Sewing Strips and Strings the Polly Way...

Finally, off to the races sewing all my blue strips and strings the 'Polly the Patworker' way.  (And, she even stopped by for a quick chat - such a gracious lady quilter!  Please feel free to stop back by anytime, Polly ;-).

In spite of a few hiccups in my journey of progress, starting to make some headway.  I got all the blue strips and strings cut and ready to be fed through the machine:

Then I was Finally ready to sew and got a few done before the wind gave us fits of intermittent power last night.  Now, I may actually be able to finish up this evening - Yeah!

These should turn out fairly colorful, just the way I wanted:

Only a few more strips and strings and I'm ready to make my first 45 degree cuts - wish me Luck...Thanks!

Cutting and Sewing the Blue Strips and Strings - Alternative Method!

Alrighty then - I just discovered Polly the Patchworker and her method to the Orca Bay Mystery madness - what an ingenious quilter!  (If you haven't checked her out yet, do yourself a favor and go there soon!!)  I couldn't help myself, I HAD to try out her strip piecing method for the 3 1/2" blue string squares since I totally prefer strip piecing to almost any other kind of piecing for its simplicity and S P E E D.  I've been out in the studio rummaging and searching and scrounging and I hit the jackpot for blues - from ocean blue-greens to Civil War blues with some batiks and a golden/sparkly blue-green-grey wild card thrown in for good measure...

I even robbed a few strips from a couple of 2 1/2" jelly rolls, cut the strips down to 1 1/2" leaving a 1" strip that can also be used giving me two usable strips out of one jelly roll strip - I'm on a roll (sorry, I couldn't help myself ;-)

I even found some really old black printed fabric I will add to my black/white mix for my quarter square triangles - I will finish them this week, just need a little diversion and some FUN!  Sewing these blue strips of gorgeous will fill the bill and give me the needed impetus to finish and get caught up this week - sounds good, anyway.

Oh I just noticed, it's snowing outside and my two golden bears have just discovered snow for the first time (I refer to my two golden retrievers, Baxter the playful pooch and Theodore the Thinker, as golden bears since they are almost as big as bears, LOL!)  What fun watching them eat snowflakes while I'm inside where it's nice and toasty sewing away - Life is sooooo good...

First Post - Starting on the Orca Bay Mystery Quilt

Just started last week on Tuesday, November 22, 2011 after finding out about Bonnie K Hunter's (Quiltville) latest 2011 Mystery Quilt, the Orca Bay Mystery Quilt.  I was already almost a week behind when I found out about it PLUS, it was Thanksgiving week and I was hosting our family's annual Thanksgiving Dinner for 15.  Needless to say, I had LOTS of catching up to do.

As of today, November 28, 2011, I currently have 217 pairs of the needed 448 quarter square triangle pairs, but I'm gettin' there slowly but surely, 2 by 2 on my trusty Singer 301...

Of course, this was ALL supposed to be done LAST week since last Friday brought another clue, Orca Bay Part II!  That's ok, I'll get caught up by the weekend - hopefully, but just got another email from the youngest school teacher daughter who needs 'another' baby shower gift(s) asap, have they not heard of buying???  

Oh I know, I promised I'd whip something up a month ago, but that was before I found out the oldest daughter was coming home for Thanksgiving and requested the Christmas tree and ALL the Christmas decorations be put up because she wouldn't be able to come home for Christmas this year.  She started sending home her Christmas presents from various online vendors in October which of course, I had to be here to accept delivery so she could wrap while home (at least I didn't have to do that!) and all this in between making mystery teacher gifts for the youngest daughter (isn't it great to be needed?).  

I think I need to contact the North Pole and see if I can borrow a couple of elves for the next week or so.  Do you think Santa could spare one or two who know how to sew/quilt?!  I've got the machines and ALL the fabric and notions they could want, just need the elves and I'm golden ;-)

Well until those elves show up, I better get back to it - I'll keep you posted on my progress, wish me Luck...Thanks!