Allietare Mystery, Clue 1

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Every year, Bonnie Hunter (Quiltville.com) writes a pattern and offers it as a mystery quilt-a-long on her blog. I have made five of her quilts from four of her patterns so far:

One Double Delight,

I kept this one. I like purple and yellow!

Two (yes two) Orange Crush quilts,

My DH wanted the first one and a colleague wanted the other one. 

One Celtic Solstice,

My DH wanted this one too. I attached it onto a comforter so it would be extra warm.

and one Grand Illusion...

...I took this pic was when I laid it out and realized I didn't make enough checkerboard blocks to make it all the way around the perimeter. Oopsie! I barely had enough fabric left to finish it!

I really enjoy Bonnie's patterns and mystery projects. She's so generous to offer these incredible patterns and fantastic instructions. I really appreciate the time and effort that goes into the projects. They're a challenge but due to the desire to get involved in the link up, I keep up with the clues each week! Which means I finish the quilt top in a reasonable time frame! Bonnie's a genius!

I've been looking forward to this year's mystery and, after seeing the fabulous colors she chose, I decided to join in! Here's an overview of the first clue.

I got my gorgeous 1950 Featherweight all cleaned, oiled, and ready to sew...

Swoon! My heart melts every time I see this little beauty!

I got out the tools of the trade and cut out all the triangles!

After a friend nearly sliced her fingertip off, I got a cutting glove. I never felt like I couldn't control my cutter but I do like the way the glove feels on my hand. It's warm. It helps with gripping the ruler. Even with being careful this weekend, I nicked a knuckle when it wasn't on. I wasn't even cutting at the time! The cutter slipped down while I was holding it in my right hand and barely touched my left pointer finger. That was enough to cut and draw blood. Which was a reminder to always wear the cut-resistant glove! Those rotary blades are so sharp!
 

Did lots of chain sewing. 

Lots and lots of pressing!

While watching, or maybe I should say listening to, White Christmas! It moved the process along nicer than dead silence during a big pressing job like this one. 

And finally, lots of trimming and sizing up. 

There were plenty of projects that I've made where I didn't do the sizing up. In Grand Illusion, I decided to start. Yes, it takes time but it is worth it in the finished result. The top goes together and looks much better then when this step is skipped.

Now I have a boat load of 2" half-square triangles! Woo hoo!

Want to get involved? Check out the Allietare Mystery tab on quiltville.blogspot.com and join the fun!