Karen Montgomery’s much-anticipated 2026 Brown Bag Mystery — Two Step Tango — has arrived, and this year you get to choose your dance partner! Whether you love the precision of Foundation Paper Piecing (Poppy’s favorite technique) or prefer working with specialty rulers, this year’s mystery gives you two exciting ways to create the same stunning quilt.
Brown Bag Mystery is an annual, exclusive program available only through Sewposium shops. It’s a double mystery and eight weeks of pure sewing fun! Start by choosing a bag based on the featured focal fabric; the coordinating fabrics inside remain a surprise until after purchase. Every bundle is thoughtfully curated by Michelle at Poppy Quilt N Sew with the final quilt design in mind, so you can trust that your colors and prints will come together beautifully.
After you receive your bag, you’ll join Karen Montgomery’s private Facebook group, watch the Welcome Video, and begin preparing your fabrics using the included cutting instructions. The first pattern CLUE will be released in mid-March, with new clues arriving every two weeks until the full design is revealed.
Clue mailing dates from Poppy Quilt N Sew:
Over the course of the program, you’ll not only uncover the mystery quilt step-by-step, but also learn tips, techniques, and construction strategies from Karen herself, along with encouragement from a nationwide community of sewists.
New for 2026, you can choose your preferred construction method:
Use foundation paper pads for crisp points, perfect alignment, and stress-free accuracy. Poppy Quilt N Sew is known for its love of paper piecing and this project is the perfect place to give it a try!
Prefer ruler-based cutting and piecing? You can follow the same mystery using specialty rulers instead. Karen's recommended rulers are
To make your experience even easier, Poppy’s offers:
Finishing Kit – Coordinated border and binding fabric.
Backing Option – A perfectly matched backing for your quilt
Both are optional and sold separately. When you purchase either, our team will personally select fabrics that coordinate beautifully with your specific Brown Bag.
