KalamaQuilts

Grace, doing scrappy is the result of having stash and recognizing I have to use it I'd love to go out and buy the fabrics this year but I work from what I have and the only thing I have enough of is the dark blues. So I'll be changing out colors to what I have, it will still be pretty. I'll be doing half size, as a bed runner/couch quilt size. I don't need any more big quilts.

Shortly there will be links here to shops that have bundled the colors or the quilt, you can get them all in one swoop if you desire.

There is maybe a days worth of cutting sewing in each clue. The crush comes at the reveal and the time it takes to put it all together. That is done according to our own speed. Weeks or years, doesn't matter. The first year I participated I thought that first week, "is this all there is to it?" so I cut a second wad of strips in another color group. Mistake...

The cutting was what I always hated about making quilts, but learning how efficiently Bonnie does it make it not drudgery but a pleasure.

Using the easy angle rulers was a quiltmaking changer, no more +1/8" measurements. If you need to make 2.5" half square triangles, you cut 2.5" strips, and use the ruler to add the difference to make them come out perfect every time, no trimming down which is an exercise that doubles the time to make a quilt. As my FIL says, work smarter, not harder.

ibex94

Two of the online stores that I know of, whittlesfabrics.com and quiltedtwins.com, can be counted on to put together bundles specific to the Bonnie Hunter mysteries if you do not already have enough in your stash.

joe'smom

Grace creates, it's definitely a great learning experience! Doing the mysteries has helped me in two ways: I've learned easier ways of making units, and working with a large number of smaller pieces has helped improve my piecing skills through sheer repetition.

I guess how time-consuming it is depends on how fast a piecer you are. I'm slow so it's quite time-consuming for me. The mysteries usually involve smaller pieces with a lot of units to make. But it isn't necessary to keep pace with the mystery week by week. I think most of us end up finishing our top several weeks or months into the year. The main thing is to complete some of each clue each week so as to get the hang of how to make the unit.

I also have to shop exclusively on-line. Three of my favorite shops that sell 1/2 yd. are Fat Quarter Shop, Thread Bear Fabrics and Shabby Fabrics. Below are some of the shops I've found that will sell either a FQ or 1/4 yd. (Fabric Shack will even cut 1/8 of a yard, or they used to). :

Fabric Shack
https://fabricshack.com/cgi-bin/Store/store.cgi

Carolina Cotton Co.
https://www.carolinacottoncompany.com/shop.htm

Crazy Redhead Quilting
http://www.crazyredheadquilting.com/...htm?checkout=3

Feed Mill Fabric and Quilting
https://www.feedmillfabricandquilting.com/shop.htm

Ladyfingers
https://www.ladyfingerssewing.com/

L'il Red Hen
https://www.lilredhenquiltshop.com/shop.htm

The Little Red Hen
https://thelittleredhenonline.com/products

Mountain Creek Quilt Shop
https://www.mountaincreekquilters.com/shop.htm

Olive Juice Quilts
https://www.olivejuicequilts.com/shop-online.htm

Prairie Point Junction
https://prairiepointjunction.com/

Rossville Quilts
https://www.rossvillequilts.com/

AlvaStitcher

I am joining in this year again. I have made all her mysteries except Celtic Solstice. Well except the quilting part of Grand Illusion. It has sat as a UFO because it is a big quilt and I do my own quilting on DSM. I have loved them all and have learned so much from working on her mystery quilts. She is very good with her instructions and helpful methods. I went to Lowes yesterday and got the paint chips as I intend to use her colors. Not sure how much I will have to buy to supplement what I can pull from my stash.
I would love to take one of her classes.

NZquilter

Whittles Fabrics is carried Frolic fabric FQ bundles specifically for the Mystery Quilt. https://www.whittlesfabrics.com/search/?q=Bonnie+hunter . Quilted Twins.com usually puts together bundles of MQ color fabric too, but so far I haven't seen it on their webpage.

Did Bonnie hint somewhere that thus will be an easier mystery? Maybe if I finish my Christmas quilts before Thanksgiving... I do love all things blue!

NZquilter

Oops, just saw your post too! I guess I should read the whole thread before I post.

KalamaQuilts

some of the etsy sellers have bundles up now also.
I got my paint chips, the colors are much prettier in person than on the monitor.

And please remember Bonnie has asked us Not to take a hand full of chips to pass on, which leaves the locals without any there are other sources (dmc numbers comes to mind) for color clues.

Macybaby

I'll be joining in. Not sure what colors I'll pick, but it won't be what is listed. I've found that Bonnie and I have different color preferences and I've yet to make a mystery where I liked the end result if I stuck with the provided colors. However I've never had a problem finding a home for any of them.

Gives me an excuse to play in my stash for a day!

PamelaOry

Got my paint chips today and had fun pulling some fabrics out of stash. This is the first time I’ve tried to pull matching colors together like this using paint chips. How did I do?
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tallchick

I think I may try this one! I have not done any of her quilts yet, but I do have several of her patterns. I’m going to go though all my bins of scrap fabric and see what I come up with, I ran into Lowe’s while running errands and grabbed my chips. I have a bazillion rulers so I think I’ll make do with what I have rather than adding another to add to the mix. At least yard work won’t take time away from sewing!