YES for those of you who've asked, we are running this program again. But... we're making some changes to it...

The biggest change? Instead of uploading each months "clue" directly to the blog, we'll be uploading it as a pattern for you to "buy". The pattern will be uploaded the fourth Wednesdays* of the next six months, and will be FREE for 48 hours- after that you can buy the pattern for $3.99 at any point afterword's. We'll be announcing each months block, and linking it on the blog so don't stress about finding it on our website.

Since this is the first month- and this is a big change to the program- this months "clue" will be free for the next two weeks. 

Why are we making this particular change? A big part of it, is to allow us to track how may people are participating in the program. Another part of it... Frankly- it's an attempt to communicate with you guys that we put time and effort into this program, and even though its free- it does have value! 

The next change? This years quilt will be pictorial! Because of that you'll notice our suggested colors are in "groups" of several shades of the same color- we promise we have a plan and though it might sound strange it WILL work in the end. The suggested yardages include a generous cushion for mistakes (its good luck!), but this will be a good quilt to buy as you go (or pull from your stash if you like scrappy). Because many of the units will be traditional blocks, you are also welcome to ignore all of our fabric suggestions, and just make things how you will like it.  You would just probably need to change the final layout.

Before we move on to yardage requirement and such, lets clarify the guidelines for this program?
-We are sponsoring this program in conjunction with the Linn County Fair Quilt Show. Eligible quilts can be entered and displayed at this fair- and we send in a judge (not one of us... we pick someone unrelated to the program) who picks their favorite. The winner receives a $100 gift certificate to Yankee Dutch Quilting!
- What changes can you make to the pattern to be eligible? Most anything! you can re-size, rearrange,  embellish, and add to it. So long as we can recognize the pattern itself- its eligible!
-The pattern/clue will be uploaded the fourth Wednesday of each month (through February 2024) and available free for 48 hours. After that each clue is available for $3.99.

All that being said, here is the recommended yardage for this year’s Linn County Mystery Quilt.  We have written it up for two colorways, but please feel free to use your imagination and tweak it!  ( think 70’s reproduction, cottage core , sweet homestead) For those where the degrees of shades matter, we listed how they would be read in the block (primary, accent, background) to help you choose your fabrics.
Group A:  below you'll see the fabrics WE would pick... for a "prairie" look, or a "modern farmhouse" look.
Dark: 1 1/4 yards
Medium: 1 1/4yards
Light: 1 1/4 yard
We've picked three reds for the "prairie" look- and three grays for  "modern farmhouse"!

Group B:
- Dark Gray: 1/4 yard
-Medium Gray: 1/4 yard
For this color group you'll definetly want to stay in the gray color range... no matter chosen color scheme! (remember this is a pictorial quilt!)
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Group C:
-Dark Green: 1/2 yard
-Light/Medium Green: 1/2 yard
For this color group it's best to stick with greens- below we've got some suggestions for our color schemes!

Group D:
-Dark Yellow/Gold: 1/4 yard
-Medium Yellow/Gold: 1/4 yard
-Light Yellow/Gold: 1/4 yard
For this color group its best to stick to yellows/gold/oranges!

Group E: Background
Background 1: 1 1/2 yards
Background 2: 1 1/2 yards
Background 3: 1 1/2 yards
We've got some suggestion below for our chosen colorways but get as creative as you want with this one!

The quilt is going to be 54” inches when finished. When your purchasing your fabric, think about the size you might want to expand it to, and buy some more of the fabric you really love to include for any borders you may decide to add on!


​*Unless there's an emergency on our part... 

Click the item below to download your first clue!
You'll have to click the item (either the 'title' or the 'shop' button), add it to your cart, and follow the prompts to "buy" the clue. At that point you'll receive an email containing a PDF of the clue (aka pattern)

If you can't see it... click on the blog post itself and make sure you have a full view!