Podunk Princess

Your units are beautiful....love all the variety. They are going to play well in this quilt we are all making!

wishfulthinking

Did anyone use the accuquit value die to cut their half square triangles? If so, what width strip did you cut your fabric before fan folding to place over the hst portion of the die? The reference chart that comes with the cutter says to cut it 7 1/2 inches wide, which seems not right to me. But what do I know? Got the accuquilt last Christmas and have yet to really use it. It kind of scares me and I'm afraid I'll ruin my fabric. But I'd really love to be able to use it for this mystery. I'm just now getting ready to cut for the first step. Any advice from any of you experienced accuquilt users will be greatly appreciated!

sewbizgirl

All my mats are Olfas. We live in the South where it's humid most of the time, too. None of my mats feel dried out, they just have so many cuts in them that it's hard for the blade to have something to cut against, consistantly. I think all that "self-healing" is a crock. Once they get cut, they stay cut.

I envy you on Kauai... I lived on Maui for the 12 best years of my life!

sewbizgirl

Thank you Joe'smom. I used my paint chips!

It's funny, but at my charity quilting group last night not ONE person was aware of the Grand Illusion Mystery Quilt! They are more Jenny Doan followers (quickie quilts) than Bonnie Hunter followers (SLOW quilts).

Sophie2

I didn't use the AccuQuilt for my half square triangles, but I did use it for my 2 1/2" squares. I have the die that cuts 9 at a time. I had to call AccuQuilt because my squares were not square. Come to find out, I needed to have the label of the die facing my stomach and the salvage of the fabric to also face my stomach. Now it cuts perfectly. I would suggest only cutting one layer, or better yet, use some scrap fabric, cut the fabric and then sew some to make sure they are the correct size. If all else fails, call AccuQuilt. Love being able to use my cutter!

Rhondals

Took the sewing machine to the shop today to be serviced, and tried out a Janome 2014. I get paid Friday, how convenient....nearly lost the tip of my finger on a mandolin slicer on Thanksgiving, and I botched quite a few hst. I did figure it out cause I have to make HST for Under The Stars. I don't hand stitch very well at all, especially with my index finger with a large bandaide. The needle likes to hit the spot on my finger, which is over an inch long but I didn't get stitches or anything. So I'm admiring all of your work, and waiting till I'm paid on Friday.

Emma S

Sewbiz: With all the buzz s hard to imagine that anyone could stay unaware of the BHM but it just maybe where I hang out.
Everyone's blocks are so pretty! I find myself looking at all the different fabrics as if I was in a online store. Have to break that habit.

wishfulthinking

Thanks Sophie, I'll watch that when I get ready to cut.

susiequilt

I started to chain stitch the HST to the black and yellow and managed to sew 7 out of 9 wrong!
I'm so glad I didn't just stitch them all and then check! Must be to late in the evening for me to sew. I'll fix them tomorrow! I knew the black and yellow had to be next to the blue but forgot there are two blue sides!
The rule is 'make one perfect and keep it by the machine'.

nancysp

All done with the first clue. WOW, that was a lot of work for me. I'm sure I won't be able to finish the others, as the weeks before Christmas are booking up quickly. I have "so far" really enjoyed it all. Using colors that are totally out of my wheel house, learning to use the Easy Angle Ruler (that's been sitting in my drawer for over 10 years) and chain stitching like mad.