Grand Illusion Mystery Quilt Link Up - Week 5

I am so ticked!  Just wrote an entire post and it disappeared because I didn't save it while I was working on finding my links! Grrr ...

Let's try this again ... Been a very busy girl since last Friday and caught up with all the clues on the GIMQ!  So exciting ...

Clue 5

Clues 4 and most of 3 (finished the last 50 today)

Clue 2 (old picture; the bottom right ones were corrected)

Clue 1

Http://quiltville.blogspot.com/2014/12/mystery-monday-link-up-part-5.html

Working Hard

How was your Christmas? Mine was wonderful!  I spent Mon., Tues., and Wed. on the couch, but I was determined to go to mass Christmas Eve.  I made it ... and it felt wonderful to rejoice, sing, pray and be thankful!  

I had been wondering why I was able to stay up until 1:00 sewing and then wake at 7 ... I should have known it would catch up with me ... That's ok.  Most everything was done .., I did have some presents to wrap, but I did that Tuesday night and Wednesday morning.  Both the kids ran errands for me on Christmas Eve, and what didn't get done, didn't!  And I realized I was just fine not having a Norman Rockwelll Christmas!  The cards can be mailed next week as I am happy if they are done by New Year's.

Yesterday I was so happy to feel better and decided I was spending the day sewing!  I needed to get back to my Bonnie Hunter mystery quilt.  So after s whole day of sewing, I finished up clue 1 ... 100 broken dish blocks

Plus a few extra just in case, and 80 half square triangle units to be used in another clue.

More sewing ... Wa la ... 100 double diamond units finished!  Most were done, I think I made 20 pair yesterday.

Been sewing like a crazy woman again today and I am well into clue 3 ... 120  Two by Four units ...

The strip set on the left is correct, the one on the right is backwards!  Lucky for me my quilt angels were watching over me and I only made a few backwards blocks before I decided to check and make sure it was right!

Here's what all my strips looked like before I subcut them 

I was so excited ... Sewing all morning and then I counted ... I had 23 ... What??!!  I need 120!  Better stop blogging and keep sewing ... Besides gotta get into my stash and use as much as possible before my last stash report on Monday!

Clue 2 - Grand Illusion Mystery Quilt

Having such fun with Bonnie Hunter's mystery quilt!  I didn't think I would

have enough time this Christmas season to do the baking, shopping, wrapping and seeing, so I just decided to throw one more thing in there!  Seriously ... This is so much fun!  There is a Facebook group, Quiltville's Open Studio ... The group is fun and supportive.

Was dreading this clue two when I saw it,

But it has actually been quite fun and I've enjoyed the block more than clue 1.  Maybe because I have never made a double diamond block before and there is a definite challenge here!

Version 1

Version 2

Version 3

Version 4

And here they all are together ...

Many more to go, but proud of my start!  It is about the journey, not the finish, and I am really enjoying myself.  The first few blocks I was not happy with my joins, but it's gotten better and only one was really bad enough to rip out.  Now that's a great day!!!

Check out Bonnie's blog to see everyone's progress!  http://quiltville.blogspot.com/2014/12/mystery-monday-link-up-part-2.html. Linking up myself!  See you there!

Grand Illusion Mystery Quilt

Apparently this time of year is not enough of a challenge for me .... I decided at a friend's suggestion, to do Bonnie Hunter's newest mystery quilt.  The first clue was posted on Friday and me and about a bazillion other people have taken the challenge ... Making loads of half square triangles and broken dish blocks.

Here's what I have so far ...

... I need a lot more than that!

Block combo 1

2

3

and 4

Sorry for the pictures ... It was late and I didn't think to lay them out separately so

you could see them better.  I'll do better next week.

Every week is a new clue for the next 6 weeks.  Come on and join in the insanity ... I don't think I'll be able to keep up, but I intend to start each clue, post my progress, and finish it up after the holidays!  I'm going to try linking up ... First time I've done this, so let's see if it works!  Bonnie's blog is Quiltville's Quips and Snips ...

http://quiltville.blogspot.com/2014/12/mystery-monday-link-up-part-1.html