Mystery Quilt Goes Together!

I have selected my fabrics, all from my stash, and cut all the pieces for the Mystery (HA!!) Quilt!  I sewed all the blocks, and side panels, and here it is on my design board.

My "Mystery" quilt is in 17 sections, the 9 center blocks, the 4 side panels, and the 4 corner Bear Paw blocks.  For Monday's quilt guild meeting, I will just take my center block and the 8 bear paws.  No one has to know that I have this much done! I'm already labeled as an "overachiever!"   I used 9 of 10 different fabrics, just repeating the pink from the bear paw in the zigzag.  It looks like one continuous border that way.  I will use that taupe colored fabric for the binding.  I am thinking of adding a white-ish outer border, but not sure if I will have enough of that cream from the pinwheel to do it in the same fabric.  I think that would help unify the quilt too, repeating that color, and the taupe on the outer edges of the quilt.  It will also make the quilt slightly larger.  Right now it should finish off at around 62" square.  I like quilts in the 70-80  inch range.  

I'm really pleased with myself.  First of all, for for finding that picture of the original, and secondly for getting this much done in such a short time!  I'm not sure what I will do with this quilt when I am done with it.  That's not really a problem though, just an afterthought!

Secrets Revealed

Well, I have decided to do a little research on this mystery quilt and see if I could find a picture of it online!  I know that's cheating, but everyone has this same opportunity, so if anyone felt as uncomfortable as I do, let them do the research too.

So, where to start...  I noticed in the directions, that the quilt designer was listed (Ann Jones), with a web site, an email address, and the quilt's name, Winter Sunshine.  So armed with that information, I went to Google first but was unable to locate a picture of the quilt.  Next, on to that website.  Still nothing helpful there.  There was, however, a reference on that website to their FaceBook page.  So I went there, and after backtracking a bit (to May of 2014,)   I FOUND IT!!!  I laughed and laughed and thought myself to be quite clever!!  Here's a picture of the original Winter Sunshine!

I'm not overly impressed with the fabric choices this person made.  That stripe in the zigzag is UGLY!  But I see potential in the actual design, and can envision my own quilt now.  I don't need a pattern to make these blocks, I can figure out the measurements myself,  OK!  I'm feeling good about this now!  On with the sewing!

Mystery Quilt

Each January, our quilt guild decides on a yearly project.  Last year it was a block of the month sampler, which for me, resulted in a beautiful Ricky Timms medallion quilt which I gave to my step-daughter, Elly, for Christmas.  This year, our project is a "mystery quilt."  We follow the directions for the quilt, not knowing how it will look in the end!  (I'm not sure if I like this or not!)

We start with a focus fabric.  Here's mine:

Next we choose around 10 coordinating fabrics.  Here are the directions for part 1 !

Following these directions,  here are my first two blocks.  I did make 8 bear paw blocks.

  

I'm not feeling comfortable with this mystery business!  I don't know if I will have enough of some of this fabric, although it's supposedly not repeated again in the quilt.  But I like the fabrics to tie in and have some united artistic composition!  I would want to reuse some of the fabrics!  I will have to think about this!!