wow—will be done today! That’s OK, have other things to do. Just fearing a big pile of work near the end.

I am excited to start this weeks clue but I am quilting a comfort quilt and have to bind it so it can be on it's way to my niece who has stage 4 ovarian cancer. It's a heart breaking quilt to make and time is short, so I used one of the tops I made previously. I let her sister and mother in law pick the top. They picked the Starred Irish Chain, which is the first mystery quilt I ever made. It's the perfect use for that top! I hope to finish it today so I can start my step 2 clue!

wildyard, I share your pain for your niece.
I ironed all my yellows, and didn't realize till this minute I'd be using my pinks again :) Well they'll be ready for when the colors do change. Having a bite to eat then I'll cut and stitch.

Wildyard- I'm so sorry to hear of your niece. Ugh, what a horrible diagnosis.
Jmoore- I've decided to make the whole thing. Why not? It's not that I don't have a million other projects. What's one more? :D
This week's clue is pretty easy. I'm glad because I want to stay on track and I'm still working on Christmas projects.

Quick clue (even though I made twice as many as I needed--!).

Here are a dozen of the twenty-seven million that I made!

Love all the progress, although I have not done as much sewing as ripping. Then found out as I re-read the instructions from Bonnie, I had made the wrong size. Sigh, it happens when you see with one eye. They are bigger, so they can be cut down or replaced. Glad today's clue was simple too. Now to return to the sewing room and move things along. I will succeed! If not, I will always know that I tried!

Wildyard, so sorry to hear of your niece. That is heartbreaking to hear. It just never seems right when younger people get cancer.

AngelinaNR, love your variety of neutrals. Especially the guy with the glasses.

I lust for angelinas neutral scrap leftovers :)

NinaSue at least you didn't sew the pairs. Every year I tell myself I won't go to the facebook page during mystery, Way too many quilt police, but I did today, and sure enough, several proudly shown all cut pairs, stitched ;) I wouldn't rip, maybe they'll be sashing or something down mystery.

My 1/3 of the total stitched and baggied, lovely little units, whatever they turn out to be.

Love everyone's colors! Seeing your pictures have helped me tremendously, as I was stuck too, but wanted to shop from my stash and I wanted a more controlled 'scrappy". I forgot to take a pix of my fabrics, but clue one is done for me and here are some of my fabric choices: [ATTACH=CONFIG]620535[/ATTACH]
Now on to this weeks clue! :thumbup:

charmed- those are gorgeous!!!
Angelia- those fabrics are the bomb! Your quilt is going to be a lot of fun! Since you made 27 million why not send the rest to us and we can skip this clue! :D

Thank you SusieQ! :)

Thanks! I'll use the extras somewhere, SusieQOH. :)

I love seeing all your fabrics, they look great. Mine are a little different since I made some substitutions so that I could use what I have in my stash. I am making 1/3 of the components for now.

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Delicious fabric choices everyone! AngeliaNR I got such a kick out of your neutrals.
Got my clue 2 done. This weekend is reserved for baking Christmas cookies and maybe writing some cards out.
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Thanks for the link and the reminder. I had such a busy day that I forgot all about it being Friday and BHMQ day. Silly me. Just downloaded the clue for safe keeping and quilting later on.

Angelia, what great fabrics! I haven't finished clue#1 yet, but with a deep freeze coming next week, I plan on staying in and doing a lot of sewing.

Leslie

Mucinex really makes me loopy, so I had a weird cutting session, but did get my clue #2 strips cut, paired and sewn and hoping to cut them tomorrow.

KalamaQ, do extra strip sets qualify as scraps?

Clue 2. I'm finishing up some gift quilts and definitely expected to be behind by now! I suppose there's still plenty of time to fall behind :p
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Tweety and Army- looks great!!!

Only once the quilt is assembled. You may need those strips still. I tuck my extra bits in the baggie with the units.

Wow, look at you girls go, I just checked for clue 2.

Colorado Quilter-I love your color substitutions. I have tons of blue and yellow and this may be an option for me. I am a lurker right now. Trying to get some Christmas gifts done then I would like to dive into this mystery quilt making. I have never followed a mystery quilt story before but this one looks fun. I had better go back and print out the clues I guess. Love to see what everyone is making.

I have to work a few busy days this weekend, but I did start pressing all of my neutral fabric for clue #2. Does Bonnie warn us when we are getting to the end of our fabric? For example, will she tell us "this will use the rest of the raspberry?" I am worried that by cutting a strip off of all my fat quarters for variety in my strip sets, I may not have enough inches for larger cuts later on.

Also another question, I am slowly squaring up my four patches from clue #1. I am using that folded corners mini ruler Bonnie recommended to square up my blocks, and my four patches are coming up just a thread short in spots. They read fine on the ruler I used to cut my fabrics, but it is too big to square off with and they are a tiny bit short on a ruler with finer lines. Not all of them, and not all the way around the square, typically just in a corner here and there. Should I repress them and not worry about it? I really don't want to have to redo all those four patches over a thread's width of fabric.

I will move my seam guide over just a hair before I do any more sewing.

I am using an old fashioned hem guide... the metal one with the slide to mark the length you want.. to measure my individual pieces to check seam accuracy. I feel like it is more precise and reliable than my cutting mat measures and my plastic rulers. I once bought a box of thread and other sewing doo-dads at a yard sale and in the box was about a dozen of those metal guides. Anyone want one? LOL, I have way more than I know what to do with.

origamigf, you definitely don't need to worry about such small discrepancies, imo. Those 4-patches will be fine to sew with.

In the past Bonnie has let us know through her blog, or people will ask on the Quiltville Open Studio page if we are getting to the end of a color, and someone will share the info here.

I don't know what to suggest about your neutrals and the idea of saving some for larger pieces that may never be needed. I guess it would depend on how easy it will be for you to get more neutrals should the need for larger pieces arise. My impression is that Bonnie's yardage requirements are usually on the generous side.

Here are my Clue 1 and 2.
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Tuesday I spent the morning helping a friend start her Clue 1 and this coming Tuesday, we will start her on Clue 2. Not sure if she will have Clue 1 done by then but that is okay. I don't want her to get discouraged in trying to keep up. This is her first Bonnie Hunter mystery quilt

Beautiful colors Alva Sticher! Glad you are able to connect with a friend. What a great way to do the mystery.

Here's my Clue 1: Bonnie's Blue = My Browns, Bonnie's Raspberry = My Bright Blue
[ATTACH=CONFIG]620604[/ATTACH]

And Clue 2: Bonnie's Neutral = My Gray, Bonnie's Raspberry = My Bright Blue
[ATTACH=CONFIG]620605[/ATTACH]

Here's my step 2. Remember I am switching "neutral" to "school bus yellow". Some of the reds have quite a bit of yellow in them but I think you can tell the differences here.

Icebossom, I love your reds and yellow.! Bright and beautiful. I have clue one done and half of clue 2, so moving along.

Hi Cindy, I am in also. I think I started Bonnie's Mysteries in 2013 and finished all but one. The one was last year and I will get that one done as well.

For the newbies, every year, I learn something new from Bonnie and everyone here!

I'm finished as well with the second clue. I'm not posting a pic as I'm using yardage and at this point they are boring. I'm not really happy with these two easy steps as I fear we'll be inundated right at the busiest time of the holiday season. I fear the next few clues will be "make a gazillion" .... And then getting two or three steps at the very end along with assembly. I still have Celtic Solstice and one other (Allietare, maybe?) in bags that I might someday get assembled.

Kristijoy, I like your colors. I switched them up too but haven’t been able to sew any clues. Since they’re easy I’m hoping I can catch up when I’m able to get to a machine.

Iceblossom, I'm excited to see your quilt with the yellow as neutral!

Kristi, your color switches are looking wonderful.

I did a bit of cutting of my strip sets today; the pieces looked so slender, I had to check the directions again to make sure I had done it right. I guess the camera really does add pounds, LOL.

Same here re: photos, nothing exiting yet, but I've seen some pretty ones on Quiltville Studio @ facebook.
I'm looking for some black background 30's for my constant... anyone know where I can find some? I know it's made, I have a few scraps. Or brown background at a pinch.

I'm going to ask on the open forum too, we have some really great searchers here!

I'm hoping she will just extend the clues out, not slam us. But then it's all about me :) I love things to look forward to, it is how I kept myself from, well, suicide, during the dark time of my life.

Kalamaquilts, Having something to look forward to is very important, especially during the difficulties life sets before us. I totally understand and agree with you. I prefer them to come over a longer period of time rather than get a heavy load of things to do all at once at the end.
I haven't gone to the other mystery pages but perhaps I will once I get this comfort quilt finished.
I took a spill in the snow in our driveway.. we got about a foot.. so I've lost a couple days of quilting. I'm fine but it did set off Fred into quite a snit, so I've been heating and icing my muscles. I was lucky I didn't break anything. I guess snow makes a soft place to fall. It took me a good 20 min. to get up and into the house so I could warm back up. Fred hates to get cold and really shows his behind when he does. LOL

wildyard, I'm so sorry to hear about your fall. I guess it's a good thing you got that foot of snow! (And who is Fred?)

Here are my clue #2s:

oh wildyard, I do hope there aren't any lasting ouchies. about 10 years ago I went down on some icy steps and thought I'd broke my back, it was about 10 minutes before I could even get enough breath to try to move. was fine in the end but it sure scared me, life can turn in an instant can't it?

I've been slowly working my way around my quilt room walls refreshing things, you know how you have looked at things so long you no longer really see them, like the overgrown bushes in front of your house? This is my main thread storage, which I've mostly worked my way through so empty spots are showing up. I got to thinking today about my panorama photos I've taken at my most loved places in the Pacific NW so incorporated them into the space. I love it.

We have an aframe, so very little storage or flat walls, I've had to be imaginative :)

joe'smom, LOL, Fred is what I call my fibromyalgia and Arthur is my arthritis. They both make very poor house guests as they move in and never leave. Arthur hates changes in the weather and acts very ugly during rain, snow and other weather activities. Other than that, he mostly lays around in my joints and bones and causes ongoing but tolerable problems. Fred, however, is a nasty beast and is always causing trouble. Anything can set him off and I never know from hour to hour what he is going to come up with next. I give them both strict sets of rules... but I think I am the only one who follows them. LOL..... laughter is a great friend to all who have chronic invisible, and visible, illnesses.

Would this work? https://www.fabricessentials.com/sho...13-x697788.htm

Here are a few more black '30s fabrics from Etsy.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/2491420...search_click=1

https://www.etsy.com/listing/5784916...search_click=1

https://www.etsy.com/listing/5646961...search_click=1

https://www.etsy.com/listing/5447531..._click=1&pro=1

https://www.etsy.com/listing/7054103..._click=1&col=1