Twelve Mystery Blocks of the Month

Over the past year I’ve been making mystery blocks of the month to complete Sherri’s mystery block a month quilt alongside the charity quilts I’ve made from the test blocks, which I named my ‘stretch project’.

Twelve months, or more accurately twelve blocks later I’ve realised that now the real work starts! My quilt hasn’t miraculously come together of its own accord, that’s clearly down to me. Sherri shared detailed instructions on how to assemble and finish the quilt, and I am broadly following them, but broadly is the key word here.

If you’ve been following my making journey for each of the blocks you’ll have seen each one on its own, but you won’t have seen them together.

Until now that is.

Don’t they look great?

I’m so glad I chose to add a second ‘green’ log cabin border option early on in the block assembly road. I know now that I wouldn’t have had enough of the original greens to keep them consistent throughout the quilt, and as they were designs I’d had for a while topping up my supply wasn’t an easy option.

The spacing between the blocks in the photo was to help me decide which sashing and borders to add, but before we get to that, here’s a reminder of each month’s blocks:

• January’s house

• February’s vintage star

• March’s heart

• April’s friendship star

• May’s flower bud

• June’s happy friendship star

• July’s churn dash

• August’s patchwork star

• September’s basket

• October’s Ohio star

• November’s Dresden quarter circle

• December’s scrappy star.

My plan to finish this quilt

Each of the log cabin (outer) strips on the monthly blocks are 2.5 inches so with seam allowances each piece is 2 inches wide. Sherri suggests using two 1.5inch sashes between each block, so the overall finished width would be 2.5 inches, but I wanted to maximise the width, as far as I can without it looking daft - but also to use the material I already had.

In the end with a fair bit of ‘mathing’ I worked out that my sashing (internal borders) between blocks could be 2 inches at the most, so with two sashes the same width, that’s 3.5 inches when complete, which I’m happy with.

By far the trickier decision was deciding on which fabrics to use, and I spent a lot of time staring at fabrics on my kitchen floor.

A lot of time.

And a lot of time swapping in and out different colourways and patterns. But I have finally decided, and my sashings are cut. They’re not sewn yet, but they are cut so there’s no going back now!

I have also decided on the colours for, and sewn, the ‘posts’ which will be at the intersections of each block, and while the colours complement the internal border colours they aren’t from the same fabrics, so you’ll have to wait until the quilt top is completed to see it in its entirety.

I’ve decided to add three outer borders around the whole quilt, which will add to the width of the quilt, and I’ve chosen the fabrics for these. I haven’t decided on the width for each border, but my instinct is to start with a narrow(er) border nearest to the quilt blocks and widen the borders as I go. More ‘mathing’ will be needed when I reach this stage, as my remaining material is limited, and while I think it’s enough I don’t have an endless supply.

It’s been a decision heavy time for this quilt, so while I was in decision making mode I even selected which fabric to use as a binding, eschewing my usual scrappy approach. Even I’m shocked at myself!

There’s still plenty of sewing to be done, but I’m really looking forward to seeing how this comes together.

A year of my 'stretch' project

Around this time last year I rather foolishly (with hindsight!) set myself what I said at the time was a ‘potentially crazy project’ as part of my quilt plans for 2025. It was borne out of wanting to make use of the test blocks I was determined to make so that my mystery block of the month quilt would be the best it could be.

The thing about setting myself this challenge, however crazy it seemed, was that it became a thing that I didn’t want to fail at, even though back then, and every month since, I said I wouldn’t know if I could do it unless I tried…

Well I tried, and I succeeded!

Not only have I made the equivalent of a quilt a month for charity, I’ve also improved my sewing skills and sewing confidence too. I hoped that I would also sew through my stash rather more than I have, and while I clearly have shifted a fair bit of fabric, I’m very much of the opinion that scraps of fabric breed when you’re not looking!

Seriously.

But I have a plan for dealing with that in 2026, as you knew I would, but more of that another day.

My ‘stretch’ project quilts

These quilts aren’t the largest quilts, but the are big enough to give a quilt-sized hug to children that need one. They have been/will be donated to Project Linus who provide quilts to children who are sick, disabled, disadvantaged or distressed through the donation of new, handmade, washable quilts and blankets.

They are:

1. A log cabin log cabin

2. A mostly repurposed vintage star

3. Four pink hearts and a hug

4. The Friendly Bee

5. Pleated Tulips

6. A Raspberry Plus

7. Half the Scraps

8. Blues and greens

9. Marmalade hearts

10. Ohio flower garden

11. My Dresden buttercup

12. Stars and spots
    

PICTURED (FROM BOTTOM): BLUES AND GREENS, MARMALADE HEARTS, OHIO FLOWER GARDEN, MY DRESDEN BUTTERCUP AND STARS AND SPOTS WHICH ARE WAITING TO BE DONATED TO PROJECT LINUS

Lesson learned

I am proud to have finished all of these quilts and to donate them to charity, but I won’t be setting myself any such similar challenges for this year, though I will still continue to make quilts for charity. What I found was that this was the focus of my sewing time, and it meant that I didn’t spend anywhere near as much time as I hoped on the other quilts on my list, or on garment sewing - though of course, I found there’s always time to make a pouch or two!

Treasures from another age at Coleton Fishacre

Following on from a look at the gardens in winter, today I’m sharing some of the items which caught my eye as we looked around the 1920s Arts and Crafts house, the country home of the D’Oyly Carte family and a must see for anyone interested in that era, and with a love for the elegance of Art Deco.

What I like about the house is that there’s always something new to see, our visit this time was before Christmas and the house was dressed for hosting a lavish party, with plenty of feathers used on the dining table and in between the branches of the Christmas trees.

At first it was the shape of this side table which caught my eye, and then I noticed the well-read books…

And my eye kept being caught as we moved through the house, what with the vanity sets, the tiles in the bathroom and the concoctions on the shelf below the mirror!

I even found a sewing kit, and a grand looking one at that. I couldn’t see what was in the containers, but I did approve of the glass alongside the gorgeous wooden box!

They really do evoke opulence and belong to a different age don’t they?

Then we headed downstairs to the ‘downstairs’ part of the house, which in this case is actually on the ground floor, but there were plenty of ‘downstairs’ items on display - note the blanc-mange recipe on the pudding basin, which of course would be upside down if you were actually using it as a bowl.

In the dining room I was met with the opulence of feathers and crystal - it looks like it was going to be a good party!

Moving into the library a couple more things caught my eye, including somewhere well used for all those telegrams and a nifty looking decoration on the tree made from a playing card - now that’s some inspiration isn’t it?

It’s often the little things you notice that makes these properties come to life, and it’s no different with the treasures on display during this visit to Coleton Fishacre.

And I really do need to work out how that tree decoration goes together….