NEW YEAR'S EVE MYSTERY QUILT!

Every New Year's Eve someone in cyberworld conducts a mystery project. I have only participated in one before and as a rule I don't like mystery quilts. Simply because I can't stand the mystery part! I don't want to waste fabric and end up with something I don't like. However, this year I broke down and decided to participate in one and consider it a stash buster project with fabric I have no plans for. A couple of weeks ago the hostess gave us the fabric requirements and some pre-sewing instructions - tons of HST's!! Unfortunately I didn't heed her advice and left them until I started - today! Notice I said today and not New Years Eve! That day was filled with last minute year end duties, lunch at Red Robin with grandchildren and early to bed after viewing the "Children's Fireworks" from my sewing room window. Our City does 2 sessions of fireworks - one early and one at midnight. In fact, I think the Children's Fireworks are actually for all the Senior Citizens that reside in our town!

I printed all 10 clues from the internet and have been busy today cutting out and making the HST's - tons! I am posting pictures of my favorite method of making many of these little stinkers! Well, I use this method if I am making 8 or more. I take the finished size, add 1", multiply that by 2 and add 1/4". I then cut a square of that number - actually 2 squares, both of which make up the HST. In the photo I show how I mark it, sew it, cut it, then press to the dark (as usual) and then trim up with my bias square ruler. I now have made about 150 of them today. Pretty speedy accurate method - most importantly they are accurate after trimmed. Its times like this I'm grateful for some great tool, mainly the Shape Cut, Bias Square and my revolving cutting mat and needless to say, a very sharp rotary cutter! I am also adding pictures of possible layouts of this mystery quilt. I don't know which one to pick and I don't know when it will be finished. I can assume it will be a long time, but I need to write myself a note as to which layout I decide on so I won't forget what this project was. The memory is going!!