Fabric Overload: Brown Bag Mystery Quilts

I am a great fan of mystery quilts and have made several throughout my quilting career. Usually I pick out my fabrics and cut them according to the initial instructions. For in-person mysteries, I would get the first clue, complete it, and move on to the next clue; the teacher would do all the pressing. So, by the end of the class I would have a partially made quilt. Then there are the shop mysteries where again I choose the fabrics and make the initial cuts, and then wait to have the shop mail each clue during a specific time span. This is great because my mystery quilt shops are in California and Florida.

I discovered my first Brown Bag Mystery in Florida at Cotton Patch Quilt Shop in University Park, during one of my post-retirement winter visits. Designed by Karen Montgomery, it truly IS a brown bag stapled shut.

The only hint is a strip of fabric (included in the bag) that is tied to the handle. There is no peaking at what other fabrics are included. Cutting directions and the clue schedule are also in the bag. Each quilt shop offering the BBM chooses the fabrics for each bag. There have been some misgivings in the quilting crowd, especially if they are trying it out for the first time. The shop owners attend a special retreat with the designer so they know how the fabrics will work together in each bag. So trust in your quilt shop!

Beginning in March, which happens to be National Quilter's month, the clues are sent out every two weeks. It is not hard to keep up and the pattern construction is pretty easy. Just have to remember to read the instructions carefully and correctly!

Along with the BBM is membership in the BBMQ Facebook page where quilters can show off their fabrics. Some are so excited that they purchase multiple bags! I tried that last year and decided one at a time was enough; I feel for the quilters who are working on three, four, and five at a time!

I think the brown bag mystery is a great concept and I am completely open to the surprise, but I'm sure there are a lot of quilters who are uncomfortable with not having control of what goes into their quilts.