Mystery Quilts
 

I've been thinking about doing a mystery quilt. But, I'm afraid that I might not like it when its done. How many of you have ever participated in doing a Mystery quilt? And, did it work out alright? Were you happy you did it? Was it fun? Will it be worth my time and money to invest in something that I don't know what I'm getting in to? Please share pictures if you have any of some that you have done.

I've made two and both turned out very nice. One, I gave my DGD for her wedding so the colors were by her choice and the second was claimed by my other DGD as her own. Color choice is important. My friend made one and she hated her fabric choices and didn't like her quilt at all. Good luck and I think you'll have a good time.

That's what I'm doing. I also kitted up my fabric for her mystery last year but haven't even started it yet. I used different colors than Bonnie and seeing the finished quilt I made a few adjustments in my colors. I'm doing the same this year for the same reason. Also because I have too many baby quilts that need to be finished by early next year so can't commit to another project. But a mystery quilt is fun to follow even if you don't participate.

I've done some Mystery Quilts that I've been very pleased ... and some that were horrors!

My experiences have been that some do an incredible job of explaining what is the "right" fabric choices. Whereas some ruin the experience by not being able to give good guidance for that step. As a result, I've found that for those I ended up not being pleased, as the project did not come together at all.

Similarly, how well are the instructions written up? or if taking it IRL, the ability of the group leader to guide you through the stitching stage, to keep it enjoyable.

For sure, there is an element of risk in doing any Mystery Quilt. Will you like the overall design? Will you choose fabrics that play well together in what you make? What one person likes and thinks makes a great quilt, you may not like.

What you might want to do, is to check with others who have done a Mystery before via the same person (IRL or virtually) and find out how pleased/displeased they were. Ask to see the quilts (as you have here) that they have made. That will give you a good read as to how your experience might be.

I participated in one, and the end result wasn't a quilt top I would have chosen to make. I suggest you either do as suggested previously, and just collect the steps, so you can decide at the end if you want to make the top or not. If you'd rather make the top as the steps are revealed, for the surprise/fun part of it, I'd suggest first researching the designer's past mystery projects to see if you like those. Usually there are photos available of their past mystery quilt project results. That way you can get a fair idea of whether or not you tend to like that particular host's choices.

I have done Bonnie Hunter's and one from Eric Homemade site...both did a fantastic job with instructions

Bonnie Hunter's Mystery quilts are fun. Very scrappy too. Great way to use up stash. Complex looking quilts made very easy.

Many designers create mystery quilt projects as a way to have the pattern tested for errors, etc. i dont want to be a guinea pig with the price of fabric these days.

I've made two that I really like and one not so much. If you have a chance to preview fabrics, that will help. If not, then it's a chance. I did one that I got to choose fabrics (all from my stash) and I can't wait to finish. I love the quilt and the way it looks.