Hello and welcome 😊 Has your winter started yet? Apparently the weather here is cold enough for the Rideau Canal to be open for skating - so it's officially winter in Ottawa. The weather inside my studio is lovely so stuff is getting done! My plans for 2026 are ambitious, but at least I'm working on them.
FMQ the Cowboy panel quilt (SAHRR 2025)
I stitched-in-the-ditch most of the quilt and it was time to start quilting the blocks. I used the walking foot for the quilting that was straight lines and then switched to the FM or darning foot for the rest. I'm very happy to report that my tension was perfect even with the cotton thread.
Here are a few of the blocks. Some of them were quilted in straight lines with the walking foot.
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| Straight line quilting |
Other blocks got a mix of straight line quilting and then FMQ.
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| Straight line and FMQ for this block |
Some blocks were FMQ.
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| Lots of fun FMQ |
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FMQ with dark variegated thread.
The cow will be outlined in another colour. |
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FMQ with the possibility of adding
more details on the hat and boots |
I worked through the quilt by colour. The straight lines were mostly done with blue thread. I then started FMQ with the dark variegated thread and finally a soft gray polyester thread. Once I finish quilting the blocks, I'll tackle the panel. I really don't mind following the fabric's pattern but I have to be careful to actually stitch on the line! 😁
First baby quilt in the making
My youngest adult child has three friends who are having babies so we are making them baby quilts. JJ helped me decide on the patterns and the fabric. This first quilt is from the Martingale book, Modern Baby. We chose the Square Dance pattern because we want to include fabric that relates to the parents' hobbies and lives.
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| Square Dance pattern |
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| Modern Baby by Martingale |
I'm using my stash of Kona cottons to make the shapes while the squares within will be novelty fabric to reflect their interests and of course baby.
This is what the quilt looks like so far. Unfortunately my design wall is not wide enough, but you get the idea.
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| The first row of the quilt |
The first block is a Star Wars fabric, the second is cute dinosaurs, the third fabric has a rainbow and flowers and says "Be happy, be kind, be you" and the fourth fabric is adventure themed.
It took me a while to figure things out because the pattern assumes that you'll make all of the same pieces at once. Since I'm using the fabric I have, I had to figure out how to make each block. The trickiest part was to make the half square triangles with three different fabrics. It took a few tries but I got it! I'm happy to report that I didn't have to use the seam ripper much 😁
I've made a rough plan to keep me organised.
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| The plan to keep me on track |
Embroidery
Yesterday I finally put away our Christmas tree. Now I have my slow stitching space back in our living room. I started by stitching the year in the next square of my Not so daily stitching project. I couldn't help stitching it in white 😀 as a nod to the silly colour of the year, but I then had to add a bit of colour!
I also experimented with the turkey stitch. I stitched it in beautiful silk yarn. Our local yarn store is closing since the owner is retiring. I've been in there a few times in the last couple of months to pick up some beautiful yarns to embroider with. You can get quite a bit when it's 40-50% off.
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| Practicing the turkey stitch with silk yarn |
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| before the haircut! |
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| Turkey stitch with a trim |
This was very much a practice block, but I guess I should add a little something to make it more cohesive.
I've been wanting to practice this stitch but didn't remember its name. Fleur Woods, the textile artist that I took a course from last year is offering the same course again and since I registered last year, I can participate in this one. I reviewed parts of the course and found the turkey stitch. I want to use this in the last coiled project that I was working on to add flowers to the piece. The turkey stitch will be perfect!
What I learned- I've really enjoyed quilting the cowboy panel quilt. With so many blocks to quilt, it's fun to jump from one to another to use the same coloured thread.
- Since my tension is doing great, I don't even have to change the bobbin thread except from dark to light to match the top thread.
- I do enjoy FMQ by following the lines in the fabric images. It's just getting harder to stay on the line but I'm OK if I take it slowly.
- I'm also FMQ with a strong pair of reading glasses, that has a clip-on magnifier attached to them. What a difference it makes. I now have two sets (upstairs and down) and use them to embroider and get that darn thread/yarn into the needle!
- I really enjoyed figuring out the Square Dance baby pattern. I should be able to use the Kona solids from my stash. We also have some really cool novelty fabrics to choose from.
- I've been really scattered and overwhelmed during the last week. Today doing some slow stitching really helped to calm me down. I feel so much better. 😊
Coming up
Things are getting busy so I'm going to use this space to keep myself organised!
- This week's prompt for Project Quilting is plaid - the finished project is due Sunday.
- Round 1 of SAHRR 2026 is now out - it's the hour glass block. I need to get fabric from my stash and make at least one block. The linking party closes on Monday.
- The Cowboy panel quilt is my January OMG - I have until January 31th to post it.
- The blue house for A Quilter's Cove QAL needs to be done by January 31th so that I can host the linking party!
Related links
Linking parties
I'll be linking up to many fun linking parties. Why not check some out, after you've linked up below?
Put your foot down,
Off The Wall Friday,
Finished (Or Not) Friday,
Patchwork & Quilts,
15 Minutes to Stitch 2026,
Oh Scrap!,
Slow Sunday Stitching,
Monday Musings,
Sew & Tell,
I Quilted This!
Welcome to the I Quilted This! linking party. I'll be featuring the projects from last week's party that included FMQ, ruler work or walking foot quilting. Thank you everyone who linked up. Feel free to grab the button.
Kat of Scrapbox Quilts quilted another charity quilt with a donated flimsy and backing. Kat quilted this
baby quilt in a continuous circle.
Melva, of Melva Loves Scraps, made a quilted panel for her
t-shirt. Melva quilted the block before adding it to the t-shirt using a reverse appliqué technique. If you're interested, read her post to find out how to make your own!
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| Melva's finished t-shirt with a quilt block |
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| Melva and her Arches National Park t-shirt |
Preeti of Sew Preeti Quilts participated in the
Starry Seas Blog Hop. Her quilt, Dawn to Dusk, was inspired by her commute. You'll want to check out her post for more details of the story.
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