Do you love a good mystery? Do you love to quilt? If the answer to both questions is a resounding "YES", then you've found the perfect place!

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 given below. They have each concluded, however the majority of them remain online. Also, keep a watchful eye out in the Quilting Passion Mystery Quilt Notifications for the announcements of new mysteries.

To subscribe to the Mystery Quilt Notification mailing list, send an e-mail to quilting@quiltingpassion.com with SUBSCRIBE MYSTERY either in the subject area or the body of the message. To be removed from the, send an e-mail to the same address with UNSUBSCRIBE MYSTERY either in the subject or body of the message.

Current Mystery Quilts (MQ):

	Mystery Quilt 1: Christmas Skirt or Table Topper - No longer available as a free MQ. To purchase this pattern, please contact Terry.
	Mystery Quilt 2: A baby or school wallhanging theme
	Mystery Quilt 3: Halloween MQ
	Mystery Quilt 4: On-Point Dazzling Star Quilt
	Mystery Quilt 5: Mini "Window" Quilt
	Mystery Quilt 6: Heart
	Mystery Quilt 7: St. Patrick's Day
	Mystery Quilt 8: Stargazing - Only online until August 1, 2009!
	Mystery Quilt 9: Rock 'n Roll Baby Quilt
	Mystery Quilt 10: A Christmas Gift
	Mystery Quilt 11: Baby and/or Easter Theme
	Mystery Quilt 12: Halloween At Midnight
	Mystery Quilt 13: Donkey
	Mystery Quilt 14: Patriotic Tablerunner - No longer available as a free MQ. To purchase this pattern, please contact Terry.
	Mystery Quilt 15: An Apple For You
	Mystery Quilt 16: Christmas Ornament With Embellishments!
	Mystery Quilt 17: Fall/Autumn Pumpkin Wallhanging
	Mystery Quilt 18: Easter/Spring Theme
	Mystery Quilt 19: Quilted, Personalized Wall Banner

GALLERY

Since there is no cost for most of these mystery projects, I am graciously asking that each person that completes a mystery project, to take a picture (if you have the means to) of the finished product so that I can add it to the Gallery. I'd also like to continue offering free mystery projects and to be able to see results would give me the incentive I'd need to keep doing it! :)

Thank you! I really would appreciate it.

COPYRIGHT

The patterns used in the Mystery Quilts are designed, and therefore copyrighted, by me, Terry Crawford. These projects can be made for personal use only and not for commercial/profitable use. For permission to use in a guild or a quilt shop, please send e-mail to quilting@quiltingpassion.com. For more information regarding copyright, refer to the copyright information, given on this site.

Happy quilting!