Good Morning, Quilters!
I am calling today a Show & Share Tuesday – because some really great photo finishes have been sent in, and we all could use a break from Grand Illusion right about now!
Okay –that’s not the only reason.
I have done NOTHING since last evening’s Power Purge post but clean my kitchen, wash bedding, clean the cat box and fill book orders.
I’m filling book orders every spare minute, and that is where you will find me today –at the dining room table.
So let’s bring some color and beauty to this otherwise dreary and rainy cold North Carolina day --
This is Debbie’s Bow-Dacious from Adventures with Leaders & Enders!
She writes:
Hi, Bonnie. I just wanted to share my Bow-Dacious! quilt top with you. Well, I am only sharing the photo, not the quilt top. Sorry. I just loved making the little bow ties which used so many small pieces and it was so much fun making one or two bow ties every day. I know they were supposed to be leaders and enders, but it was too much fun to just make just a few at a time so I kept making them.
As soon as the first clue came out for Grand Illusion, I wanted my Bow-Dacious top finished. Yes, I did it! I even have my first clue finished too and will post it tomorrow. These photos just couldn't wait. Hope you enjoy the color combinations I put in my quilt - inner blue sashings, green outer sashings, dusty pumpkin inner border, outer border of green, blue, navy, gold, and dark pumpkin.I love it! It’s just terrific….WOW! Doesn’t this just make you want to dig into the scraps, sort them my color and just SEW!
Thanks for all you do for us quilters.
Debbie
Thanks for sharing your terrific top, Debbie – can’t wait to see it quilted and bound!
Next up is Ness!
Emery’s Stars can be found under the Free Patterns tab at the top of the blog!
She writes:
So know I just sent you a long windy but I had to send a pick of the baby Emery quilt...I think it's the cutest baby quilt ever. :) Ness
This would be a GREAT project to use all of the bonus triangles you are getting from your Grand Illusion units from Part 2! I made mine to gift to my niece Emery when she was born. The blocks finish at 6” and you can make as many as you want to make the quilt the size you want it to be. You could even build these stars with your bonus triangles on the side, as Leaders & Enders in between working on your Grand Illusion mystery quilt!
Thank you for sharing, Ness – this is awesome!
Next up is Gunn from Norway!
Gunn’s version of Pineapple Blossom from the Free Patterns tab!
I love how she made her “blossoms”in three different color families! This took some planning, and isn’t it beautiful?
She writes:
Thank you for shearing pattern. Love this quilt I made!Thank you for sharing this beauty with us! SO beautifully made!
From Gunn Torild in Norway
Sue McIlvaine’s Celtic Solstice!
She writes:
Just needs a binding. Ready for the next one ! So much fun to make and I've received lots of compliments. Thanks Bonnie for the fantastic pattern. Always a challenge, but I learn so much.
I loved the colors she chose, and how she turned the chevron units inside out making the block a star instead of the way mine was. Playing with units in a quilt, and rearranging them to suit your own desires and vision for your quilt is part of the fun of making the quilt in the first place! I love both versions!
And with the showing of this quilt there is something I can let out of the bag that is happening with my Mystery patterns after they’ve been retired.
In the past we’ve waited for the next book ---but that is getting harder to do. How can you retire a pattern and then wait 2 years for it to appear in a book?!
My publisher, Kansas City Star is getting into the swing of things and beginning to offer up single patterns as well as books! I talked to them just last week and we have a plan to release BOTH Celtic Solstice AND Grand Illusion as individual single printed patterns this spring! HOORAY!
That solves a huge problem for me with people wanting to know where they can purchase the pattern after it’s been retired. It puts the pattern in the hands of those who want it who missed it when we were running it as a mystery, and we don’t have to wait for a book, and you don’t have to purchase a whole book to get it!
This MAY mean we need to retire Grand Illusion as early as MARCH ---so keep that in mind and print your clues as they are released – or I”ll have to refer you to the printed version later.
I’m excited. I hope you can understand why and be excited for me too.
We are currently at 165 entries in Yesterday’s Grand Illusion Mystery Monday Link-Up, Part 2!
I hope more will be joining us through the week. Entries will be accepted until Thursday, Dec 11 at 11:55pm EST. We want to see how your progress is coming, so please join us!
Quilt-Cam tomorrow night at 9pm EST right here on the blog. Those baby quilts need to be DONE! So I’ll spend today and tomorrow getting as many book orders out as I can, and then take some time to sew tomorrow evening with you.
Oh, and my online store? WE BROKE IT!! I’m serious. I went back into my control panel at 9pm on Sunday to turn my sale off, and it is broken. I couldn’t get to anything – so it is now offline. My webhost is trying to fix it. Actually, they made it worse by reverting me from shopsite 10.0 to 8.3 instead of pushing me forward to 11.2. WHATEVER. So if you are trying to process a book order, please wait – hopefully we will have it fixed in the next 24 to 48 hours.
Which also gives me a chance to catch up with the backlog here.
Long winded and wordy post, but there you have it!
Happy Tuesday, everyone!
Good Morning Bonnie,
ReplyDeleteIt is no surprise to me that the site broke, it must be a massive amount of orders to catch up on.
Got mine, ordered for SIL for Christmas. I finally have her hooked and am starting her at the first 2 books!
I think it is brilliant to publish the mysteries as single patterns, maybe it will stop some of the whining. lol
I know it has been said before but THANKS for all you do. It is very much appreciated here.
"See" you tomorrow for Quilt Cam.
we broke the internet with our whining..
ReplyDeleteVery excited for you! A pattern range is a brilliant idea.
ReplyDeleteI have been playing in the shallows with GI because I didn't want (need) a quilt, but wanted to join in the fun. So I've just been makes a few units, and have really enjoyed being swept up in it all.
I truly feel that things have settled down, and I'm seeing heaps of lovely posts, interesting learning journeys, and some fab colour combos - I want to try them all!!!
Awesome! individual patterns is a great idea! Will you also be offering past mysteries as individual patterns?.. just curious... I already have all your books and waiting patiently for the next one ;)
ReplyDeletehm
Wow, Bonnie! Do you ever get time to breathe? Good luck with the new single pattern idea - sounds a great idea. Hope your site gets mended soon. At least it gives you a little to time to catch up with mailing books. Enjoy your sewing time tomorrow evening. I'll see you on catch up next day.
ReplyDeleteMakes me wish I lived close to you....I'd so volunteer as a secretary/organization person for you! :-) Thanks again for all you do! Congratulations on your patterns! Anything from you is Awe-Some! ;-) :-)
ReplyDeleteI think the individual pattern is a great idea. I all ready had all of your books so I ordered some of the other things on your website. Thanks for the mystery, the free patterns, quilt cam and most of all the great conversation on the blog.
ReplyDeleteEllen in Arkansas
whew! glad I got my book order in early! it arrived yesterday....the bubble mailer was torn in a couple places but the books were fine! I gave my mailman heck over the condition of the package...
ReplyDeleteI found your web site a little too late to participate in the Celtic Solstice mystery. Having seen all the pictures of finished tops since, has made me REALLY wanting to make one and have been thinking "oh my, what a long time to wait" Hurray for single patterns! Living in Norway and being quite impatient, I hope you will consider electronic versions for instant download... Saves packaging time and a lot of postage... And I don't have to wait on snail-mail;-)
ReplyDeleteBonnie, you are way faster than Amazon, so you don't need to apologize. Your customer service is second to none in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteThat's an awful lot of "nothing" that you did. Give yourself a break and have a cup of tea, or something. Fondly.
ReplyDeleteYea......I'm excited with and for you! Thanks for show and share today :)
ReplyDeleteOk I am purging some things and properly rehoming others. Hopefully I'll see the bottom of something soon!
ReplyDeleteI second what Brit in Norway said. Would it ever be a possibility of digital editions? Your books look sew fascinating, but really I'm not tempted to pay more for the shipping than what you'd get for my purchase. It's YOU I am willing to reward, not the post nor customs. Thay have not helped in any part of the process of quilting design.
ReplyDeleteAwesome show and share today! Love all of these. Sorry the book site is down but I am sure it will be up again soon. But I do hope that means you got lots of book orders. Happy Dance for you. See you tomorrow for Quilt Cam gotta finish step 2 so that will be good for me. Have a great day!
ReplyDeleteohhhh Bonnie ! i am soooooo excited ! Thank you soooo much for deciding to sell the pattern Celtic Solstice separately ! i have heard sooo much about the pattern and saw some beautiful quilts.. i really would like to do it.
ReplyDeleteThank You soooo much for allowing me to be a part of the Grand Illusion .. is awesome to see it coming along.. although the second clue is going much slower..
hope i can find the quilt cam Cheers Anne
Received my order today! Love having "Bonnie" books in my hands finally and hope this helps pay for that beautiful new toy of yours since you are so very generous with us! And I think individual patterns is a great idea!
ReplyDeleteHey, I got mine patchwork pals maybe is the title? Tired. Sorry. Thanks for all you do for the rest of us quilters not as talented as you, Bonnie.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on breaking the store...that means you did good!
ReplyDeleteI'm so excited for you to release single patterns.
You are an amazing person and deserve all good things to come your way.
I join the other quilters in saying a big "Thank You".
Good Morning Bonnie.
ReplyDeleteI think that it is a very good idea to sell single pattern version of your patterns.
There are sites that allow the free download of a pattern for a month and then when the latest part is published, the previous one goes to pay-to-purchase downloads. So from Nov-March is a generous amount of time to get all the downloading done.
Best Wishes
Kathryn
Omg
ReplyDeleteOmg
Omg !!!!
Come to me Celtic Solstice pattern!!! I have started my fabric collection for this stunning quilt while knowing it could be ages before i start. Ocean blues and greens in batiks mostly. Maybe.
Thank you Bonnie. Another brilliant idea :))