SusieQOH

I got my paint chips today. My husband got a scare. He said "Are you planning something?" Especially seeing the parrot green haha!!
I didn't even tell him what project it was for but assured him no they're not for the walls. He hates my last year's mystery quilt and he doesn't hate much lol
I'm going to see what I come up with in that tornado looking place called my sewing room.

leheath8

I’m a fairly beginner quilter but want to try the mystery quilt. My plan was to make 1/2 or 1/3 the units as I don’t really want to commit to making a huge quilt I might not like! So I’m assuming I can just buy 1/2 or 1/3 the amount of fabric (I don’t really have a stash at this point)? I’m not a huge fan of grey or asphalt but love purple so was thinking of substituting a dark eggplant for the grey and maybe brown for the neutral to match the palette below. Thoughts?

Barb in Louisiana

Your three darkest are almost the same color and tones. I'd rethink those. Others with better color skills than I have will have good suggestions.

Teen

Leheath - Welcome to the board and the mystery quilt. This is my first BH quilt, too. I agree with Barb.... I would switch out the neutral to a lighter color if you can.. it may look better in person but the picture shows really dark..

I finished my current quilt...plus, I made 2 more quilts using orphan blocks as I wait to start this mystery. I’m getting excited.

joe'smom

leheath8, welcome to the Quilting Board and to the Bonnie mystery! My recollection for people doing a smaller size, is that it has worked best to make slightly more than 1/2 the pieces in order to end up with a practical size quilt. But if you want to aim for 1/3 or 1/2 the pieces to start with, you can always make more if needed, once you decide on your final size (and decide if you like the quilt).

Regarding your fabrics, the big thing about Bonnie's patterns is value (light and dark). Her three specific hints this year were, make sure you have adequate contrast between yellow and orange because they might end up next to each other (I think your yellow and orange are fine); don't go too light with any of your colors because you want strong contrast between everything and your neutral (this was assuming lights for the neutral); and, avoid yellowish to tan neutrals so they don't blend with your gold.

I've added a photo of your colors in grayscale. Your neutral is the same value as your 'gray' and your green, so if you want the intended contrast in the pattern, you will have to go with a lighter neutral -- something that will contrast well with your 'red,' yellow, orange, and your darks. This isn't to say you can't go your own way, but when you don't follow Bonnie's values, you don't get a quilt that looks like hers. There are some people every year who don't follow Bonnie's values, and the results can be fascinating. It's amazing the different look her patterns take on when people are adventurous with their fabric choices. It's all up to you!

edit

I think purple for the gray will work fine. Many people are substituting for the gray. It will be so exciting to see the variations!

leheath8

Thanks Teen and Barb - the photo looks a little brighter in person, but I agree, I think its a bit dark overall. Maybe I'll keep a lighter color for the neutral instead of the brown, but I'm still hoping I can substitute a purple for the gray...

leheath8

Thank you for the gray scale image joe'smom - that's really helpful. I will definitely go with a lighter neutral. I don't want to be too "adventurous" on my first attempt at a mystery quilt!

quiltsRfun

Same here. For the last 3 years I told myself I wasn’t going to do it. Then I’d find fabric in my stash that I could use, although in a different color way. This year it’s some of my favorite colors but I have nothing. I was tempted to order some and even had a cart loaded but used all my willpower and didn’t place that order. I’ll also be watching and look forward to seeing everyone’s progress.

toverly

Yesterday I was looking out a Dr office waiting room window. Bonnie's colors were there. And even though, I have been avoiding grey. It was there in the tree trunks. Although a little browner than asphalt. It was definitely there. The sky was a brilliant blue so that substitution works too.

Wonky star

Hi everyone. I am a new quilter; most of my sewing experience is making clothes and I was not amazing at doing that. I have made 1 quilt top that is certainly a first quilt but I love it. I have fabric and patterns for several quilts and I can't make myself get started because I am afraid of messing up. I decided to do the mystery quilt as a sort of boot camp. I read through the entire Frolic thread before deciding to commit so I kind of feel like I am posting with quilting celebrities as I recognize a lot of your names from that thread.

I have ordered some fabric and will post pictures when it arrives. I had ordered a fat quarter bundle that is sufficient for the half size quilt but I decided to order yardage after seeing quiltsRfun's Frolic top. I will either use the fat quarters for something else or do a scrappy version later. I am really looking forward to having a schedule and a group to share progress. I also have watched a ton of quilting videos and recognize how to fix some of my previous errors so I am cautiously optimistic. Fingers crossed.