Registration Open: The Murder Mystery Quilt 2018

Murder Mystery Quilt a year long block of the month club

It’s back!  The Murder Mystery Quilt is now open for registration for next year.  I am so, so excited–will you come play with us?

For the past two years, I have had the honor and the pleasure of sewing alongside over 1500 quilters who love to read, and who have made new friends while sewing a mystery quilt.  These are smart, funny folks who enjoy a good story and a good puzzle, and who are having a ball putting the two together in a sewing project that lasts all year!  Registration is open NOW for an all-new quilt and an all-new story.  Come play with us next year and sew the quilt to solve the crime!

register now button pink

The Murder Mystery Quilt is a monthly subscription club that reads along together and stitches up a quilt to find clues and solve the murder mystery contained in the story.  

Members receive a chapter from a mystery story each month, and a pattern for a quilt block.  The quilt block relates directly to the chapter you’ve read, and contains an additional clue (or clues!) to help unravel the plot.  There are 12 blocks, one for each month of the year, and every quilter gets one guess as to who the killer is.  All the correct guesses are put in a bucket, and a winner is drawn for a giant prize basket of quilting goodies and fabric!  There’s also a second prize for those who complete the quilt top, regardless of whether they made a correct guess, so that everyone has a chance to win–even if you feel more like a Watson than a Holmes.  (After all, Holmes was a little bit of an egomaniac who didn’t like to share credit, but it was always Watson who supplied the necessary connections to get to the solution, right?)

A year-long quilting project can seem like one more thing to keep up with.  I think the story alone keeps you motivated–like the original Sherlock Holmes mysteries, this one is a serial and so you’re compelled by the characters and the plot to read anew each month.  I’ve also added a layer of extra motivation: every month, when you complete your block and share your finish to our private Facebook group or on Instagram, you get an ADDITIONAL clue via email to help you find the solution!  That’s a total of 12 extra clues that will give you a glimpse of whodunit, on top of the clues in the text and the clues in the quilt.

Along the way, you’ll receive monthly emails with encouragement and discussion, and access to our password-protected dedicated website where you can download chapters, patterns, instructions and little extras (coloring pages! connect-the-dots!) as we go along.  Our private Facebook group gives you a chance to chat with other quilters about this or any other project, and really get connected to community in 2018.

Any level quilter is welcome, and the patterns are written with lots of clear step-by-step instructions in full color.  You’ll find our community is super helpful, and that seeing their blocks posted is inspiring not just for this project, but for all your sewing!  Members come from all over the world to play with us, and in the past we’ve included quilters from the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom, Canada, France, Portugal, and more.

Are you intrigued?  I hope you’ll sew along with me!  This project is a dream come true for me, and I have loved, loved, loved every single second I have spent putting it together.  I can’t wait to get started.  Come hunt clues in 2018!

Join us!  We need your brainpower and we want to play with you.  Read more about the Murder Mystery Quilt here.  Registration is open now!  Sign up early, as spots are limited.  Last day to register is January 31, 2018.

join for 2018 button

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  • Tamara
    January 2, 2018 at 9:33 am

    I am writing on behalf of my mom, an avid quilter. My mom is interested in doing your challenge but she is not on either Face Book or Instagram. Is there a way she can still fully participate including getting the bonus info?
    Please contact me ASAP. Thank you.

    • Deborah
      January 2, 2018 at 1:05 pm

      Hi, Tamara! Absolutely! All the content is housed on our website, which also hosts a community forum and active comments section–she’ll be able to make friends and interact with other members, ask questions, and share ideas right on the site, without needing Facebook or Instagram. Hope that helps, and please let me know if you have other questions! 🙂

  • Rene Gellings
    January 3, 2018 at 10:25 am

    when will the first instructions be released?

    • Deborah
      January 4, 2018 at 10:50 am

      The first block and chapter arrive on January 10, and a new one every second Wednesday in 2018! Hope that helps!

  • Melissa Steinkuhl
    January 4, 2018 at 6:50 am

    I would like to see last years quilts. I am a beginner and not sure if I have the skill set.

    • Deborah
      January 4, 2018 at 10:46 am

      Hi, Melissa! We have lots of beginners in our group! Every pattern is written with full-color illustrations, and plenty of support and encouragement from me and our members. You can browse some of the finished quilts from last year on Instagram, using #murdermysteryquilt2017 (but keep in mind that this year’s quilt is a different design). Hope that helps, we would love to solve crime with you today!

  • Jessica Gookin
    January 4, 2018 at 9:53 am

    Do you give the fabric requirements for the entire quilt in the beginning or just per block monthly?
    I am interested in joining your group but am not sure about a sample type quilt.

    • Deborah
      January 4, 2018 at 10:45 am

      Hi, Jessica! You receive the fabric requirements immediately upon registration, for the entire year. Because it’s a sampler-style, there is some flexibility, and it’s also very scrap friendly. Hope that helps, we would love to quilt with you this year! 🙂

      • Jessica Gookin
        January 4, 2018 at 1:24 pm

        Yes it does.
        I am leery about a year long deal during the summers at work leave no time for anything else.
        I will ponder this some more and maybe join.
        Thank you much for your quick response!

        • Deborah
          January 4, 2018 at 9:49 pm

          Happy to do it! (And if it’s any sway, we usually schedule slightly less time-intensive blocks for the summer months, when many of us in the northern hemisphere are busy with family or travel. It helps lighten the load a bit and keep us all on track to finish together!)

  • Peggy
    January 7, 2018 at 5:34 pm

    I’ve joined but I can’t access any further information. Has anything else been posted?

    • Deborah
      January 9, 2018 at 8:25 pm

      Hi, Peggy! All the content lives on the Murder Mystery Quilt website. Just use the link in the menu that says Member Sign In and you’re there! 🙂

  • Renie
    January 10, 2018 at 10:57 pm

    I registered for the Murder Mystery quilt but haven’t received anything. Have I not been looking in the right place? I am excited to get this started.

    • Deborah
      January 11, 2018 at 10:42 pm

      Hi, Renie! All the content can be found on the Murder Mystery Quilt site–just login and you’re there: https://murdermysteryquilt.com/login/

      Have fun!

  • Mary Ellen Carhart
    January 18, 2018 at 4:25 pm

    I registered and.paid on 6 Jan. I have not received any information.

    • Deborah
      January 19, 2018 at 1:25 pm

      Hi, Mary Ellen! Simply log on to the site and all the content is available to you. Use this link, and you’ll be automatically redirected to the main page, where you can scroll down and find every post! Hope that helps!
      https://murdermysteryquilt.com/login

  • Donna
    February 7, 2018 at 9:02 am

    I just saw your blog post. Is the registration closed for the mystery quilt or do you still have openings? I think my quilt bee would love to do this. I love reading mystery stories. Let me know. Thanks

    • Deborah
      February 9, 2018 at 11:03 am

      I’ve sent you an email, Donna! Hope we get to quilt and solve crime with you this year! 🙂

  • Sandra
    February 20, 2018 at 3:47 pm

    Finished second block yesterday evening … am I DELIGHTED with my color selections. Grand fun … onward and upward. Thanks Debra.

    • Deborah
      February 22, 2018 at 12:51 pm

      Hooray!! I am just thrilled to have you along for the ride this year! 🙂

  • Sally Smith
    May 1, 2018 at 12:58 pm

    Our quilt group is currently working on the 2018 Murder Mystery Quilt. We were wondering if there is a photo of the 2017 quilt available? Also, is the pattern available and what is the cost?

    Thanks,
    Sally

  • Mischell Smith
    October 3, 2018 at 1:03 pm

    I got a post from you about the 2018 quilt and it is Oct 2018 are the dates wrong?did you mean to say that the quilt was for 2019? The dead line for signing up is January 2019th ? Let me know if so I’m interested in joining up.xoxox????

    • Deborah
      November 19, 2018 at 5:27 pm

      Hi, Mischell! Yes, the 2019 quilt is now registering–you can see all the details here: http://murdermysteryquilt.com We would love to quilt and solve crime with you next year! 🙂