Every Mystery, She Sewed case comes with riddles. Some arrive with the weekly clues, and some I posted live in the community while a case was running, so the non-stitchers could play detective too. They were far too much fun to leave buried in old posts, so here are five of my favourites from the first two cases.
Fair warning for future detectives: the answers reveal a few of the objects that turn up in the stories, but nothing about whodunit. Your verdicts are safe.
Prefer the full sets? Each case now has its own complete riddle file: Cold Case in Room 13 and The Haunted Quilt of Hollow Manor, both with their final week riddles tucked behind spoiler covers.
Riddle one, from Cold Case in Room 13
I shine without light,
I’m worn but not tired.
I hold someone’s name,
though it’s not admired.
I’m pinned with intent,
but I don’t stitch a thread.
Look too closely,
and you might end up dead.
What am I?
Riddle two, from Cold Case in Room 13
A single drop can end it all,
It’s small, unseen, and deadly still.
No blade, no sound, no smoke, no fire,
Just one sip, and you expire.
What is it?
Riddle three, from Cold Case in Room 13
I’m soft but not silent,
A witness with no voice.
I was there in the moment,
Though I didn’t have a choice.
I caught it all,
The tear, the trace,
But now I’m folded,
Out of place.
What am I?
Riddle four, from The Haunted Quilt of Hollow Manor
I hang in halls but never walk,
I hold memories though never talk.
Stitched with care yet torn with fright,
I vanish only in the dead of night.
What am I?
Riddle five, from The Haunted Quilt of Hollow Manor
I rest where whispers never fade,
Bound by wax yet unafraid.
I keep the truths that others burn,
But open me, and you may learn.
What am I?
How did you do, detective?
No peeking until you have a guess for all five.
Reveal the answers
- A brooch. Worn, pinned, holding a name, and rather important to the case.
- Poison. Silent, deadly, and hidden in plain sight.
- A handkerchief. Folded, quiet, and holding far more than it seemed.
- A quilt. It hangs, it holds memories, and at Hollow Manor it did not stay put.
- A sealed letter. Bound by wax, keeping truths that someone tried to burn.
If you solved three or more, I would like to formally recommend you for a case. Each mystery runs for four weeks, with clues and original machine embroidery designs arriving by email, riddles included. Every design fits a 4 x 4 inch hoop and complete beginners are welcome.
New riddles run live on the Facebook page whenever a case is in season, and the cases themselves are always open on the Case Board. Bring your magnifying glass.