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I’m not normally a quilter, but I’m doing a block of the month program this year with a friend. It will be interesting, and hopefully fun. We signed up at MurderMysteryQuilt.com. I’m excited to embark on this year-long quilting experience!
Sew the Quilt to Solve the Crime
All quilt block of the month programs are a little different. They’re often referred to as QBOMs. Some send you a pattern and fabric every month and others just send you the block design. The Murder Mystery Quilt program I joined just sends the pattern and you get to choose all your own fabric. Additionally, this program sends you a chapter out of a murder mystery novel to go along with each quilt block. It’s quite unique…
Deborah Moebes is the author behind the Murder Mystery Quilt. The novel this year is called, “Murder on the High Seas.” It’s about an archaeobotanist, Kitty Campbell, who learns of a sunken pirate ship, stolen treasure, a SCUBA accident, and a mysterious potted tropical plant. We get to help Kitty solve the murder case as we sew one new quilt block every month. Some clues are hidden in the blocks themselves and we receive additional clues after submitting a photo of each completed quilt block.
I really like that there is a private Facebook group you can join after you sign up for the Murder Mystery Quilt. You can ask questions and you get to see everyone’s finished blocks. Here is my finished block for January:
Most quilt block of the month programs start in January or June and run for an entire year. That is the case for the Murder Mystery Quilt. I signed up in January. If you want to participate in this Murder Mystery Quilt program, you need to sign up by February 10th. Registration is limited.
If you missed the deadline, there are a few QBOMs you can start at any time of the year. Check out this post if you’re interested: 8 Block of the Month Clubs You Can Join Anytime.
I only joined the Murder Mystery Quilt program because I had a friend that wanted to do it. Some people really like the surprise factor… Personally, I would rather see what the finished quilt will look like before I begin. I also prefer quilts with symmetry and perfectly coordinated colors. With the Murder Mystery Quilt, it is difficult to choose fabric because you don’t know what you’ll be creating in each block ahead of time. Plus, every block will be different because you’re creating a story quilt. If that sounds like fun to you, you’d probably enjoy sewing a mystery quilt.
If you’re like me and want all of your quilt blocks to match, you could try a quilting subscription box. They send you coordinated fabric that you can then quilt however you want. If you’re interested, I created a list of 17 Quilting Subscription Boxes to Grow Your Fabric Stash.
I’m doing the MMQ for the second year. It’s such fun! Last year we had some amazing group members and we had good chats about all sorts of things. This years group have been more quilting focused. I love mystery quilts. Another (free) mystery quilt group is mystery quilts anonymous which has beautiful designs but can be quite fast paced.
How is your quilt coming? I am mildly obsessed with pirate themed things!!
To be honest, I am so behind on my quilt. I’ve only done the first four blocks! There’s still time to catch up, right!?!?
Since I just learned about the Murder on the High Seas BOM, would it be possible to buy the patterns? I would love to join, but understand that isn’t an option at this point.