Tag Archives: Orca Bay

Orca Bay Mystery Quilt Part 10

Posted on September 6, 2012 | 12 comments

My version of Bonnie Hunter’s Orca Bay design is finished.  I gave the quilt to a long-armer.  It is the first time that I have trusted someone else to do the quilting on a quilt top that I have made.

Although the long-armer did a good job, she did not do what we had discussed.  She showed me some creative ideas and I said to run with them.  For whatever reasons, her ideas never materialized and she quilted an all-over design.

Because this is a scrappy quilt with so many prints, I am okay with the quilting.  Anything really fancy would be difficult to see (although what we had discussed would’ve been great).

Interior design is not my strong point, so I tried not to get my fancy tv tray bedside tables in the picture.  LOL!

Uh-oh!  Maybe I should have looked before I took this closeup.  Sheesh!  The quilt police may get me for this one!

A closeup of the back of the quilt.

For Bonnie Hunter’s Orca Bay mystery quilt – Part 1, click here.
For Bonnie Hunter’s Orca Bay mystery quilt – Part 2, click here.     
For Bonnie Hunter’s Orca Bay mystery quilt – Part 3, click here.
For Bonnie Hunter’s Orca Bay mystery quilt – Part 4, click here.
For Bonnie Hunter’s Orca Bay mystery quilt – Part 5, click here.
For Bonnie Hunter’s Orca Bay mystery quilt – Part 6, click here.
For Bonnie Hunter’s Orca Bay mystery quilt – Part 7, click here.
For Bonnie Hunter’s Orca Bay mystery quilt – Part 8, click here.
For Bonnie Hunter’s Orca Bay mystery quilt – Part 9, click here.

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Orca Bay Mystery Quilt Part 7

Posted on February 8, 2012 | 15 comments

My progress is slow, but steady.  This week I am putting the blocks together and sewing them into a flimsy, also known as a quilt top.

The suggested method by Bonnie Hunter is to sew this design row by row.  I prefer to sew sections of blocks together, so I have sectioned my quilt pattern.  If you click on the photo below, you can see it close-up.  This quilt is seven rows across by eight rows down.

I need sixteen of these larger blocks:

And twenty-four of these:

I also need four of these blocks:

And three of these blocks:

I will fill in with nine white stars.

I’m pressing my seams open:

Here’s a section of blocks ready to sew:

The upper left quadrant is sewn (four across and four down):

The entire flimsy is sewn and pressed.  Hmmm…what’s up with that orange block?  Is it turned the wrong direction?  IT IS!

Close-up (missed that wayward block):

I’m pleased…my star points are not as chopped as I thought they were going to be!

On to the borders!

If you’d like to see previous posts on my version of the Orca Bay mystery quilt, you can follow my progress (including an alternate layout I made using EQ7) by looking under Categories > Quilts in the side bar.

Or:

For Bonnie Hunter’s Orca Bay mystery quilt – Part 1, click here.
For Bonnie Hunter’s Orca Bay mystery quilt – Part 2, click here.    
For Bonnie Hunter’s Orca Bay mystery quilt – Part 3, click here.
For Bonnie Hunter’s Orca Bay mystery quilt – Part 4, click here.
For Bonnie Hunter’s Orca Bay mystery quilt – Part 5, click here.
For Bonnie Hunter’s Orca Bay mystery quilt – Part 6, click here.
 

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Orca Bay Mystery – Part 6

Posted on February 2, 2012 | 15 comments

I’m in the unofficial Turtle Club of participants of the Orca Bay Mystery Quilt.  My progress is slow but steady.  You can follow my progress (including an alternate layout I made using EQ7) by looking under Quilts in the Categories in the side bar.

It is my intention to use the alternate layout when I sew the blocks together.  And I’m getting close to that point now.

For those of you who are observant…you are right…when I sew my blocks together, I will lose the star points on my center star blocks.

While I was squaring up my string flying geese, I had time to reflect on why this is so, since I am not a beginning quilter (a beginner could do better than I did here).  I still don’t know.  Perhaps I messed up my seam allowance, but I don’t think so.  More likely, I didn’t pay attention to the size I cut out to begin with and merrily cut and sewed assembly line style until I had all the blocks sewn.  Regardless, I was in oblivion until I squared the star blocks.

Is this an earth shattering event?  Does this mean I should throw out my stars in disgust and sew new ones?  Shall I cry into my tea?

No…I don’t like that I screwed up, but live and learn.  Here’s what I do like.

  • I like the the new friends I found while participating in this mystery.
  • I like the quilt design.
  • I like the colors.
  • I like the scrappiness, and I like that I learned how I don’t have to control what color goes where (so long as I didn’t mix my oranges and blues).
  • I like that I used fabric…a lot of fabric…and didn’t just pet it while it sat on the shelf. 
  • I like string blocks.

I like that, after a two year depression, I am sewing again.  And finding that joy is so much more valuable than worrying about pleasing the quilt police.

For Bonnie Hunter’s Orca Bay mystery quilt – Part 1, click here.
For Bonnie Hunter’s Orca Bay mystery quilt – Part 2, click here.    
For Bonnie Hunter’s Orca Bay mystery quilt – Part 3, click here.
For Bonnie Hunter’s Orca Bay mystery quilt – Part 4, click here.
For Bonnie Hunter’s Orca Bay mystery quilt – Part 5, click here.
 

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