Hi everyone,
I can now reveal my final secret project. I hope you like it 
I’ve been busy working on this secret project for what seems like ages. Not only was it difficult to find all the different shades of fabrics required, but working with so much black….Ugh!! Hand stitching the binding to the back of the quilt was a complete nightmare due to the lack of daylight up here in the North. Anyway, it is finally finished and the recipient is very pleased with it so I’m very happy too 
I quilted spirals on the game blocks and dense squiggles on the name and around the borders.
This quilt is my own design and I’ve had a lot of fun keeping the secret
Have you been up to anything secret lately?
Avis x
claire93
/ January 5, 2013what a lovely idea – my son’s girlfriend would love it ^^
Oh Sew Tempting
/ January 5, 2013Yes, my daughter’s boyfriend liked it too
Avis x
P.S. I’ve made two blackwork pieces now. Waiting for double-sided sticky tape to arrive for mounting them into cards.
claire93
/ January 5, 2013look forward to seeing photos ^^
Oh Sew Tempting
/ January 6, 2013Next post
Teje
/ January 5, 2013Wow Avis, it’s ready and fantastic! Looks beautiful and I’m sure you had fun creating the pattern! Let’s play then! x Teje
Oh Sew Tempting
/ January 5, 2013Thank you Teje! Yes, I had a lot of fun wrestling with it too! It is the largest quilt I’ve finished which makes me worry about some of the quilt tops I have waiting to be quilted
I do enjoy playing Tetris 
Avis x
rutigt
/ January 5, 2013Beautiful! You really managed to find fabric that went well together
Using triangles in the squares makes the quilt live. Good idea 
Gun, Sweden
Oh Sew Tempting
/ January 5, 2013Thank you Gun
Yes, I had to spend a bit extra to get the exact colours but I think it was worth it in this case. Avis x
creative pixie
/ January 5, 2013A-ma-zing! You’ve created such a fun design (I’m sure your eyes are glad it’s finished).x
Oh Sew Tempting
/ January 5, 2013Thank you Pixie
I’m glad it is finished to see the result but I enjoyed everything except working with the black. The only problem is I know there is a French braid top waiting in the box which also has a lot of black because I wanted a stained glass look. It could be waiting a while 
Avis x
mtetar
/ January 5, 2013The word like isn’t good enough. Let’s try LOVE. It is a great piece of art, it shows pride, and patience, and I love it. Thanks for sharing your SECRET. Mtetar
Oh Sew Tempting
/ January 5, 2013Oh thank you Mtetar. You are so kind! I do have a lot of patience and that certainly helps when sewing
Avis x
mtetar
/ January 5, 2013Sewing definitely calls for patience which makes your work rewarding. Your work is very REWARDING. Mtetar
Oh Sew Tempting
/ January 6, 2013Patch
/ January 5, 2013Glad it went down well. Looks great. Mmmm my grandma used to hate knitting me black jumpers when I was a teenager for the very same reason.
Oh Sew Tempting
/ January 5, 2013Yes, my Mum too….and navy blue. The only non-handmade jumper I ever had was my school navy blue one
Lucie the Happy Quilter
/ January 5, 2013That looks great. Well done. I know what you mean about the light in the north!
Oh Sew Tempting
/ January 5, 2013Thanks Lucie! I can’t remember a sunny day since before Christmas! Maybe tomorrow
At least we haven’t had snow!!
treadlemusic
/ January 5, 2013The spirals on the color blocks add a totally 3-D dimension to it……so wonderful! A beautiful finish. Black is so lovely in so many of these projects but it certainly presents its own set of challenges (which you overcame beautifully!). Those jewel tones just dance across the black background! Applause…applause……….
Oh Sew Tempting
/ January 5, 2013Wow! Thank you Doreen:-) It was certainly challenging!
treadlemusic
/ January 5, 2013Reblogged this on Treadlemusic and commented:
The perfect combination of color usage, shapes and quilting stitches….congratulations on a fantastic finish, Avis!!!
Oh Sew Tempting
/ January 6, 2013Gosh! Thank you again Doreen
You are sew kind 
Avis x
treadlemusic
/ January 6, 2013tartanpants
/ January 5, 2013That is just stunning – very brave use of colour – I wish I had your talent. Yvonne x
Oh Sew Tempting
/ January 5, 2013Thanks Yvonne. Not brave, just the way the game looks and it had to be true to the game. It is actually even brighter in real life (can you believe it?) but the daylight is dreadful here. Avis x
jule
/ January 5, 2013Beautiful! Black always makes the colours glow. It was definitely worth the effort.
Could have done with a little extra daylight myself today, finished my top just minutes ago (will post tomorrow).
Oh Sew Tempting
/ January 5, 2013Ooooh! Looking forward to that
By the way…my daughter bought me a 60 degree triangle ruler for Christmas. I can feel some hollow cubes coming on!
jule
/ January 5, 20131marylou
/ January 5, 2013Stitching on black is a challenge, but what beautiful results you achieved. My secret project will be something to keep my feet warm. I’ve been looking for a knitted slipper pattern from way back and someone passed it on to me. Oral tradition definitely keeps history alive!
Oh Sew Tempting
/ January 5, 2013Oh my Mum gave all of her patterns away and didn’t think to ask whether we should hang on to them! Sometimes I see things and know there was a pattern just like that in her box…..
Sometimes I wonder what will happen to our blog content in years to come. Will it be here for ever?
linnyjcreations
/ January 5, 2013Just beautiful Avis. Love the contrast of the black and the other colours. I struggle with hand stitching black at the best of times.
Oh Sew Tempting
/ January 6, 2013Thank you very much
Even though the black was difficult to work with, I think there may well be others featuring black in my head 
Avis x
lisasff
/ January 6, 2013Oh, that is beautiful! And the spirals in the squares are so precise!! I’m amazed!
Oh Sew Tempting
/ January 6, 2013Oh no, they aren’t as good as precise
but I’m happy the way they turned out. It was a bit scary, I have to admit 
lisasff
/ January 7, 2013They’re not? Well, they’re close enough to seem that way! They’re really gorgeous. And more so, that you did them “free hand”. I think I remember that you said you did the quilting free hand.
Oh Sew Tempting
/ January 7, 2013Yes, I roll the quilt onto a frame which takes the weight and my straight stitch machine sits on a trolley. Then I hand guide the machine. I would love a computerised machine or a digitised quilting system or even a longarm machine but they will only ever be dreams
Avis x
skylarchastain
/ January 6, 2013Amazing!
Oh Sew Tempting
/ January 6, 2013Thank you very much. Sew kind! Avis x
Malini
/ January 6, 2013WOW! Your quilt is absolutely amazing. Love it! I really like all the colors you have used and the letters on the right side panel rock. Wonderful job!
Malini
/ January 6, 2013Oh, that spiral quilting is amazing too!
Oh Sew Tempting
/ January 6, 2013Thank you again
Oh Sew Tempting
/ January 6, 2013Thank you very much for visiting my blog and for the lovely comment The letters are just small square patches sewn together. I wanted to keep them blocky, like the other features of the game. Avis x
huffy
/ January 6, 2013what a brilliant result, your very talented! brings back childhood memories-loved playing this game!
Oh Sew Tempting
/ January 6, 2013It made my daughter smile too
I loved playing it against my daughter but she ALWAYS won 
Thank you for visiting my blog! Avis x
witchylin
/ January 6, 2013Avis that is absolutely fantastic. I love it too. I know what you mean about black, but it has been worth it. It looks so three dimensional in the pictures so in ‘real life’ it will be brilliant. Your machine quilting is inspirational and truly sets is all off. No wonder your daughter is happy with it. You really have done a great job and your design is outstanding. When are you going to produce a book of quilts? This is such an up to date top, such a change from the usual offerings in books. Congratulations on a beautiful quilt. Look forward to seeing your next amazing project.
Oh Sew Tempting
/ January 6, 2013You are quite right. The photo dulls the colours. It is more vibrant “in the flesh”. I enjoyed the quilting which went better than expected. I used polyester invisible thread in both the bobbin and the spool. I expected huge tension issues and I hate adjusting the machine as I have it just perfect for quilting but I did a practice piece and didn’t have to change anything at all. What a relief! There are many Tetris quilts out there so I can’t claim I had the original idea but this design is all mine
As for a book, well wouldn’t that be great? You can have the first signed copy 
My next project will be (should be) quilting the tops I’ve made. There are 12 in the queue. I just looked through my 2012 Finishes (tab above) and it is amazing what we can get through in a year if we try. Thank you for your lovely comment. I wish you had been one of my school teachers 
Avis x
Denby
/ January 6, 2013Excellent work Avis. The colours, the 3D effect, your freehand machine quilting and the lettering all add up to a very beautiful and skillfully made quilt.
Oh Sew Tempting
/ January 6, 2013Ooooh! Thank you Denby
I do try 
Avis x
sewmuchchoice
/ January 6, 2013Wow this is amazing. I love it!
Oh Sew Tempting
/ January 6, 2013Thank you very much
Lany
/ January 7, 2013Stunning! Love the fabric choices, especially the subtle prints.
I was considering crocheting a blanket like this, but you’ve convinced me that I need to try quilting one! (a lap quilt, I’m impatient!)
Very jealous of your lucky daughter!
Oh Sew Tempting
/ January 7, 2013I admit it…..she is a lucky girl
I can see that a crocheted blanket would work, great idea 
A quilted one would probably be a lot quicker to make. Go for it! Avis x
Lany
/ January 7, 2013Yeah I think I will actually! New years resolution, try to start and finish all those crafting ideas!
Gardengirl
/ January 7, 2013I commented once but it seems to have gotten lost in cyberspace so here it is again. The tetris quilt is amazing. I love how the black just makes the bright colors pop! You have inspired me so I nominated you for the One Lovely Blog/Very Inspiring Blogger Award! You may visit my site, http://juliencb.wordpress.com/2013/01/07/omg-3/, for acceptance info and some badges. There are also links to some other very inspiring blogs! Have a great day!
Oh Sew Tempting
/ January 7, 2013Oooooh! Thank you very much
That is so kind of you. Happy day to you too 
Avis x
P.S. Just checked the spam tray and your comment isn’t there either.
hotspicyandskinny
/ January 16, 2013Wow! That is gorgeous! I can’t imagine the skill that demanded. I’m stunned
Oh Sew Tempting
/ January 16, 2013Thank you very much for stopping by
The designing part was the hardest. After that it was just joining triangles, squares and strips. It was great fun 
Avis x
Eleanor Gordon
/ January 19, 2013I love my tetris quilt!
Oh Sew Tempting
/ January 19, 2013So do I. I know I said I’m only keeping it until I put a label on but……..nah! Only joking, it’s all yours
Debbierose
/ February 1, 2013Tetris, what a wonderful idea. The color matches are excellent. I must agree, sewing black on black is a headache – my hexagons are taking ages as a result. Anyway as usual wonderful work, and you inspire me with your creativity. xxDebbierose
Oh Sew Tempting
/ February 1, 2013Thank you Debbierose! Oh I can’t take credit for the idea. There are lots of Tetris quilts about. However, this is my own design and I really enjoyed making it. My daughter is the very happy recipient
Avis x
basildonkitchens
/ February 2, 2013This is FANTASTIC! You did an amazing job creating this. I LOVE the various shades in each piece! Good job! 🙌😄
Oh Sew Tempting
/ February 2, 2013Thank you Connie