12 things I learned while doing this mystery quilt.
How to use my strange looking ruler, the Easy Angle Ruler.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6JJjXh49JhjyDgt1_VXO0XvqTHJwxaXcm3EPQ2k5AXuHS6NePA82GTuQ3JFCd7ULlx-NyhEWKK1y6_BL4CQ9O5VGF2DEEGYEDE9dkku6gL2zPmD2HjoBMJUeDroPRz9BzZwezG85erqY/w320-h318/Easy+Angle+ruler.jpg)
and the Companion Angle
and how to switch and turn and flip. NO waste - love it.
#3
What chain piecing Really is! Zipping through hundreds of HST one right after another without stopping. (It's actually quite fun!)
#4
The background of a fabric is often how the fabric will "read". Such as flowers on a cream will read cream or frogs on dark blue will read as dark blue.
This floral reads lavender.
#5
To take a picture in black and white it to see the contrast.
#6
To read, re-read and mark the instructions with a high lighter if necessary. I did this in college, never for a quilt. However, it was good to realize that is the way to go. You never know what a designer is really saying unless you dissect it.
#7
That I really do like to sew and even better - Bruce appreciates my passion for quilting and is willing to do whatever it takes for me to continue it. (Dishes, cooking even those bathrooms.) Wow! I really lucked out!
#8
How to spin seams. (Hey - I didn't even know this was a thing until Bonnie taught me!)
#9
I learned to think about HST differently. Before I would just do a block - like a star block. Then do a bunch of different star blocks to make a quilt. And this time I realized that if I had a bunch of hst made up I would create my own design by adding other elements, like a four patch or flying geese.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXs8QSbfBxQvLmjYNJl3SoINyDsjhDdUv-Y2C6uJZxArF3E-TAvLRbnj8wPJ9iIcqcMC6N05fBwcPrRCgOWDrfNr4o0wqm1S0OAAzy3XNYI1jX9wkqkKz_P6gcg96FpgELZg3zvtfDpRA/w300-h400/bh+close+up.jpg)
I learned to think about HST differently. Before I would just do a block - like a star block. Then do a bunch of different star blocks to make a quilt. And this time I realized that if I had a bunch of hst made up I would create my own design by adding other elements, like a four patch or flying geese.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXs8QSbfBxQvLmjYNJl3SoINyDsjhDdUv-Y2C6uJZxArF3E-TAvLRbnj8wPJ9iIcqcMC6N05fBwcPrRCgOWDrfNr4o0wqm1S0OAAzy3XNYI1jX9wkqkKz_P6gcg96FpgELZg3zvtfDpRA/w300-h400/bh+close+up.jpg)
#10
That I may never master that scant 1/4 inch. UGH!!! hahaha
#11
That I have an unbelievable amount of patience to rip, sew, re-rip, re-sew the same seam over and over and over again until those points match up!
And mostly importantly - scrap busting quilts lead to more fabric not less!
So then my question when I first started was, would I like doing a Bonnie Hunter AKA "Thousands of Pieces Quilt"? The answer is yes. It was a challenge and it was hard but it was worth doing.
Happy Stitching,
Linda