It's time for the Bonnie Hunter Winter Mystery project for this year! This year's mystery is called "Chilhowie” and the color/yardage has been released so we can start our planning. The actual cutting and sewing begins on Black Friday (the day after Thanksgiving in the US, this year is Nov 25). Clues/directions are released mostly weekly with a full/queen sized finished top being the goal sometime around January-February.
Here's the first clue:
https://quiltville.blogspot.com/2022...e-mystery.html
You don't need to join anything to do the mystery, but you will need to go look/download/print the clues. As the clues are released they will be updated in this thread, but I do recommend a link to the site as well, as well as printing hard copies or saving .pdf copies in a place easily accessible on your computer.
https://quiltville.com/index.html
Bonnie asks that those of us who post do not spoil the mystery for others. That includes posting actual numbers and counts of things, including measurements, as well as spoilers in terms of final layout. It's fine to say "I got half my blocks done today" but not "16 out of 34". You should also avoid posting specific Accuquilt dies you used instead of her suggested technique. While we can share other construction techniques (be careful of cutting mats and rulers and such in photos), she takes great care in her own directions and tutorials -- they are indeed very good and deserve to be recognized as hers. While there can be confusion from time to time, the answers we seek are there, and besides, the way the internet works traffic to her site is good. It can be frustrating to come here and need a simple answer like "3.5" instead of a link to the clue and description of where the information can be found but we are guests to Bonnie's mystery party and we are going to try and play by the rules.
Mystery projects are not for everyone. If you choose to do it in "real time" there is quite a bit of sewing each week. While I was working full time, there was no way I had the time during the holiday season... Now it gives me something nice to do at home during a slow time of the year and something to look forward to each week! I like to process the clue soon after it is released and then translate it to my fabric. I have only done Bonnie’s Mystery quilts twice before and both times I did only about half the suggested blocks, so I also needed to decide how many units I would make that week. Then I try to cut and sew per my plan over the next few days so I am caught up before the next clue is released. Honestly, one of the things that pushes me is that I love posting my work on this thread! It is so much fun to see what everyone else is doing.
The projects are large and do require quite a bit of fabric. Bonnie’s love of scraps means that I am usually able to “shop” from my stash, which means that I have essentially spread out the cost of the fabric over many months and years. As previously noted, for the last 2 Mystery quilts, I have followed Bonnie’s recommendations on making roughly half the number of units to make a smaller project.
It can be hard to commit when you don't know whether or not whether you are going to like the completed project. Bonnie usually does have a specific style and it’s worth looking at her other projects to get a feeling for that style. Many people change either the suggested colors or the final layout to personalize the quilt.
Some people prefer to watch the mystery as it happens and then decide whether or not to make the project. Non-participants and lurkers are welcome posters too. Personally, I enjoy the push of doing it real time as well as having some surprises in the design. But be kind to yourself and remember that it’s not a race.
While we are being truthful, there are a lot of Bonnie Hunter UFOs out there, mystery or otherwise. It happens for all sorts of reasons. We are here in quilting fellowship for encouragement and support and hopes of completed quilts. So welcome! Whether it is back (this will be my third in a row) or for your first mystery/first Bonnie Hunter, or just for the quilt party. Bonnie Hunter (on her site) as well as our participants here always have awesome stuff to share.
Finally “thank you” to Iceblossum, who hosted last year’s Mystery thread. So much of her introductory post applies this year as well, so I have started by freely copying that that post and adding information that relates directly to me. Also “thank you” to Joe’sMom, who hosted the year before. I’m hosting this year because they both made it so much fun to participate! I hope when we get to the end of this journey that you will agree that participating in this thread made the process that much more fun.