toverly

I'm going with solids this year, beach colors. Medium blue, Medium Aqua, Lt Khaki, and white. My beach quilts seem to be the first to go when friends are picking a favorite. Planning of making all the clues but assembling as a rectangle plus or minus a few units. Usually it involves taking a "column of units" and placing them along the bottom for a longer quilt.

WMUTeach

Do mystery quilt makers ever just use one solid in each of the color in Bonnie's palette? Toverly's post just made me think of that.

Iceblossom

I was going to do all solids on Rhody trail (ok, I was going to use a variety of colors but the solids was the important design choice for me), ended up using prints for the colors. It would have been substantially the same look had I gone ahead and used all solids.. There is a crispness that I appreciate with all solids. Some people do the project with just one fabric for each color and it typically works just fine too.

I think in my desires to use up fabrics, I'm often using too many little bits/too many different fabrics and that maybe about 5 of each is all I need. Stash is not there yet though, still trying to use up 10" squares from swapping around Y2K.

That's the amazing thing, how we can all be working on the "same" project but some do it one size or another, or one set of fabrics or another. A lot of people don't do diagonal sets, and just something as simple as that can make a huge difference! Someone always comes up with something way different than the rest.

joe'smom

WMUTeach, I follow the quilters' mystery progress on Bonnie's Facebook page as well, and there are quite a few in solids each year. Grunge is a favorite. We had a member here in former years who did a Bonnie mystery in Christmas solids, it was wonderful.

toverly, I love a Bonnie quilt in solids and I love a beach palette. I'll look forward to following your progress.

I've decided to eliminate my darker blues and stick with my two shades of gray.

toverly

Yes, that's what I'm doing, one of each. It really simplifies the pattern. If I go too scrappy, I don't like the look. I find that her patterns are so busy, it calms the quilt down.

LI_diva

I agree with Toverly that one solid of each colour makes a beautiful Bonnie quilt. Many of her patterns have intricate piecing of tiny shapes. Some of her quilts that I see that are too scrappy just look chaotic to me. The piecing detracts from the fabric and the fabric detracts from the piecing.

There’s a happy middle if you can find it, but using solids s definitely a way to go.

Iceblossom

Well, despite my good intentions (again) about using all scrap, I ordered a couple more purples and "hard" pinks. I needed a back for my current project and along came eQuilter with a backing sale, a coupon for me, and free shipping over $100. I'm feeling a bit sensitive about buying more fabric than I need just to save money, but did stick strictly to things that (as we say in gaming) I can and will use (CAWU). And, I got an awesome back for the current project!!

The fabrics I got will be usable either either a black or white background. Package won't arrive for another week or so, still in plenty of time for the project but will be a bit until I take pix again. I know the light pinks I had before will be replaced.

This week I am finishing up my current project, that will leave me a couple weeks to clean off my desk, make my final fabric choices and be ready to cut!

Remember, that timing and your participating is up to you -- but the first real clue will be released on the 21st, that is the week before Thanksgiving.

DebbieJJ

I'm watching this thread with lots of interest. I don't know if I will join because I have some quilting to finish before Christmas (for other people). But I did order a kit from QuiltedTwins.com for this mystery, for a very reasonable price, even though I have a very large stash already. I just couldn't seem to find the right colors....Isn't that the way it almost always happens?

Iceblossom

Glad to have you here, DebbieJJ, whether you become a sewing or non-sewing participant. It is a lot of fun and I find having the group helps a lot to keep us going.

I think some of the bundles put together by the shops are reasonably priced because they can use up older stock in the right colors. For Indigo Way, I picked up a bundle of "Bonnie Neutrals" from the shop she linked in the project. They were lovely and the shop has not abused me with dozens of daily ads -- just a couple times a year.

I'm still on track to finish up my current top this week. I did put on some music today and ironed the two pieces of black yardage I washed the other day... I am ready to move on to the mystery!

granny12

I will definitely be lurking and may even jump in along the way. I've made several of Bonnie's quilts and often try to tame them down a bit but may try just one fabric for each of the color choices this year. Of course, that means I would have to go fabric shopping. I've just finished making a queen size Monet's Wedding Ring quilt for my daughter's friend and need to work on the Leader and Ender from this year, which I could make the main focus and let the mystery quilt be my new leader/ender. Decisions, decision! I love following this group and appreciate all the comments and good advice I've received over the years.
Carol