A few months ago while rummaging around in a cupboard looking for something else, I unearthed a wall quilt I’d started 7 or 8 years ago, maybe. I don’t remember why it was shelved, but for some reason it got tucked away, and I forgot about it. Such a UFO is unusual for me, as I tend to finish one work before starting actual work on the next, although I may be mentally planning the next work, or even capturing an idea in a sample or two until I can give it my full attention. I was pleasantly surprised at how much I like it after all this time.

This discovery came just as SAQA was about to start another challenge. Those challenges go from as little as 30 days up to 100 days, but they’re personal – you don’t have to pay a fee or buy anything – just let the organisers know you’re joining and work out whatever it is you want to work on a bit each day for for the duration of the challenge. Joining gets you access to the private challenge FB page where participants post progress pics and/or comment each day, or as often as possible. It’s always interesting to see progress other people are making from the different stages of their development.

As I had only quilted about 16 or 17 of these 64 blocks, I decided I should aim for at least one block of quilting per day which would be more than enough to see this thing finished by the end of the challenge. Some days I stitched several blocks, and I’ve done other things in between times, but on Day 30, October 21, I pulled out all the stops by quilting the last 3 blocks and facing the edges. Mission accomplished!! I think it will look good over the mantel above the fireplace, as it’s time we had a change on that wall.

It’s funny but I simply cannot remember where I saw this little unit, or if I made it up from seeing some idea somewhere – all I know is it’s stuck in my mind for many years. If anyone familiar with the traditional quilt world knows a name for this unit/block , please let me know!

I first used it as per this sample, made by cutting improvisationally through 2 layers of fabric at once so that rearranging and sewing the pieces together produced a positive and a negative of the pattern. I have no idea what happened to the other one. This litle 4″x4″ sample has been on and off my design wall and in and out of my sample bag for many years. I’ve used it teaching, too, and last time I taught an improv workshop just before the pandemic, one of the students made up an interesting variation on it, which inspired me to explore more possible variations. This kind of exploration could keep me going for a long time. I frequently draw quick rough diagrams to capture an idea – so here are some of the variations I came up with: