Frolic! Progress Again

I spent another day Sunday, ostensibly sealing the fate of the cold I felt coming on, but really sewing. I did stay home in order to make sure I didn’t get sick. It was a great time to sew. I thought I would get as much done as I felt I had done on Saturday. It wasn’t to be.

I feel like I sewed as much, but I can’t see the progress. The progress isn’t as dramatic and I wanted visible progress.

After my efforts on Friday night and Saturday, I was hopeful that I would get the blocks done on Sunday. I had to make space on my design wall. I would gain space as the seams shrank the blocks together. That required sewing, so I got down to it. I forgot how much piecing Bonnie Hunter‘s quilt patterns require. I really did make progress. If you compare the two photos, they look similar at first glance, but do show the progress.

Frolic! - end of February 2020
Frolic! – end of February 2020

Work finished Sunday:

Frolic! - early March
Frolic! – early March

I also know I am on the brink of really having my progress show up.

Frolic! Relief

After last week’s Frolic! ‘progress’ and my lack of time to tinker with projects during the week lately, I felt like putting Frolic! away and working on something else. This is not a good strategy for me and would not have helped the project. I also don’t want more UFOs.

I decided on Friday that I go back to Clue 4 and start there. I decided I would spend a little time cutting as not having the pieces to work with seemed to be hampering me.

I have to acknowledge that I did sew blocks together last weekend and that was some project.

Frolic! - end of February 2020
Frolic! – end of February 2020

I, however, wanted major progress and that required cutting more pieces. I cut about 15 ‘sets’ on Friday night. When I was ready to sew on Saturday, that made a difference. I still had to do some cutting, but I was able to get a lot of sewing done. The blocks are not all sewn, but they are well on their way and my design wall is more full.

The best part was that I felt like I did good work and felt hopeful about this project again.

Frolic! Straight On

Frolic! - February 2020
Frolic! – February 2020

I am backtracking. I worked hard on piecing Frolic! over the weekend. This is no different than other Bonnie Hunter Mystery quilts in that there is a lot of piecing. I think I pieced 1.5 blocks total. I worked for about 6 hours on this piece and don’t feel like I made a ton of progress.

Regardless, I had a lot of time to work on this piece and look at it. I think it may need to be on point. I may still set it straight, but I am thinking it may need to be set on point. Stay tuned.

Thinking About Frolic!

Half and quarter blocks are not my favorite. As a result, I have been thinking about setting Frolic! in a straight set in order to avoid those pesky half and quarter blocks. Since I haven’t had the time to actually move any blocks around on my design wall, I went trolling for examples of the Frolic! quilt on IG.

I saw a number of blocks sets laid out in a straight set. Jeff Rutherford took a straight on photo that really helped me visualize how the quilt might look. Little Bunny Allison also posted a straight on photo.

Finally, I saw a previous Bonnie Hunter Mystery Quilt, On Ringo Lake, by Sew Angela. She has some setting triangles, but they are just a few pieces. This layout keeps the quilt on on point, but avoids me having to make those half and quarter blocks.

Perhaps I am just being lazy? There is a lot of piecing in this quilt (and all of Bonnie’s mystery quilts!) Barbara Reeves had a particularly nice example of the quilt as Bonnie intended, so it is still a possibility.

Frolicking a Lot More

Frolic! - mid-February
Frolic! – mid-February

After the update the other day, the piecing on Frolic! went a lot faster. I think I reached a tipping point and was able to zoom right along. I made some more progress and feel like I am making good headway, though it looks like a mess right at the moment.

Frolic! Reveal in process
Frolic! Reveal in process

I believe I need 25 full blocks. The 7 I have are in various states of being sewn. The spaces are because of the seam allowances or missing pieces.

I haven’t dealt with the half and quarter blocks yet. I don’t like quilts where there are half finished blocks, in general. I am seriously considering a straight set. I laid out some of the pieces in that way before the Reveal. When I have a few more blocks finished, I’ll lay it out that way and see what I see. The corner pieces with the 4 patches make a very interesting secondary pattern.

Back to Frolicking!

Frolic! block
Frolic! block

Frolic!, or what there is of it, has been on my design wall since earlier this month. I said then that I didn’t want it to become another UFO, but I didn’t made any progress. I don’t want it to become a UFO, so I worked on it over the weekend.

I determined that I needed to start piecing in order to get interested in it again. I haven’t finished Clue 4 (still!). I don’t want that lack to drag me down.

I thought I would start from the corner and cut and piece as I went along, chunking the top together. The corners are a conundrum and I left them off after awhile and worked on the blocks. You can see that my progress doesn’t look like much, but it feels like progress. I am still contemplating a straight set.

Finally More Frolic!

Frolic! Late January 2020
Frolic! Late January 2020

A lot of the Frolic! Mystery quilts have been posted. I am determined not to let this one become another UFO, but I have to admit that a couple of the steps are not making my life easy.

They aren’t difficult just require a bunch of weird cutting and few speed techniques.

As you can see from the photo, I have done a couple of things. First, I rearranged the pieces so that the piece is oriented the way it will be oriented when it is all sewn together. I did not have it on point before. I didn’t exactly achieve the on point look at this time, but as soon as I get some of the more difficult pieces cut, I’ll be able to do it.

I also cut some of the triangles that will be Flying Geese in the near future.

I’d really like to start sewing the piece together, but I don’t have enough pieces yet. I need more of the pinwheels and the weird Flying Geese.

Frolic! Reveal

Frolic! Reveal in process
Frolic! Reveal in process

Bonnie Hunter did the big reveal of the final layout of Frolic! the other day. I laid out the pieces that I had to see how my version of the project would look. What you see in the photo does not show the piece on point, which is how the final will be sewed together. As soon as I get some more of the pinwheels made, I will begin sewing the piece together in the way it was intended so I have more space on the design wall.

I am happy with my choices. The green does stick out quite a bit, but I think it will settle down once I have more pieces ready to sew. I have a lot of HSTs and Flying Geese to make.

This is probably a design I wouldn’t have made if I had waited until the final reveal to decide, but I am happy enough with it. I’d be happier if I had been able to keep up with the clues, but it is what it is.

Frolic pt.6 Finally

Flying Geese - Essential Triangles method
Flying Geese – Essential Triangles method

I finally finished part 6. I am now only 2.5 parts behind in the project. Bonnie published a sneak attack set of directions on New Year’s Eve. I just didn’t have a chance to do it when I finally did notice it, which wasn’t until the Friday.

Flying Geese - Wing Clipper method
Flying Geese – Wing Clipper method

I was vindicated in not finishing part 4 when part 6 was making Flying Geese from the quarter square triangles that were supposed to be cut in part 4. I did use the pieces I had cut to make Flying Geese using Bonnie’s Essential Triangle Tool* method, but I made the rest using the Deb Tucker Wing Clipper ruler* method. If you have the dimensions, you don’t actually need the ruler, but the chart of sizes is one of the benefits of the ruler. I also use this ruler to make Sawtooth Star blocks.

 

 

 

 

 

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More Frolicking! Around

Frolic! Clue 5 Finished!
Frolic! Clue 5 Finished!

I am sort of keeping up. I am still working on Clue 4, but I did finish Clue 5. This was another clue that went pretty quickly and where I used the Triangle Technique for making HSTs.

I find now that I am two clues behind as Bonnie slotted in a clue on New Year’s Eve when I was otherwise occupied. Oh well, one is pretty easy, so I should be able to catch up soon.

Frolicking Again

The newest clue (#4) came out on Friday. I got up early that day so I could get 1,000 things done before I had to leave the house, so I downloaded it almost as soon as I got up.

My head started to swim when I started to read the clue. It is not written in a well organized manner for my brain. It is written in a friendly and conversational manner. When I went back, more fully caffeinated, I was better able to process what she wanted readers to do.

The clue necessitated a hunt through all of my cool fabrics for the correct color. I don’t have exactly what she suggested, but I have two fabrics that I think will work.

Clue 4 Frolic fabric possibilities
Clue 4 Frolic fabric possibilities

Bonnie asks for aqua, but the two fabrics must have contrast. I needed something a little different. I really want to use the bottom dots. The color is a little lighter than it looks in the photo. Sadly, I think it is too medium and won’t provide enough contrast, or any, frankly, to use. I have about a yard and a quarter so I think I would have enough for all of the strips.

I think I will use the top fabrics. I am not sure what that color is called. It could be aqua, but I always think of aqua as more blue and that is definitely green. I will also have be very careful about the blues I pair with the greeny aquas so that there is enough contrast.

This is the part I dislike about a mystery. If I knew what the pattern would look like I could choose with confidence. I made my choice, though, and will move forward.

I wanted to choose the fabrics early in the week, so that I could be ready to cut whenever I had the chance. I haven’t had time to do anything more, e.g. actually sew, because I have been decorating and wrapping gifts. I have to wrap gifts as they are covering my ironing board.

I plan to cut these pieces using Bonnie’s Essential Triangle Tool*. You might remember that Julie bought this for me for my birthday this year. This will be the first opportunity I have had to use it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

*I use affiliate links and may be paid for your purchase of an item you click on. There is no additional cost to you for clicking or purchasing items I recommend. I appreciate your clicks and purchases as it helps support this blog.

Frolicking! Around

With the 3rd clue finished, I can now start playing with layouts. I had to take a look a En Provence in order to see if I could get an idea of what the block and layout might look like.

Frolic! Layout Play
Frolic! Layout Play

I believe there will definitely be some kind of chain effect going. Bonnie loves those kinds of arrangements and I have to say they can can be very effective for a cohesive design.

I doubt it will go straight up and down like I have arranged it. The four patches will probably be on the diagonal again, like the En Provence larger units and sashing. I think these four patches and HSTs will probably act like sashing.

In En Provence, the 4 patches were on point and only two HSTs connected them in the middle. The other ends were connected by Peaky & Spike blocks. I kind of expect some Peaky & Spike blocks to show up, but we will see. Maybe more HSTs in a different color?

Frolic! Layout Play
Frolic! Layout Play

If the 4 patches connect in some way, as in an Irish Chain type setting, I don’t know how that would be. The extension of the layout above looks weird because the blues and the raspberries in the 4 patches connect and I doubt Bonnie would design a quilt that way. I am not her, so perhaps they will and she has a master plan to make them look awesome, but I think the connections, as I have laid them out look a little weird.

 

Frolic! Clue 2 finished
Frolic! Clue 2 finished

I don’t have much of an idea yet what those rectangular segments will be, but I am guessing part of the block. I looked through the reveals of the past several years and didn’t see any units using that shape. I guess I’ll just have to wait and see.

It is kind of fun to speculate. I am now eager to get the next step and play some more.

Frolic! Clue 3

Frolic! Clue 3: finished mostly
Frolic! Clue 3: finished mostly

I finished Clue 3 on Saturday after starting it on Friday afternoon. I have to say I am shocked at how fast I am speeding along with these clues. I am not saying that I will be able to keep up the pace, but for now I am pleased that I am not falling behind.

Finished might be overstating just a little. I think I need to make a few more, but I need to check my math.

Frolic! Clue 3 in process
Frolic! Clue 3 in process

The most recent 3rd clue came out on Friday. Go to Quiltville to find the clue. I am linking directly to it, for better for worse, as the links will expire on Feb.1. I had to make about a bazillion HSTs. As I was finished with my work week, I could start working on the clue late Friday afternoon, which I did. I used my Triangle Technique to make the HSTs. This technique, as I have mentioned, makes 8 of the same triangles at a time, but doesn’t involve actually sewing triangles. It also affords the opportunity to trim, if you want, which I like, despite the work involved.

Triangle Technique in process
Triangle Technique in process

I also shamelessly self-promoted this technique on Instagram. It would be nice if more people discovered and read my blog, but I know blogs are fashionable anymore, so I am pleased if you are one of my continuing readers.

People really like the colors I have chosen. Of course, I like them, but I am surprised that I am getting such feedback. I don’t think they are anything special. Still, I am pleased that I seem to have made good choices.

Frolic! Clue 2

Frolic! Clue 2 finished
Frolic! Clue 2 finished

I was able to finish Frolic! in record time. I downloaded the clue. When I looked at it I realized that I could do the clue at Sew Day, I sewed strips really quick and took everything to Sew Day to cut up.

This clue was an easy one, but it was done very quickly and it seems like an eternity ago that I did it. I am already working on Clue 3.

Frolic! in Progress

Frolic! Clue #1
Frolic! Clue #1

I am working on the four patches for the first clue. They are taking more time than I would like (WHY am I in such a hurry lately???), but I am doing a couple other things in the process. First. I looked through my pink scrap drawer to find some pieces of raspberry fabric. I cleared a little bit of random bits of scraps out either my tossing them into the “to be pet bed filling” bag. There is slightly more space in my pink scrap drawer, but most of the fabric were not the right raspberry.

I also looked through a lot of fabric. I have bins of fabric, but I also have some stacks of fabric. I looked through all of them to find the right colors. I had to press and cuts small strips of fabric in order to create a lot of variety. I don’t know what the next steps are so I can’t tell if the pieces I have made so far are going to be right for the project overall. I guess we’ll see.