What a great intro. So well thought out and written, with a lot of information we all need. I've been a Bonnie Hunter fan for many years and have been lucky enough to go to classes with her twice. She's a great teacher and her patterns are SO well done, now I find others frustrating. I love that she includes pressing directions so that all will fit well at the end.
I often change the color of Bonnie's mysteries. Sometimes I didn't care for the combination, sometimes I wanted a specific palette, sometimes I didn't have the colors needed. Whether I change them or not, I look at the ratios of fabrics to give me some idea which colors, if any, will dominate. The pie chart is from the Quiltville Open Studio on FB; somebody had already made one this year, so I did not need to.
The end is my problem, lol. While I love to make blocks, I really, really do not like putting tops together! Wrestling that huge mound becomes problematic. As I have at least 10 UFO's, and probably half of them are BH quilts, I am not planning to do this year's mystery. I do love the color combination, though. I think it will look like a sunrise or sunset.
Our family has grown smaller in the last few years - I actually lost a cousin just yesterday. Our children and grandchildren live in different states. Thus, the holiday stretch that many find busy with joyful family gatherings is anything but for us. And I do have a lot of orange and aqua....