Mystery Quilting - Clue #6 - the Reveal!

This is the sixth post about my adventure in mystery quilting.  Go to Bonnie's blog to learn more about this fun mystery quilt.  It's time for another update to show you where I'm at and to link up with the rest of the quilters participating this year.  You can go back and check out my work on Clue #1, Clue #2, Clue #3, Clue #4 and Clue #5 from the last few weeks.

On New Year's Day I woke to find that Bonnie had released the last clue, the grand finale!  I pulled out my bin with all the clues and started working.  This is a plastic bin designed to hold 12" scrap booking paper.  I think it is great for quilting projects because it will easily hold 12.5" by 12.5" quilt blocks until you get to put them together.

The first step was to lay out a single block so I could piece the 25 blocks.  I did do some repressing before piecing just to make the seams nest better.  This is a hazard that can't be predicted with a mystery quilt.  Not because the designer didn't tell you how to press, just that everyone has a different workflow and may not press the same.

I used one of my design boards to hold a block until I could get one pieced.  Then I put the pieced square on the board until I had pieced all 25 of them.  

I admit that I sewed one block together incorrectly.  Considering how much care I took with keeping everything organized I was surprised it happened.  While piecing the blocks I used the sashing as enders.

I did a bunch of trimming of the blocks when I was done.  I should have checked and double checked my seam allowance but I just wanted to get moving.  This means I sacrificed a couple points.  I don't mind, though.  I don't want perfect.  I just want a quilt.  

Once all the blocks were trimmed it was a matter of crawling around on my design floor and sewing the rows together.  The sashing for these blocks was very different in that you only had one seam to line up.  I really like the sashing and I think the results are great.  When I got to sewing the rows together I pulled out the outer border and used those as my enders.  It was great to use the next step as the enders and keep moving.  It also kept me engaged so it didn't seem too monotonous.  

The movement that results from the smaller checkerboard sashing is just great.  I'm going to need a bigger design floor.

I did consider using a different color for the cornerstones but I decided to stick with the red because, well, I like red.  This quilt is huge.  Yes, I can read and I know Bonnie said 88" by 88" but until I'm working with a quilt that big I forget how really big that is.

I rarely do pieced borders so this was a little different for me.  I pinned and pinned to make sure these lined up nicely.  I'm sure there is a little fullness that I will have to deal with when I get it on the long arm frame.

I changed the layout of the border squares to make them look more like stars along the edge of the quilt.  I really like how the outer border cornerstones worked out with my change to the border.  I think my brown (my substitute for Bonnie's yellow) is really close to my neutrals.  I don't think it is a problem and tones the quilt down a little.  It was a risk picking that color.  Photos don't do it much justice.  Those neutrals really are more towards gray than they look in this photo.

All that remains is to pick the backing, the quilting thread, load up the long arm frame with all the parts, quilt all 7744 square inches of it, make and attach binding and a label.  Just a quick little project.  This is probably one of the most time-intensive quilts I have ever made.  

I am so thrilled that I did this quilt in different colors.  (Go back to my first post to see how I chose these colors.)  I know that so many quilters think they are poor at color selection.  I think they are much better at it than they give themselves credit for.  I think the world would be a very boring place if everyone made every quilt exactly like the designer made it.  Just like if we all wore the exact same clothes every day.  Sure, it might be outside your comfort zone, the world isn't about being comfortable.  Sometimes you have to take a chance.  It's only fabric!

Did you join in the fun?  Did you change up colors?  Did you learn something new?  

Linking up with Quiltville's Link-up Party!