(Originally released February 2007)

If you can make an HST then you can make this lovely Valentines Day surprise. It takes three different fabrics, or, if you prefer the scrappy look, fabrics from three distinct color families. As usual, the higher the contrast the better your final results will be — unless of course you prefer muted quilts.

I ran into a couple problems when I was figuring out the yardage I used on this quilt. First of all I live in Canada so I buy all my fabric in meters, not yards, and secondly I made some changes to the pattern after I did all the measuring. Therefore, while I think 3/4’s of a yard of each fabric should be enough, I’d suggest making sure you have a yard of each — just in case. That way, you should even have some left over for borders :). If, after completing this mystery, you’d be willing to share with me how much fabric it took you, I’d love to hear it. Email me at Rhonda@jofigure.com

This is my first mystery and was created for the Mailblocks quilting group. I wanted it to be something even the most inexpirienced quilter could do with confidence — as such, it’s extremely simple but really quite charming just the same.

It could be done over a weekend, but I’d suggest giving it a week — so that you don’t go mad from making HSTs. The end result is approx. 40″ x 40″ without any borders.

 ~ Step One ~ Step Two ~ Step Three ~ Step Four ~ Step Five ~ Step Six ~ Step Seven ~ Finished Projects ~