Come on a magical mystery quilt tour with me
Have you heard of mystery quilts? They are popular in Australia and online.
The idea is that patchworkers get to make units for a quilt, over a period — usually at weekly intervals, not knowing what the outcome is to be.
Some mystery quilt sites have actual mystery clues to search for. Cool!
The idea is that patchworkers get to make units for a quilt, over a period — usually at weekly intervals, not knowing what the outcome is to be.
Some mystery quilt sites have actual mystery clues to search for. Cool!
What is a mystery quilt?
Do you have to be a detective?
That's not it!When quilters sign up for a mystery quilt, they are sent the instructions a piece at a time. They have no idea what the end project will look like, and they don't care.
Usually the requirements list will be sent out after the quilter enrols in the class. At that time, the first set of instructions will also be available.
What the designer (teacher) does is work out how to present the material for making the quilt top in such a way that the design is hidden until almost the very end.
Pattern instructions for a quilt
Standard format vs mystery format
If a teacher is writing instructions for a quilt design that will be known from the start, he/she will start by setting out what blocks will be used, and how many in which colours, and so on.The quilter will make a given number of particular blocks, assemble them into a top and add borders, as per the instructions.
He/she will be guided by the pattern picture as to how the end result should look.
The pattern could look like the one shown.
A quilt top from a mystery quilt class
Using the shop owner's choice of fabrics
A quilt shop owner, Noreen, asked me to design a mystery quilt. The fabrics were chosen by her to show what could be done with these particular prints.
The students didn't see the quilt, but were given weekly classes for six weeks, by which time they had all the units made and were ready to assemble the quilt top.
Below you see the original, and under that Noreen's version. Hers is striking isn't it?
The students didn't see the quilt, but were given weekly classes for six weeks, by which time they had all the units made and were ready to assemble the quilt top.
Below you see the original, and under that Noreen's version. Hers is striking isn't it?
The original design
Noreen's version
"Are you ready
for a mystery quilt
adventure?"
So you get a pattern?
Not for a mystery quilt
When devising the instructions for one of these mystery quilts, the teacher/designer decides how to deconstruct the pattern into units or sub-units that seem not to be coming together into a recognisable design.
The design must be a surprise at the end, so there would not be a quilt diagram.
The design must be a surprise at the end, so there would not be a quilt diagram.
Pattern instructions for a mystery quilt
very mysterious!
The designer would break the quilt pattern into units that can be sewn independently of the design.
For our pattern, there are five Saw Tooth blocks and four Ribbon border blocks, arranged in alternating sequence.
The quilt was coloured in Electric Quilt using the whole design as a grid, not the individual blocks.
The four corner blocks are coloured exactly the same, but they have been rotated to get the pattern to work. The centre block is coloured differently.
The four Ribbon Border blocks are identical.
For our pattern, there are five Saw Tooth blocks and four Ribbon border blocks, arranged in alternating sequence.
The quilt was coloured in Electric Quilt using the whole design as a grid, not the individual blocks.
The four corner blocks are coloured exactly the same, but they have been rotated to get the pattern to work. The centre block is coloured differently.
The four Ribbon Border blocks are identical.
Design for our mystery quilt
Psst! It's a secret!
How do you present the pattern then?
A bit at a time, so it stays a secret.
Units can be pulled from the blocks, and I have shown an example using one corner block.
The centre is also made with the same units, but different colourings.
The other four blocks would be made from different units all together.
The centre is also made with the same units, but different colourings.
The other four blocks would be made from different units all together.
One corner block
Saw Tooth
There are four of these that are the same, and one in the centre that is coloured differently.
The block broken into units
You need four times these to make the corner blocks
The side blocks
Ribbon Border
There are four of these.
If I alter the side block's design
I can make it more mysterious
By adding a horizontal, and a vertical axis line to the Ribbon Border block, I can explode it into four units, which will help to confuse the quilters who are making the mystery quilt.
They will be able to place some units side by side and see what they get, but these units will be larger squares when sewn, than the units for the Saw Tooth block.
More mysterious!
They will be able to place some units side by side and see what they get, but these units will be larger squares when sewn, than the units for the Saw Tooth block.
More mysterious!
Add some additional lines
to the Ribbon Border block
Allows you to break it apart
like this:
Now you have more mystery units
and all the units are not the same size
You would need four sets to make the four side blocks.
Here's how to keep it secret:
Ssh! Don't let anyone hear you!
The teacher would give instructions for one or two units from one block, and a unit from one of the other blocks in the first lesson.He/she would add some different ones in the subsequent lessons, making sure to include units from the Ribbon Border blocks as well as the Saw Tooth ones, each time more instructions were sent out to the participants.
That will keep them guessing, because they can't make them fit together!
Mystery Quilts and Quilt Mysteries
on Amazon
Mysterious websites
for quilters
- Ms Mystery Quilts - Mystery Quilts With A Twist
- Mary Sue Luther offers mystery quilt patterns and kits. Visit for a free mystery pattern.
- Sunbonnet Sleuth Mystery Quilts
- Join us for short and easy mystery quilts geared for online learning at your
own pace. No hotel charges, meals, or retreat fees! - EQ Mystery Quilt - ElectricQuilt.com
- Try the eq mystery lesson and follow the story of the New York Detective Mitzi McDruben as she solves another quilt mystery.
- Free Mystery Quilt Patterns
- Free Mystery Quilt Patterns
- QuiltZine presents Mystery Quilts by Peg Bennett
- Block Patterns you can Print - Free from QuiltZine, an electronic magazine for quilters, with free projects and galleries of quilts.
Secret door to the top
Not so mysterious lenses
about patchwork
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About the mysterious mystress
Jan T
Lensmaster JanTUB has been a member since April 15 2009, has rated 176 lenses, favorited 155, and has created 85 lenses from scratch. Jan T (Urquhart) Baillie donates their royalties to Squidoo Charity Fund. This member's top-ranked page is "What can you do with a 'walking' foot?". See all my lenses
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- Quilt_Business Quilt_Business Aug 31, 2009 @ 4:20 pm
- These are great fun!. Thanks for sharing.
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Reply
- JanTUB JanTUB Jun 18, 2009 @ 6:07 am | in reply to LaraineRose
- They would have been itching to tell each other the next part, I bet. It is a fun idea isn't it?
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Reply
- LaraineRose LaraineRose Jun 18, 2009 @ 12:38 am
- Every winter, Mum and the neighbour ladies had a quilt going in our big kitchen/family room on the farm. I loved to watch it develop. I was all ears as they told each other what was going on in the town and their families. I bet the mystery quilt would have gone over big with them! What a great idea.
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- JanTUB JanTUB Jun 17, 2009 @ 11:33 am | in reply to MeltedRachel
- It is great fun, especially for the clever clogs who try to make a design before they have it all!
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- MeltedRachel MeltedRachel Jun 17, 2009 @ 10:40 am
- What a great idea! I've seen this done with knitting but never thought about doing it for quilting or anything else- ooh the possibilities are endless! Great lens 5*
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by JanTUB
I have been quilting for more than a quarter of a century. (Sounds much longer than 25 years.) That's me in my studio in 2006.
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