Rectangle Island Mystery Quilt
Winter 2009
Page 2
Cappy Phillips
Good evening Cap't Dick!
I have completed the Rectangle Island quilt top today. It was ~70 degrees
outside w/ a soft breeze, so I worked on the picnic table outside. I'm really
happy with the results! A little background...
I've had most of these FQ's for a while. When you posted the clues, I wasn't
able to get to Olde Treadleonia right away, so by the time I joined in, I
found three clues and had a plan before I started cutting. I found the border
in a new line of fabric at JoAnn's. Perfect! So I started working on it.
I originally was going to set all of the blocks on point, but it was just
taking so long w/ the handcrank (see below), that I decided to change my layout
halfway through the construction process. The center on point is the "squall."
This was a quilt that really evolved as it was being built! (Most of mine
do! LOL!) If I had it to do over again, I'd probably do a slightly different
layout, which would have required even *more* blocks!, but I really like how
it turned out!
I cut all of pieces at one sitting. I sewed all of the blocks (and sections
of the quilt) at a quilt retreat. I was a guest of a member of a Baltimore
guild. The ladies were very surprised to find someone using a machine that
didn't require power. I even found a long lost Onion! She's going to try to
get to the Lancaster TOGA.
(I was the second most "green" at that retreat - I used an iron.
The woman that was "most green" was doing applique all weekend.
grin)
The retreat center has a wall of windows over looking a tidal river that flows
to the Chesapeake Bay. It was foggy each morning, just beautiful looking out
over the West River and all of the moored sailboats through the fog. I made
up stories pretending I was on the east coast of Rectangle Island while I
was sewing. grin
The drmls only hit twice. My York Peppermint Patties and Hershey's Kisses
must have kept them at bay most of the time. (Notice how much thread was left
on the spool and on the bobbin when I finished! LOL!) One set of eight of
the 7.5" strips were cut at 1 3/4" instead of 2". I didn't
find that out until I was putting blocks together. Then I had to find the
others and fix them. Eight out of 110 blocks... that wasn't fun! grin The
other was the white border on the center. It ended up being 3/4" short
in length. So I added the pinstripe around it. grin
Things I learned doing this:
- I'm no good at estimating how long things take when using a hand crank.
- At the ends of seams, I tend to migrate into the body of the piece instead
of towards the seam allowance like I do on my "two handed" machines.
- A 96" seam on a hand crank is a *long* seam! LOL!
This quilt is 96" x 88" - a full/queen. I don't need anymore throws,
so made it bed size. I had to take pics before the final pressing - I was
running out of daylight and the breeze was picking up as a low pressure system
is moving in. The pinstripes will really show up when it's pressed properly.
It will be bound in the same turquoise as the pinstripes.
Thanks for posting this project! Can't wait to see what everyone else has
done!
Hugs to you...
Cappy Phillips
Edgewater, MD
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Karen Brzezicki
I am having a hard time getting decent pictures, but I will
send what I have. Use whatever you feel is the best. Chop and crop if necessary.
The quilt top is finished. The borders are not on yet. I laid out the borders
on a couple pictures, but it is hard to see and I think I have changed my
mind about the borders anyway and am going to combine the stripes and solids.
I did a bit of a twist on the colors, but still the same pattern. I used a
circa 1908 Davis VF and a 1919 Singer Redeye named "Gertie".
Thank you for this wonderful, fun experience. I have now bonded with another
machine. They don't tell me their names until they decide if they like me
or not. The Davis is a fabulous machine and is now among my top 5. So, he
told me his name...he has decided his name is "Wyatt".
Hope to have the borders on and the back sewn by the end of the month. We
will see about the quilting. I will decide how and which machine, once I see
the finished front and back.
Thanks again.
Karen, the firefighter, in IL
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Robin Hobson
Hi Captain
Sorry this is so late but talk about cutting it close! It just came out of
the dryer.
I pieced it with my Singer 15-88 that I converted to a hand crank and I quilted
it on my National Vindex Special.
I really enjoyed this mystery quilt and am looking forward to the next one.
Thanks so much
Robin Hobson
Griggsville, Il
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Margaret Stewart
Dear Capt. Dick,
Here are a couple of photos of my version (or vision) of the Mystery Quilt
so far – top finally sewed together, but far from finished. I’ll
send pix of the completed quilt when it’s finished. Since I love mystery
quilts I just had to do this one.
I am a newby who has been lurking for about six months but have not introduced
myself to the group, yet. If you’re going to put names to the quilts,
I guess I’ll have to do the intro soon.
Margaret Stewart
Jacksonville, FL
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