First, let me define what a Mystery Quilt is. A Mystery Quilt is a quilting project that remains a mystery up until the quilt is finished or until the participants figure it out (much to the author’s dismay).
Participants are given instructional “clues” and have no idea what the outcome is going to be. It is usually a small, fairly easy project that is completed in stages over an extended period of time, the time determined by the author of the mystery and usually dependent upon several factors, discussed below. Most often, participants are informed as to the approximate final sizes and also the theme, if there is one.
Occasionally, mysteries may extend over a longer period of time, however a year is the maximum time to conduct and/or participant in one (in my opinion). The only instance where I would conduct a mystery of a great length, such as 12 months, would be for a full size quilt, and it would have to be a spectacular design, at that. A lot of people do not like to commit to a long-term mystery due to several reasons, most of which I suspect you can guess.
As mentioned above, there are a few factors that might influence the length of time a mystery would span.
- The amount of “free” time the author may have to orchestrate it. The vast majority of the time, a mystery is conducted without any type of payment from the participants. In other words, the mystery is provided freely by the author. Since this is the case, one must understand going into it that the installments (the releases of new instructions) depend upon the the author’s time. Several thoughts on this. First, the author of the mystery should make absolutely certain before beginning a mystery that he/she has plenty of time to conduct the mystery in a timely manner. Second, the participants should understand that life does happen, even to authors, and that there may be some delay in finishing the mystery. A good author will keep participants updated as to the status of future installments.
- The complexity of the pattern. This factor should be self-explanatory! The more complex the pattern, the longer it may take to complete the mystery.
- The time of year. The season (or seasons) a mystery is going to span is all-important, as well. Mysteries are typically not conducted over the holiday season, beginning Thanksgiving and going past Christmas, beyond the New Year. These seasons are simply too busy with real life. Mysteries may also experience difficulty in getting participation if it is during the summer.
In summary, mysteries are best when conducted during “dead” times during the year, such as winter. They also seem to have better participation if they are conducted over a shorter span of time (two months or less) and have options (MQ 15, 16, and 17 show versatility because they are all made from the same base pattern, but each look totally different when completed!) for the participants to choose from. I have also discovered that the more information (without revealing the outcome) that can be given prior to beginning, the better, such as: Theme, Options, Color Suggestions, Size, Time To Complete, Complexity, etc.
If a mystery is announced as a short, quick project, that does not necessarily mean that it is not going to be appealing. A good mystery author can provide a truly unique pattern that gives the participants options, such as turning it from a wallhanging into a tablerunner or expanding it into a full quilt, etc. There are many times when a pattern is simple to make, yet looks like the quilter spent a lot more time on it than actually happened.
An author of a mystery should attempt to keep the mystery suspenseful by mixing it up and postponing the “guessing” for as long as possible. The installments of a mystery should never be given in the order that is seen in the finished design. For instance, say that a wallhanging is going to have nine (9) blocks and the layout is similar to a nine-patch. Instead of giving the installments in order, from left to right and top to bottom, mix it up. Keep the participants guessing!!!!
If you are ready for a good mystery, check out the ones on Quilting Passion and the other sites listed below. Each have concluded on Quilting Passion, however the majority of them remain online. Also, keep a watchful eye out in the Quilting Passion eNews or the Quilting Passion Mystery Quilt Notifications for the announcements of new mysteries.
The Quilting Passion Gallery also contains many photographs of finished mystery quilts; this should give you an idea of the types (and wide variety) of patterns used. Since many authors of mystery quilts do not charge a fee, I can say with much enthusiasm that photographs are gratefully appreciated. Seeing finished projects from mystery quilts that I have conducted helps give me incentive to keep providing them! Mystery Quilt 19 is slated on Quilting Passion for sometime this summer.
Other Mystery Quilt Web sites include:
- WWQP
- The Quilted Snail
- Electric Quilt Mysteries
- Teena’s Patchwork & Embroidery
- Anne’s Mystery Quilts
Mystery Quilts are fun! If you have never played in one, then find one and join!
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quilting, quilts, mystery quilts
April 25th, 2007 at 10:51 am
I’ve participated in a few mystery quilts over the years, and they are fun! One other aspect of mystery quilts to keep in mind… you don’t usually know how your color/fabric choices are going to be arranged with each other, so it’s a good way to break out of your “shell” and just let the fabric play. This can be hard for those of us who are a bit on the perfectionnist side (like me!), but it can open the door to let your less perfect, more creative side out.
April 25th, 2007 at 1:04 pm
I know exactly what you mean, for I’m the same way!!! And, I’ll give you a hint. I’ve designed a mystery that does nothing but play with color and texture, so talk about really bringing you out!
April 25th, 2007 at 3:09 pm
Wow, that would definitely be a challenge for me! Until recently, even my “scrappy” quilts weren’t really scrappy… I made them “planned scrappy”. Heck, I’d even go to the quilt shop to buy fabric that almost matched for my “scrappy” quilts.
I’m proud, I’ve finally made two truly scrappy quilts for the first time ever. Have you posted this challenge yet, or is it still coming?
April 25th, 2007 at 10:23 pm
This challenge/MQ hasn’t been posted yet. I plan on teaching about how to use a color wheel and will incorporate this into a mystery quilt. I think the challenge would truly be to actually think about color and not focus on the pattern, which is why I’m doing it as a combination MQ/Challenge/Class.
April 25th, 2007 at 10:35 pm
Oooh, that sounds fabulous! I’m sure I could learn a lot in that class. I’ll be watching for it!
April 25th, 2007 at 11:57 pm
I do love a good mystery but my challenge is to have the time to make the quilt at the time that the designer has alotted. So the mystery is often gone by the time I can get around to it! Yours have been fun!
April 26th, 2007 at 12:29 am
Excellent point, Dori! This very reason is why it is important for the author of the mystery to be able to at least give a general timeline for the mystery AND also for the quilter to understand the timeline and realistically see if the mystery fits into his/her time constraints.
It’s also a good idea to check with the author to see how long the mystery will be online. Some of mine have been online since I started them, back in 2001, I believe. If I’m going to remove a mystery, I forewarn people, so that they can print it off in order to complete it in the future.