Belfrybat

I always hesitate on the BH mysteries because she loves to use very small pieces, and that is not my style. But I do them for the challenge and the fellowship of other quilters. And this year I need the motivation to get back to sewing. Several folks, including myself, often use just one fabric per colour but choose ones with either a tone on tone pattern or small prints. This year I'm going with a constant purple and only three fabrics per colour.

TheMerkleFamily

Thank you SuzSLO for your grand introduction/welcome to this years BH Mystery - your post is filled with thoughtful guidance and now I find myself sorting through my purple, orange, seafoam/aqua fabrics - I seem to have plenty to choose from. I love the color arrangement and figure there's always room, ahem, for one more project on the design wall, right? Let the fun begin!

Terry in the ADK

Thanks for kicking this off. I so enjoy the camaraderie. I have been doing these BH mysteries every year since 2016 at least so that means I have started at least 7.
In the interest of transparency, a few are still in the flimsy stage. Most are finished and some have been gifted. I often begin thinking about someone as I am working on a quilt. The colors or place it is named for just brings them to mind. Then as I sew, I pray for them . And it becomes theirs!

peaceandjoy

What a great intro. So well thought out and written, with a lot of information we all need. I've been a Bonnie Hunter fan for many years and have been lucky enough to go to classes with her twice. She's a great teacher and her patterns are SO well done, now I find others frustrating. I love that she includes pressing directions so that all will fit well at the end.

I often change the color of Bonnie's mysteries. Sometimes I didn't care for the combination, sometimes I wanted a specific palette, sometimes I didn't have the colors needed. Whether I change them or not, I look at the ratios of fabrics to give me some idea which colors, if any, will dominate. The pie chart is from the Quiltville Open Studio on FB; somebody had already made one this year, so I did not need to.

The end is my problem, lol. While I love to make blocks, I really, really do not like putting tops together! Wrestling that huge mound becomes problematic. As I have at least 10 UFO's, and probably half of them are BH quilts, I am not planning to do this year's mystery. I do love the color combination, though. I think it will look like a sunrise or sunset.

Our family has grown smaller in the last few years - I actually lost a cousin just yesterday. Our children and grandchildren live in different states. Thus, the holiday stretch that many find busy with joyful family gatherings is anything but for us. And I do have a lot of orange and aqua....

Gemm

Belfrybat, I really like the balance of the three aquas. I'm also really quite excited about seeing how your blocks start to form as I'm reasonably new to batiks and am never sure how they will play with more traditional prints.

Joe'smom, I also like the brighter bundle with the various aquas.

I wish I had more time/freedom to play in the sewing room right now, but I am so glad to be able to participate in the challenge as an enthusiastic cheerleader/commentator at least!

Fizzle

So. You get the colors that she suggests now. As long as you have the total amount listed you should be ok.
Starting on BF you will get - cutting instructions? Or just clues to cutting instructions?
And each week is a new block “clue”??????

maybe i can go back and look at previous years to read the clues and see if this is something i can participate it.

I always read the starts but never follow after that so I really do not know/understand how this works.

Maybe this year i will follow to see if i could do this. Where did you find the color suggestions? I looked on her site?

Fizzle

So I went back to orig and followed the link to the mystery page! Duh!
it looks fun and if i cant figure it out i will just have another UFO that can be sent to the granddaughter for play fabrics!!!

thank you to SuzSlo

petthefabric

The colors are good for me. The pie graph was very helpful. I think orange would better as the least amount or smallest pieces. And go for split complementary color scheme; red-purple and red-orange. With teal as the complement. I think a pale gray for neutral.

DebLuvsQuiltng

I am happy to see your idea. Not a fan of orange. I was thinking of using pale apricot for the pale aqua and a richer teal in place of orange

sewingpup

Ha! I did not like the brightness of some of Bonnie's colors....until I threw Grand Illusion on my bed in January in northern Minnesota. What a way to lighten up cold and snowy very short days and long nights of January where colors are all neutrals outside except the icy blue sky when not snowing and the bare trees with a few almost neutral green evergreen ones thrown in the mix! Orange here we come, my next January quilt!