New Year's Day Mystery Quilt Pattern (2008)

By Janet Wickell

Quilting Expert

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Mystery Quilt Fabric Ideas

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Make the 2008 New Year's Day Mystery Quilt. Photo Credit: © Janet Wickell

It's Never Too Late to Sew My 2008 New Year's Day Mystery Quilt

This mystery quilt pattern was designed to help you use up leftover fabric from other quilts, but it can be more orderly if you like. We'll assemble it using quick piecing techniques. The quilt was assembled (in part) during an event on New Year's Day, 2008.

Sew the pattern as a mystery, or look at all of the pages if you'd like to preview the quilt and its options before beginning.

Mystery Quilt Fabrics

To make a scrap quilt, don't worry about matching fabrics, but do consider color value (contrast). Value is important when we place lights next to darks -- darks typically stand out and catch the eye first. But value can change drastically when a warm color is placed next to a cool color, because even light warms often draw attention away from cool darks.

If you're a new quilter, read about color value and color before you begin.

Yardage Suggestions

Yardages are not exact, because we're going scrappy and you will make individual choices as you assemble the quilt. Some "like" units don't need to be exactly alike at all -- again, it's color value that's important. Extra yardage can't hurt.

Neutral background (light or med. light): About 3 yards total. Can be a variety of fabrics, but must include large enough pieces to cut four 14" squares, twenty-three 7-1/4" squares and a smaller assortment of other patches. Don't cut yet!

Light fabrics: About 2 yards total, selected from fabrics of similar contrast.

Can be cut from an assortment of fat quarters or other fabrics if all strips are at least 3-1/2" wide and most are least 6-1/2" long.

One medium fabric: 3/4 yard, avoid directionals.

Medium dark: About 1-3/4 yard total, similar values

Dark: About 1/2 yard total, similar values

One very dark fabric: About 1/3 yard

Choose binding and backing after the quilt is complete.

Resources

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Begin Cutting Fabrics for the Mystery Quilt

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Cut squares for the mystery quilt. Photo Credit: © Janet Wickell

Many of the cutting instructions call for long lengths of like fabrics. Refer to the bottom of page 3 for details about using shorter scraps for more variety.

Neutral Background Fabric(s)

Cut four 14" x 14" squares
Cut twenty-three 7-1/4" x 7-1/4" squares; draw a diagonal line on the back of each, from one corner to the opposite corner
Cut four 2" x 42" strips
Cut one 2" x 22" strip

Light Fabrics

Cut sixteen 5" x 5" squares; draw a diagonal line on the back of each, from one corner to the opposite corner

Cut two 2" x 42" strips
Cut one 2" x 22" strip

You will cut more light fabrics later.

Medium Dark Fabrics

Cut twenty-three 7-1/4" x 7-1/4" squares
Cut four 2" x 42" strips
Cut two 2" x 12" strips
Cut one 2" x 22" strip

Dark Fabrics

Cut five 2" x 42" strips
Cut one 2" x 12" strip
Cut three 2" x 22" strips

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Begin Sewing the Mystery Quilt

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Make strip sets for the mystery quilt. Photo Credit: © Janet Wickell

Refer to the illustration; we'll start at the top left strip set and work down the column.

Top Left

Sew a 2" x 42" medium-dark strip lengthwise to each side of a dark strip of the same length. Press seam allowances towards the medium dark strips.
Sew another identical strip set, but use two 2" x 12" medium-dark strips and one 2" x 12" dark strip.
Square up one end of each strip set and cut a total of twenty-five 2" wide segments.

Second from Top

Sew three 2" x 42" strips together lengthwise, with a medium-dark strip in the middle, a dark strip on one side of it and a neutral strip along the remaining edge. Press seam allowances towards the middle strip. Repeat to make another identical strip set.
Square up one end of each strip set and cut a total of forty 2" wide segments.

Third from Top

Sew a 2" x 22" dark strip lengthwise to each side of a medium-dark strip of the same length. Press seam allowances towards the medium-dark strip.
Square up one end of the strip set and cut ten 2" wide segments.

Fourth from Top

Sew three 2" x 42" strips together lengthwise, with a neutral strip in the middle, a dark strip on one side of it and a light strip on its remaining edge. Repeat to make another identical strip set. Press seam allowances away from the center strip.
Make a third identical, but shorter, strip set using neutral, light and dark 2" x 22" strips.
Square up one end of each strip set and cut twenty 5" long segments.

Using Shorter Strips for a Scrappier Quilt

Sew together a variety of strips, allowing 2" widths for each short segment you must cut from three strip sets and 5" widths for the longer segments, lower left.

Add 1"-2" to the overall length of each strip set to allow for squaring up. Construct strip sets and cut segments until you have the total number required for each type.

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Make a Quick-Pieced Patchwork for the Mystery Quilt

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Make Quarter Square Triangle Units. Photo Credit: © Janet Wickell

Some of you have probably guessed what we're using those 7-1/4" squares for -- yep, quarter square triangle units. We'll make them using the sandwich method, a super easy way to sew scrappy units. The process will go faster if you chain piece.

Make Half-Square Triangle Units

Use my easy sandwich method to make half square triangle unit. Combine each 7-1/4" darker square with the marked neutral square of the same size, right sides together.

Read the complete instructions if this is new to you, and be sure the seams you sew on either side of the marked line are scant quarter inches. We'll be sewing these units twice, and even a hairline's difference will help your pieces fit together better when it's time to connect them.

When finished, you'll have forty-six half square triangle units that each measure 6-7/8" square.

How to Make Quick Pieced Half-Square Triangles

Make Quarter Square Triangle Units

Draw a diagonal line from one corner to the opposite corner on half of your triangle square units. Use the same technique to make quarter square triangle units from the half-square "starters," placing contrasting triangle halves together when it's time to sew. Read tge complete instructions if this technique is new to you, and again -- sew a scant quarter-inch seam.

When you're finished, you will have forty-six quarter square triangle units that each measure 6-1/2" square.

How to Make Sandwiched Quarter Square Triangle Units

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Let's Get Those Big Squares Out of the Way

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snowball blocks, quick pieced snowball blocks - © Janet Wickell

Make Four Snowball Quilt Blocks. Photo Credit: © Janet Wickell

Let's make Snowball blocks from the 14" neutral squares and the 5" light squares.

If you haven't already done so, draw a diagonal line on the reverse side of each 5" square, from one corner to the opposite corner.
Place a 5" square in one corner of a 14" square, matching edges exactly. Use the illustration as a guide to line placement.
Sew a seam on the line, placing it just shy of the lines center -- more towards the matched corners to create a scant quarter-inch seam.

Repeat in remaining corners, placing marked lines as shown.
Cut away excess corners, leaving about 1/4" of seam allowance past the drawn line. Flip the new corners right side up and press the seam allowances. Pressing towards the large square is usually best, but press towards the darker fabric if you feel the seam allowance will show through on the front of your neutral square.
Repeat to make three more Snowball blocks.

Set the blocks aside for now, we'll do a bit more to the snowballs later (optional).

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Mystery Quilt Sewing and Cutting Options

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For a less scrappy look, you can make strips sets for this step. Photo Credit: © Janet Wickell

Scrap Quilts

If you're making a very scrappy quilt, cut seventy six 3-1/2" x 6-1/2" light rectangles.

Strip Pieced Units

You can strip piece the units if you prefer, even if you want a look that's only somewhat scrappy.

Cut 3-1/2" wide strips of four fabrics in a length that is multiples of 6-1/2" -- plus an inch or so for squaring up. For instance:

Cut four light fabrics, each 3-1/2" x 21" (it's fine for values to vary slightly, but you want them to pretty much blend together).

Sew the fabrics together along their long edges to create a stacked strip set. Press seam allowances in one direction.
Square up one end of the strip set and cut three 6-1/2" long segments from it. Repeat to make eighteen 4-fabric strip sets. Leave four 3-1/2" x 6-1/2" rectangles loose, to sew on individually.

For a less scrappy appearance, create strip sets that are longer, and cut more segments from them. But stop when you've cut eighteen segments of four fabrics, leaving those four 3-1/2" x 6-1/2" rectangles loose.

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Assemble Quilt Blocks for the Mystery Quilt Pattern

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Remember all those strip pieced segments you made back on page 3? It's time to use them. If you're a new quilter, try to sew them together with a "scant" quarter inch seam, so that excess fabric doesn't get tied up in seam allowances. We'll add pieced units to blocks, so we want them to be as accurate as possible.

Make Nine Patch Units

Refer to the illustration on this page to assemble two different types of nine patch units from your segments, twenty of one type and five of another as shown.

Double check placement before you sew.

Press the nine patch units; they should each measure 5" x 5". Combine four of the nine patch units shown at the top of the illustration with one of the units shown just below and four of the segments you made previously that contain three bars.

Arrange the units into three rows, taking care to position them as shown (or experiment with your own layout by twisting the units with squares and the units with "stripes" around).

Sew the components of each row together and press, then connect the rows. Press. Your block should measure 14" x 14".

Make a total of five identical blocks.

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Continue Sewing the Mystery Quilt

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Gather your quarter square triangles and your strip pieced (or individual) 3-1/2" x 6-1/2" rectangles. Refer to the illustration for triangle unit placement.

Sew four long strips from the quarter square triangle units, two with twelve units and two with eleven units. Sew neutral sections next to each other as shown.
Sew twenty-two 3-1/2" x 6-1/2" rectangles together vertically -- along their long edges. Repeat to make another identical unit. If you strip pieced, sew five segments of four together, and then add two individual rectangles to either end.

Sew sixteen 3-1/2" x 6-1/2" rectangles together in the same way. If you strip pieced, sew four segments of four together. Make one more identical long strip.

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Sew Trim Pieces for the Mystery Quilt

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Cut two long strips from your very dark fabric, each 3-1/2" x 41".
Cut two long strips from your medium fabric, each 4-1/4" x 41". If you're using long yardage, you can cut these strips and the longer strip required below along the lengthwise grain (to avoid piecing the longer strips).
Sew a dark strip to a medium strip of the same length along their longest edges. Press seam allowance towards the dark strip. Repeat to make another identical unit.

Piece together two more medium strips. Each one should measure exactly 4-1/4" x 54-1/2". The long strips are left as-is.

These strips are used for borders. We normally measure the quilt for correct border length, but this project has pieced borders that must fit correctly against the plain strips, so we're manipulating the quilt's size with precisely cut inner borders.

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Finish Sewing Your Mystery Quilt

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Before we sew blocks together, decide if you would like to add simple appliqué to the Snowball blocks. We usually add appliqué to oversized blocks, and then trim the blocks back to the required size afterwards, to allow for any distortion that takes place when the appliqué is sewn.

The appliqué I've included is pretty simple, and shouldn't distort the blocks. You can use any method you like to attach the motifs -- hand appliqué, machine appliqué and fused appliqué are three choices.

Personally, I like the idea of machine sewing the motifs to the blocks, leaving a raw edge of about 1/4", then allowing that edge to fray for a ragged look.

Applique PDF File

Assemble the Quilt

Sew the nine quilt blocks into three rows, with the pieced nine-patch blocks forming an X in the layout as shown in the illustration. Press seam allowances towards the Snowball blocks.
Sew the rows together, butting adjoining seams carefully. Press seam allowances either direction.
Sew a very dark/medium border strip to the top and bottom of the block unit, with the dark strips against the blocks. Before you sew, match quilt and border midpoints and ends, and then match and pin between those areas, easing fullness if necessary. Press seam allowances towards the borders.
Sew a medium border strip to each side of the quilt, matching midpoints and ends first, and then matching and pinning the remaining lengths.
Sew the pieced borders to the quilt in the clockwise order shown in the illustration, again matching endpoints and midpoints carefully and then matching remaining lengths.

That's it for piecing the top. You can add more borders if you'd like to frame the quilt in a different way. The final illustration shows the quilt with a very dark binding that ties in with the very dark inner border.