Talk about a show-stopping quilt! Feast your eyes on this beauty... Would you believe that the maker is still a fairly new quilter? Have a read through her testimony...
"I started quilting in September 2015 because my Mother in law is a quilter and I thought it would be something fun we could do together. Since I was brand new to it, I reached out to some quilting friends for help. That’s when one of my girlfriends said “You HAVE to join Prairie Quilt Militia. The group is wonderful and Sharon’s patterns are amazing.” This was hands down the best piece of advice I was given! I just finished my very first mystery quilt, and while I was pretty nervous because I’ve never done a mystery quilt, I couldn’t be any happier with the results. It’s a stunning quilt and honestly, had I seen the pattern in a store, I probably wouldn’t have tried it because the finished quilt looks quite complex….not something a newbie would take on. Sharon’s patterns are so easy follow, they are laid out step by step, and I never had any problems following the directions. I’m excited for the next mystery quilt, and have even started choosing fabric so that I can make some of the previous quilts because they are so beautiful. I could go on and on, because Sharon also has some fantastic videos and tips about how to choose your fabric, achieving that scant ¼”, pressing your fabric, etc., but really you should join the group to see for yourselves, plus you’ll get a great community of women who will also support all your quilting endeavors. I highly recommend Prairie Quilt Militia and Love Shack Quilts. Sharon really cares about the people in the group and is always willing to mentor and guide you along the way. Thanks for starting this group Sharon, I learned a lot and I can’t wait to see what you come up with in the future. You have a lifelong membership from this new quilter!"
WOW! Thanks Billie! This quilt was a challenge to use up some of the odd fabrics in your stash, and take them from "Ugly Duckling" to a Beautiful Swan! I'd say that Billie achieved this here in her stunning quilt, wouldn't you? Shall we take a look at some more of these Ugly Ducklings?
This one was made by Sandra Bakka. Here's what she had to say about being a member of my quilting group. "Being a member of Prairie Quilt Militia has been great for me. Doing mystery quilts is a great way to use my stash. I live seeing what everyone else is using. Such a wide variety of fabrics. My goal is to only use stash fabrics for my mystery quilts. Considering I am always adding to the stash, this shouldn't be hard!"
Rita Fanning downsized the pattern and made 6" blocks instead of 12" blocks in the quilt below. What a fabulous job! Her comments, "I joined Sharon on her mystery adventure with POF Plenty of Fish. To date I have done seven of her mystery quilts and two block of the month quilts. She stretches us as quilters, is working on making me a scrap quilter. I have been so impressed with the quality of her patterns and her instructions are so clear. Sharon's quilting tips, videos, and accessibility can't be beat. If you haven't already, jump on board!"
And another one by Norma Herbold , "When Sharon proposed an "Ugly duckling" as our next mystery made from our ugly fabrics, I knew i had plenty to choose from. Although not my normal color choices, I ended up with a rust/brown/green color theme. This was my fourth "Sharon Mystery" and this time I decided to go with a coordinated background bought on sale (which only when I realized I was short of fabric did I realize was a Christmas Ivy...Lucky me, I found more on quilt shops.com. I really wasn't enamored with the fabrics when I was going through the steps, but as the blocks came together and went on the wall, it really began to grow on me. At one point I was fairly sure it was going to be a donation top...but now...I'm having it quilted! I love the adventures of a mystery, Sharon's directions, flannel on my ironing board, and best press!
Lets take a look at a few more! I am just so delighted at how wonderfully these quilts turned out, all from the scrap bin!
Want to make an Ugly Duckling from your own scraps? If you join the Militia now, you'll get this pattern, many more, and get a jump start on my next mystery starting Sept 1, "Modern Miss, With a Twist". You'll also get to participate in my next BOM, "The Great Divide" that starts Jan/17. After that, another mystery "Cheap Thrills" begins in March.