all saying the same thing in different ways. Now I'd better get sewing. Thanks all.

Got my fabrics pulled. Start cutting tomorrow.
Theresa

ARGH.........been doing the 2.5 inch blocks from the dark/light 2-7/8 inch squares and now I remember why the jewel box quilt I started last winter and gave to my DD at Christmas was so tedious. Beautiful, but tedious. I suspect this is going to be the worst part of this project. Four fabric combinations done now and sixteen to go. LOL. I suspect I won't finish them by New Year's Eve and shall have to print off the directions to finish it later. Wish I'd started earlier. Let's put it this way, it's an act of faith to let somebody else call out the fabric choices and the block design, and I'd better like it. LOL It's almost like doing a quilt on commission, and I said I'd NEVER do that.

Our New Year's company decided to come today instead. So I am thinking that I will be able to follow along on the day.
Not! 92 year old uncle died Christmas Day and visitation at the funeral home will be New Year's Day with the service on Thurs. morning.
My cutting is all done and I started sewing some sets this morning (before company). One thing I did differently was instead of cutting those 2 7/8 in. squares, I cut at 3", as well as the larger square which I cut at 7". I would rather trim back than be too short.
Someone commented that doing a mystery is just that and if you don't like the results, it can always be donated somewhere.
Happy sewing all!
Theresa

Condolences on your uncle's death, Theresa. There always seems to be more deaths around the holidays. I don't usually cut my work larger and trim down, but I surely do for HST. It shocks me when they turn out like they're supposed to if the components are cut out the size they say.

Most often the pictures I've seen of other completed mystery quilts have been good designs, and if it's a scrappy, it's hard to find a bad design. I've never done one before and I am still not decided on the next pattern I want to try, so it the challenge just came at an auspicious time and scraps........I GOT. It's also fun to have a group of gals working on the same project at the same time to see how they interpret it, and to get help or moral support if needed.

I finally got all my HSTs done and am now ready to start pressing them open. I often cut them down from larger but with 240, not this time. I just sewed very carefully and trimmed the dogears as I cut them apart.

I have drawn a 2-1/2" square on my ironing board surface with a fine sharpy and I press each one to line up with that little square. Amazing how well they do when I am not stretching them all sorts of ways and then trimming. I'll be ready to go by "the big day".

Cut, sewn, cut apart, trimmed, pressed and pinned in sets of 6 like units. I am READY!!!
Theresa

Oh yes, and paper loaded in the printer.

So............the last installment is printed. I am going ahead with this one. Who else? I like that pattern and their interpretation of it. It'll be perfect for the materials I have already used on the component construction. Speaking of which, I did not get all my blocks made yet. Have a good start on it. I don't think I've ever finished all the components on any quilt before I started piecing them together, but I'm going to on this one. Thank you nannykins for posting this...............it's been fun so far, and it's eating up great gobs of those not-large/not-small scraps and remnants from my stash. Perfect for it, since it's so scrappy I can put together materials I might not in a more 'tame' and controlled quilt. Love it.

Was up and ready at 9 but had trouble getting the next step online. Finally did but then I got " confused" with the third step . By this time, the next step was posted and I could see where I was going. So I have a number of the triangle set blocks done, but had to take a break to rest my back. Going back to the machine now for another session.
Do they really expect folks to keep right up and finish each step in the hour allotted?
Anxious to see what you have done. Will post more later.
Theresa

I have all the bits done and am assembling now that I have all six lessons. I like the look of this but may not get it all assembled for a few days. Nice design. I did it in Civil War repro fabrics and it looks great so far. I'll post it when I'm done.

Made ten blocks today and had to redo three. One row got twisted . More tomorrow
Theresa

Here they are in rough layout. I raided the blue and yellow bins for this mystery.
I can already see 2 or 3 I would probably change. Usually, I sit and fuss and move blocks around ad nauseum, but I think this one is not going to get that kind and loving attention. Not that it is just being tossed and where they fall, they stay.
It will be a few days before I can get back to it, but at least all the blocks are finished. Theresa

Oh boy, that's nice. I love the emphasis on blues/yellows. This design would also make a nice controlled fabric quilt, and I'm holding it out for an option down the line. Mine shall be very scrappy, indeed. Not at all themed like this one, so hope it will also be neat. You gals have left me in a cloud of dust. I have the six inch and a half inch HSTs done and trimmed, and twelve out of the twenty sets of 2.5 inch squares done so far.. I have worked on it a bit most every day since I found your posts, and only had a couple days to work on it before the unfolding on New Year's Day. But I'm far enough along into it that I'm motivated. I expect maybe another week of work until the top completion. I'd be happy with that. I shall NOT make any quilt tops this year and go on to the next until the previous ones get quilted. Notice I didn't say I wouldn't work on two or more quilts at once, however. LOL

I like how you did this, Theresa. I can see raiding the scrap bin for the HST's. If there had been a picture at the beginning, I might have made this. And, I still might. lol

SharonG/FL

That is a very nice quilt! It should definitely be finished up and given a great home somewhere!