Lots of Updates and Free Motion Mavericks

Hello and welcome 😊. I've had another busy week keeping up with SAHRR (Stay at Home Round Robin), January's OMG (One Monthly Goal) and TSC (Table Scraps Challenge) - so many acronyms, I feel like I'm back at work....oh yes, I have been putting some hours in my very part-time contract. Phew - that does sound busy 😁!

Getting caught up with making blocks

Last week I made 4 lovely Art Square blocks for week 1 of SAHRR, for the Christmas panel. On the weekend, I made 2 Art Square blocks for the Cowboy panel. In the first block, I used a print of wild horses galloping in the mountains. I'm going to be using a lot of that one!

Art Block for the Cowboy panel

The next block has two of the same fabrics but with denim squares for a totally different look.

Cowboy panel with the 2 Art Square blocks

For week 2 of the SAHRR, we are making blocks with half-square triangles (HST). This time, before tacking any blocks, I looked online and found the make-2 and make-8 HST at a time. I used the make-8 HST and made a Friendship Star block from the Jelly Roll Sampler Quilt book by Pam Lintott and Nicky Lintott. In the image below, it's the block on the left with the lamas. 

I also made another block with fabric that I wanted to showcase. The bison is perfect, so I just added borders to make it 6½". Speaking of borders, I did the same thing with the Friendship Star block. In a moment of inattention, I trimmed the block to 6" and then realised that I had no seam allowance - thus the addition of a border. Necessity is the mother of invention! 😉

Cowboy panel with 4 blocks

The Christmas panel got two more blocks with HST except that I made them using the stitch and flip technique - where you pin a square onto your base, sew diagonally across the square and Voilà! a triangle made in another technique. 

Two week 2 blocks with one of the Art Square blocks

For the Christmas panel, I found a block called Fairy Floss block (#755 designed by Helen Stubbings in the Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks, vol. 8.)  The original block is 12" with embroidery around the hexies. I reduced it to 6½" and had a great time playing with hexies. For the second block, I just used a lovely fabric and made the same type of border using the stitch and flip method to add the triangles.

Hexies in the middle of my block

"Snow Happens" - January's OMG

I finished the border on "Snow Happens" last week and today I started quilting it. I used a white cotton fabric for the back since it's a wall hanging that won't get dirty. I used my walking foot with a slightly larger stitch than my machine's default. I stitched on both sides of the blue border and then on the white background where the diamond border starts. I stitched around the bottom row of the diamonds in the border. It went well. It won't take me long to finish the quilting. I will probably FMQ around the snow people. I'm not sure if I'll have to do more. Less might be better in this instance (I can't believe that I just said that!)

Quilting around the borders and diamonds with a walking foot

From the back - walking foot quilting in progress

Table Scraps Challenge - January 

The colour for January's TSC is pink. I've been wanting to make another Kawandi style mat for a while since I gave away the three that I've done so far. This one is very special to me and will remain in my home. The base is made from a placemat that my mother made when she first started quilting. 

I forgot to take pictures before I cut up the placemat. It was much larger than I needed so I cut it and used a QAYG (quilt as you go) technique to put it back together. I had binding left from the part that I cut off, so I attached it to both pieces. 

If you're wondering about the piece of pinwheel fabric at the back, well, when I was sewing the fabric down (on the other side), I managed to sew a strip of fabric that got stuck to the back. It was very difficult to remove, so I added a bit of the fabric to the back, since it obviously wanted to be there. 😁

The back of my Kawandi style mat - a repurposed placemat made by my mother.

I used mostly pink, purple and blue fabric scraps. Like the last Kawandi style piece I last made, I stitched the pieces by machine to the back. It's just so much easier to handle while stitching. This time I decided to leave the binding showing on the sides.

Scraps stitched down, ready to quilt.

This is the progress that I've done. It's slow going but so pleasant and peaceful to stitch. Isn't it amazing how the look of the fabric changes after it's been stitched? 

Kawandi Style mat - in progress

Kawandi Style mat - progress from the back

What I learned

• I haven't made quilt blocks in a long time but I'm pretty happy with my results. When I concentrate, I seem to be doing well. I do pull seams apart if they are too wonky but for the most part, they are presentable. 
• It really does show that practice makes better. My blocks are better this week than last week's.
• I've had fun looking in the few magazines and books of blocks that I have. I'm always looking for very simple blocks 😊.
• Making blocks for two panels is a lot but as long as I make at least one block for each panel each week, I'm happy. When I get closer to the end, I'll probably repeat a few blocks to give it cohesion.
• After getting some good suggestions on my "Snow Happens" diamonds, I briefly considered fixing the two sides but when I thought about it, it was just too complicated and really not worth the frustration. Besides the recipient of the wall hanging is quite OK with it as it is.
• I changed the photo of "Snow Happens" above since it was really bad in the evening light. 
• I really love working on the Kawandi Style mat and I've taken out scraps to make another one - this time for my niece. It'll be in more neutral pallet....just because I love her!😍

Related links

• Secrets for Perfect Flying Geese from Alderwood Studio
• Jelly Roll Sampler Quilt book by Pam Lintott and Nicky Lintott
• Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks, vol. 8
• SAHRR and Snow Happens on Free Motion Mavericks, January 23, 2025
• Plans for 2025 (including SAHRR) and Free Motion Mavericks, January 15, 2025
• A Different Kind of Agenda and Fabric Cover and January's OMG, January 09, 2025

Linking parties

I'll be linking up to many fun linking parties, including Week 2 of the SAHRR with Anja, January's One Monthly Goal (OMG) and January's Table Scraps Challenge. Monday Musings, Design Wall Monday, Sew & Tell, Needle & Thread Thursday, Off The Wall Friday, Finished (Or Not) Friday, Beauties Pageant, TGIFF, Patchwork & Quilts, 15 Minutes to Stitch 2024, Oh Scrap!, Slow Sunday Stitching, Put your foot down,

Free Motion Mavericks

Welcome to week 517 of Free Motion Mavericks! It was a very productive week! Thanks for linking up. Here are the projects from last week that included FMQ, ruler work or walking foot quilting. 

Melva linked up her finished flimsy of Red Skies as well as her finish! What a gorgeous quilt.😊

Melva's Red Skies - a real scrappy beauty!

Melva even dreamt about how to finish quilting it! Read more about it here.

Melva's Red Skies - lovely FMQ

Donnalee bought fabric and made two winter runners. They are really lovely.

Donnalee's new winter runner

Another winter runner by Donnalee

It's now your turn!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter