Celtic Solstice and En Provence

Life ...

I love the transparency and design of this dragonfly's wings.

... as a Quilter

I finished two Bonnie Hunter Mystery quilts. My sister Emily long-arm quilted them and then I finished them up.

En Provence

Celtic Solstice

En Provence Finale

This is my version of Bonnie Hunter's mystery quilt "En Provence." I finished sewing all the blocks together recently at our annual Heatwole Sewing Retreat.

My sisters Emily and Polly and a friend Queena also joined in the fun of making "En Provence."

It's so neat seeing how the same pattern looks with different fabrics.

And now I'm already looking forward to next year's mystery quilt.

Life and En Provence

Life ...

Is that chocolate milk with hotdogs for lunch?

... as a Quilter

I've made a few changes along the way with my Bonnie Hunter mystery quilt, "En Provence" .

~~~Parting Shot~~~

After the Rain

En Provence and Tina's 5th Birthday

I finished clue #4 of Bonnie Hunter's mystery quilt "En Provence." Now I'm wondering how the green and yellow will work into the mix.

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We were invited to Craigs for pizza on Saturday evening...

... in celebration of Tina's 5th birthday.

The lady bug cake was a hit with the children. Just look at the black mouths an tongues from that icing!

Children, En Provence, and Daddy's Ties

Games and storybooks kept Georgi, Talya, and Delta entertained while their parents were out for the evening.

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I finished up clue #2 of Bonnie Hunter's mystery quilt "En Provence."

I had fun trying different arrangements with the units.

And now I have started working on clue #3. I'm a bit leery about the light purples being too dark; but I'm tired of second guessing myself and decided to just go for it...

...and use my original pallet of fabrics.

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The quilt I'm making for 'Pea Picker' of his "Daddy's Ties" is in the quilting stage now. Here I have matched up 'frames' for the smaller rectangles.

This is the finished top that is ready for quilting. I like the luminosity that the silk ties provide.

'Pea Picker' brought some of his daddy's shirts to me and I thought to use them for the back of the quilt. After I got it all pieced I decided that it just didn't go with the classy silk front. So I found a better suited backer. This back would be great for a more casual top.

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Good morning -- through the kitchen window.

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Ashton had Darren over to play on Saturday morning. After having fun around the muddy pond out in the cold, they were glad for the laundry tub and warm water.

En Provence and Pea Picker's Daddy's Ties

I didn't get very far with the sewing of clue #2 of Bonnie Hunter's mystery quilt "En Provence." At least all the pieces are cut out. I opted for a more subdued magenta with gold. The background fabric here is what I plan to use as my light purple.

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Paul learned to know Pea Picker from driving truck. He asked Paul if I would make a quilt from his daddy's ties who had passed away sometime earlier. His daddy was a funeral director and dressed up a lot; so he had a big assortment of ties. I spent many hours carefully picking out the stitching and getting them ready to use. Then I decided I really do need to wash them on a very gentle cycle. So I did ... and then I had a big mess of mangled ties. My new washing machine twists and mangles so many things, even jeans. (I think I'm ready for another brand. Maybe Speed Queen.)

So then I worked at ironing them out and fusing a lightweight woven interfacing to the back of the ties to stabilize them and cut out rectangles.

I'm alternating a whole block with a smaller framed block and will decide on placement when I get most of the framed blocks sewn.

En Provence Mystery Quilt - Week 1

It's that time of year again when Bonnie Hunter shares a mystery quilt with her readers. This year the name is "En Provence" and is inspired by her recent trip to France. She is giving us one clue per week until the grand reveal which usually lasts from 6-8 weeks.

These are the fabrics I have pulled for my quilt.

I decided to go with one constant fabric for my neutrals instead of going scrappy. I only have about 1/2 yard left after cutting the required squares. I hope that will be enough.

Last year two of my sisters, Emily and Polly, and my niece Jolene all joined in the fun of making Allietare. We are all doing it again and hoping another sister and friend will join us.

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The sunset this evening was so beautiful. As it got darker it also got more red.