RRCB Mystery

Well, I finally finished steps 3 and 4 this week. Actually step 3 is what took all the time. I finished it earlier in the week and finished tearing the paper off on Wednesday. I just didn't get around to posting a picture until now. So here is four of my Step 3 blocks:

No two blocks are the same. Most have the same fabrics, but either different size strips or different placement. I wanted them to be as scrappy as possible. I didn't have too many scraps to work with, so I cut up some yardage. It was nice because I didn't have to make sure my ruler was completely lined up. Made for quick and easy cutting.

I finished step 4 in two days. I got everything cut out on Wednesday and then sewed them up on Thursday. I was very happy to have an easy step. Here is a pick of the finished Step 4's. It looks funny because there are separate green blocks pinned to the sewn pieces. The green matches what was sewn to the blocks. Bonnie suggested pinning them together, so I did. Not sure what is in store for these little blocks.

I've started on step 5. This one is going to take awhile. We have to make 600 half square triangles. I probably have about 40 sewn, but only a dozen have been ironed. If I get an opportunity to just sit and sew for awhile, I might be able to knock them out.

Step 6 was released yesterday. More cutting of fabric. We did learn that step 7 and 8 are going to be for putting our blocks together. Yeah!! I'll finally get to see what it is I'm making. I have no guesses right now as to how these pieces go together. Bonnie did a great job of making this one a mystery.

Almost Done

Tonight I finally finished step 3 of the RRCB mystery quilt. I guess I should say I'm done with the sewing part. I've got to pull the paper off 30 blocks yet. I'm looking forward to step 4 because it should be quick & easy. Step 5 however is going to take some time. I'm only running a couple weeks behind on this mystery. It is exciting to see all these pieces, but i still have no idea how they are going to go together.

Christmas is almost here. I've still got a couple presents to get and find some boxes for a couple others. Luckily this year I didn't really have to do much present buying.

Finally finished the process of refinancing my house. It was a horrible experience & I plan on letting the bank know. I lowered my interest rate by over a percent & lowered my payment over $100 a month. I'm happy I did it, but it was a nightmare with the bank & title company.

Step 3

Boy, oh boy, Bonnie saved some tough sewing for the third step. Its not really difficult, just really time consuming. We have to make 60 string blocks. I've never made this type of block before, but it is easy. Its just time consuming when you have to sew 10-15 different pieces of fabric on each block. I think I've only got 15 done so far and the next step comes out on Friday. I just keep plugging away on them. I've been getting done at least 2 a night. Last night I finished 5 and tonight I got four of them done. After getting done with sewing the strips on, then its time to square them up and then rip the paper off the back. I've been doing the entire process each night because the paper ripping takes awhile. You've got to be careful because you can pull the stitches out of the seam. I'm really like the way these blocks look. Alot of people doing the quilt have lots of scraps to use for this step. I don't and cut most of my strips from yardage. That's okay because I'm using up some really ugly fabric and I bought some other for half price. I've managed to get Michigan State and University of Michigan fabric into this quilt. I'm sure I won't have all the blocks done before the next clue comes out, but I'll have enough done to start the next step.

Sewing

I finished up step 2 of the mystery the other night. Step 3 will be posted tomorrow, so I'll probably work on it this weekend. I've also been working on two other projects. Its funny how I've become motivated just by doing a mystery quilt. When I'm doing working on a step I work on a quilt that I started last year and am almost finished with now. I've also been doing a Bonnie Hunter quilt called Strip Twist as a lender/ender project. I really want to work on it because the end result looks so cool, but I'm forcing myself to hold off on cutting my strip sets. The other project I'm working on is a spring log cabin. I finished cutting the strips, so I only need to sew the last 6 blocks. Of course, then the real work begins. I have to set out the blocks and sew them all together then put on 3 borders. I'm looking forward to finishing this quilt.

Yesterday one of my betta fish died. Not sure why, but he has gone to the big fish bowl in the sky. I then went to the pet store and had my water tested. It came back fine, so I got a pair of lyretail swordtails. They are a cool orange/red color and the boy has a great tail. They seem to be doing fine. Next week I may add a few more after having the water tested again.

I'm looking forward to the weekend. Its hard having to work for 5 days straight. With the snow on the ground I want to just stay snuggled in my nice warm bed. Maybe I'll get back into the swing of things since I have to work 5 days for the next few weeks.