That is too big a mystery for me! What I don't like about mystery quilts is that I usually choose the wrong fabrics for the pattern. Even though my colors play well and look good together I find I would have liked the colors in opposite locations. I hope that makes sense. If I do a mystery quilt now-a-days it is with the idea that it is undoubtedly going to be a charity quilt anyway. Only then can I live with the disappointment with the results. Only once have I liked the results of a mystery quilt. The rest have been given away.

In many cases - especially group thpe projects - I really prefer to play beside, instead of play with.

In other woeds, I prefer to do my own cutting, sewing, and pressing

Dear Draggin', When you wrote the word "non-woven Interfacing", to me that means "APPLIQUE". When you cut your squares diagonal, just finger press the folded edge. It is much simpler than getting out the big old iron. But my main advice for you? Find one lady in the group that you select, hopefully one who lives nearby you. Exchange phone numbers, and call each other to chat, find out what she knows, how she is approaching the mystery. Maybe even ride to class together. As for the Scrappy? You can control your colors. You decide, and always have an extra "light", an extra "dark" and an extra "print" tucked away when you go to class, in the colors you are confident using.

Dear Draggin behind, You said what I have wanted to say to a leader in the past...No more!! Mystery quilts take away a part of the process of quilting that is important to me. That is planning the pattern and settings and the right colors for them.. I agree that its my time, fabric and $ being spent, I have a right to say how I want to use it. The agenda was whip out as many quilts as possible in the least amount of time before we meet again so we can make another and do the same thing again. Not my style and after way too many quilt tops that I divided up into charity lap quilts, I said enough is enough. Now, I must see a picture of the project or want to make it really bad from an example... that I will agree to make a quilt someone else suggests. Would they be surprised if you showed up in their meetings, after all, they didn't notify you you were kicked out, or did they? Thanks for your post....I hope you find some more friends to enjoy spending time with.

I also think it's a string quilt. The lines 3" on either side of the 12" block makes me think you are going to put a certain string 6" long down the middle. And then the other sizes go on either side. But I don't know what else is going on with the rest of the fabrics.

Original post was october 2, 2012.

Mystery does mean " unknown"

pineapple block?

I have only done one mystery quilt. Had fun doing it, but when done one fabric really didn't fit, even though it looked fine when I chose it. Luckily it is not a large part of the quilt, so can live with it. Still waiting for me to get it layered and quilted.

Try going with the flow on this one with no prejudgments. See what happens. If it doesn't work out, it doesn't work out. The sky is not going to fall and the world is not going to come to an end if it doesn't work out. If you don't like the finished product, a charity will like it.

If you need to know the end from the beginning before starting a quilt then a mystery quilt isn't for you.