Suspense & Mystery

There are those that love suspense and surprises. They thrive on the unknown. They long for that feeling of anticipation and the excitement that accompanies it. There is nothing more exhilarating than those suspended moments of mystery, right? Not to me! I am the type that has to read the last chapter of the novel to know that everything turns out okay. I read the instructions from start to finish so that I know what to expect in each step. From childhood to adolescence I nearly always knew what my birthday gifts would be. However, my mother has honed her skills of secrecy, and I haven't a clue about what I should expect for my birthday this year! Add to that the fact that I still have two weeks until my birthday! Of course, my mother (like so many mothers) knows my character better than I know myself, so, as Jane Austen's Mrs. Bennet would say, "[She] takes delight in vexing me!" For three days now, she has been taunting me with reminders that I will be completely surprised. Then, to add further insult to injury, she informed me (and has repeatedly reminded me) that I actually held her handwritten birthday gift list in my hands! Oh, how I wish that I had known to be nosy last week!

At least, I was able to appease one element of surprise in my life. You see, as a quilter, I thrive on selecting beautiful fabrics. I then take great delight in slicing them up - just to re-piece them into some new pattern. About three months ago, I went to Cotton and Chocolate (one of my favorite local quilt stores). While there, I somehow allowed myself to be manipulated into signing up for the mystery quilt pattern. The premise behind the mystery pattern is that you only receive one step of the quilt's construction per month for six months. This means that when I began the quilt, I had no concept of how the finished product would appear. I selected fabric, which you can see in the attached photo, and stepped out into the unknown! I was so proud of myself for taking such a great leap of faith...which lasted all of 12 hours. I then logged onto the Internet to search out a photo of "Triple Play" by Debbie Caffrey. By the way, I would like to send out a big "THANK YOU" to all those that made this mystery quilt and posted pictures of their completed quilts! I am now completely assured of two things. First, my mystery quilt will be absolutely gorgeous! Second, I can't handle suspense!