Tartan

Lovely colour reveal, I will be watching from the sidelines and cheering you all on.

Iceblossom

Ok -- here's my original post updated with the current link. I don't know if I can do this with my solids or not... but i have a great pink print that is very likely to be used!!
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It's time for the Bonnie Hunter Winter Mystery project for this year! This year's mystery is called "Rhododendron Trail" and the color/yardage has been released so we can start our planning. The actual cutting and sewing begins on Black Friday (the day after Thanksgiving, this year is Nov 26). Clues/directions are released mostly weekly with a queen sized finished top being the goal sometime around January-February.

Here's the first clue:
https://quiltville.blogspot.com/2021...e-mystery.html

You don't need to join anything to do the mystery, but you will need to go look/download/print the clues. As the clues are released they will be updated in this thread, but I do recommend a link to the site as well, as well as printing hard copies.
https://quiltville.com/index.html

Bonnie asks that those of us who post do not spoil the mystery for others. That includes posting actual numbers and counts of things, including measurements, as well as spoilers in terms of final layout. It's fine to say "I got half my blocks done today" but not "16 out of 34". While we can share other construction techniques (be careful of cutting mats and rulers and such in photos), she takes great care in her own directions and tutorials -- they are indeed very good and deserve to be recognized as hers. While there can be confusion from time to time, the answers we seek are there, and besides, the way the internet works traffic to her site is good. It can be frustrating to come here and need a simple answer like "3.5" instead of a link to the clue and description of where the information can be found but we are guests to Bonnie's mystery party and we are going to try and play by the rules.

Mystery projects are not for everyone. If you choose to do it in "real time" there is quite a bit of sewing each week. Twenty-some years ago there is no way I had the time as a single working mother during the holiday season... Now it gives me something nice to do at home during a slow time of the year instead of scurrying about during the bleakest part of winter! I like to sew a bit every day, usually Bonnie's mystery keeps me going during the duration. Writing up this post made me realize that I enjoy the sew-along aspects more than the mystery. I'm always fascinated by what everyone is doing with their projects and how they are the same yet so different.

The projects are large and do require quite a bit of fabric, I would feel differently about it if I had to go out and buy all the yardage. She does give recommendations on making half the number of units to make a smaller project. Bonnie's normal style is quite scrappy, this is a great time to use up little bits and pieces and fat quarters and such.

Likewise. it is hard to commit when you don't know whether or not whether you are going to like it. Bonnie's style is not my style, nor are her construction techniques but she has style and people love her projects. I have all the rest of the year to work in my style, and I'm actually finding it rather freeing to give over the design decisions to someone else, and that the few times I really am not so happy with my fabric decisions or whatever -- hey, it's a mystery and some things are going to happen for good and for bad. Plus any scrappy project, things happen but when you step back they are usually just fine.

Some people prefer to watch the mystery as it happens and then decide whether or not to make the project. Non-participants and lurkers are welcome posters too. Personally, I enjoy the push of doing it real time as well as having some surprises in the design. Honestly, 2020 was a hard year for me in many ways. I had a bit of a breakdown at the end of the year and I didn't finish in real time but I was able to complete it on a slower time line, not everyone is first to be done

While we are being truthful, there are a lot of Bonnie Hunter UFOs out there, mystery or otherwise. It happens for all sorts of reasons. We are here in quilting fellowship for encouragement and support and hopes of completed quilts. So welcome! Whether it is back (this will be my third in a row) or for your first mystery/first Bonnie Hunter, or just for the quilt party. Bonnie Hunter (on her site) as well as our participants here always have awesome stuff to share.

sewingpup

every year in the fall, Bonnie offers a free mystery with the first clue coming out on Black Friday and then a new one weekly usually until sometimes in January. The idea is that you will use your scraps although most of us seem to find it necessary to visit a quilt shop or two to buy more in the colors suggested. I find them enjoyable to do although they usually consist of many, many, little pieces, there is much repetition as you make lots and lots of similar units. Bonnie will usually give a couple of different methods for doing each unit and you get a lot of practice in accurate piecing. Her directions are pretty clear and also when folks start posting their progress you get to see what others have done. I have learned a lot during this "training" and have done about 5 of them. She is pretty good at not giving away the final design until the last clue which is the reveal. She will take down all the clues shortly after the final one and then produce a pattern that you will need to purchase. I find it a good thing for me as I do not have a lot of family anymore and find it fairly easy to keep up. Folks with large families may find it harder to keep up and complete each clue as they come out but most of us just hope to have the quilt completed in time for the next year's mystery to come out. Oh...I forgot....the clue that just came out was the one that just tells us what colors to gather and what amounts and what tools might be helpful to get things ready for that first construction clue that comes out on black Friday. So we have a month to get ready to stitch!

tallchick

Thanks Iceblossom for hosting, I am sure Admin will get everything to the correct place soon. I am glad I am waiting this one out, I am concerned about a few colors, the pink, I have never been a fan of pinks and reds together and I am hesitant of the yellow as well. I am looking forward to watching everyone's progress and seeing the colors everyone is using.

craft

The intro to the mystery has already been posted. This years mystery is called Rhododendron Trail.
Craft

craft

I am doing the mystery this year. I had surgery on both of my shoulder's for the last two mysteries. However, I have been working on them. I hope to make all of Bonnie's past mystery quilts being from the very first one.

Craft

joe'smom

Iceblossom, you'll be a great host for the mystery!

Last year I contacted PatriceJ about starting the mystery. Is that what you did?

Iceblossom

We can only post her links and our own work, I tried to make that clear -- can you rewrite/point out what you found confusing in that regard?

I just submitted a post under the general guidelines, not to anyone's attention, just to the moderation staff. I can see where waiting to have the actual name and links and not starting too early are advantageous. I've got no majority stake in this project, but I know I'm going to be working on it and happy to put up the links as they come -- or if someone wakes up before me and can post the clues, that's great too. We're all in this together.

joe'smom

So sorry, Iceblossom, that was my mistake just because I was reading your post too fast! (Thankfully I was able to delete that portion of my post so it won't confuse anyone else.)

Iceblossom

Oh I am so wordy -- editing and re-reading my stuff is a necessity, one word plus or minus can completely change the intended meaning! I thought your start last year was great and referred back to it.

I've started looking at my fabrics and thinking... I might be able to use solid pinks and instead of the garnet, the pink print. Don't know how well that will work with the yellow and green. but it's a place to start, first dig out the pink print.