WIP Wednesday : Meadow Mystery update

I think I need a bigger design wall! This is how its looking at the moment.  Some of the blocks wrap around the wall but I think you get the idea!  All the block pieces are done and dusted now that the mystery has been revealed and it's onto assembly.  As I made my quilt from fat quarters, it is a bit scrappy in places!

This was my fabric pull for Cheryl's Meadow Mystery Quilt-A-Long and I had originally thought of my fabrics (blue and coral with Kona Snow and Charcoal) in this order with the blue and orange together.  Happily I changed my mind right before the cutting step as I really like how the blocks look with an orange centre star and the blue surround.

I don't think it would have been as successful if I had a white centre and the two print fabric colours side by side.  That's the thing with mystery quilts, you have no idea what the end design is like and can only go with what feels right at each step!

One thing that is really good about making from someone else's design is the different construction methods people use.  For the star points, the method is to use a white square and add triangles to the corners to have a square on point or square in a square.  I probably would have made these as flying geese and sewn them together.

It is nice not to have a seam line and it looks clean and crisp once squared up!  Using a scant 1/4" seam meant quite a bit of trimming and I found I had some blocks spot on and 1 or two that I was in danger of having to trim too much off and lose my 1/4" at the points - and I thought I was being consistent with my piecing!

Most of the blocks have come together reasonable well despite the scrappy nature

Except this one!

The tones in the blues are too much separated light and dark that it looks right wonky!  Not sure if I want to un pick it - after all it will remind me that this was a mystery quilt and that's how things go sometimes.  Maybe though, I might have a go at the little light square in the top corner and sort that bit out at the very least!  What do you think?

Mystery Quilt-A-Long

I've never done a mystery quilt before.  After seeing Yvonne's version of the Foothills Mystery by Meadow Mist Designs I knew I was signing up for Cheryl's next Quilt-A-Long.

We were given the option of a sneak peak if we liked to help with choosing our fabrics but I decided to go all out mystery and just pick fabrics I really like.  I've chosen some fat quarters in coral and aqua that I picked up during one of our IPS meetings.  Every month a shop is invited to the meeting and we all get to ooh and ahh and spend a bit on cotton and thread!

Last month the Quilt Shop Tuam was visiting and I can never resist the gorgeous fabrics on offer.  So I bought a bunch of fat quarters without knowing what to do with them and so have decided they need to be made into my version of the mystery quilt!  I'm adding Kona Charcoal and Kona Snow and keeping my fingers crossed this works out for me!  No clue yet as to what will be fabric A, B, C or D! 

We are at fabric selection this month and Pile O'Fabric is offering kits if you are interested in joining along.  Or like me just pull fabrics you love to bits!  Details on Cheryl's blog post here!