Free-Wheeling Friends!
Many of you are down the homestretch on finishing your Free-Wheeling Single Girl quilt this week, and I hope you're very proud of yourself for getting there! (And if you're behind a week or so, so what?!) You should all be proud of yourselves for making a commitment to carving out creative time—however long it takes—to get to the “finish” line!

The goal this week is to complete your Ring Blocks, and sew them together to finish (or make progress on) your quilt top. 

 

To be eligible to win our Week 4 prizes (scroll all the way down👇🏻 to see these and our Week 3 winners!):

 

1. Post a photo of your finished quilt OR your progress on Instagram by midnight October 26 (ET) with hashtag #FWSGSAL25, and 

 

2. Comment on the official week 4 post on @dsquilts feed (below). 

You've mastered sewing the curves, and you've got a bunch of blocks. What's next? What about that extra “wiggle room” added into the pattern, how do I trim my blocks?

 

If you read through your pattern, the instructions say to “square up” your blocks to 11-¼ inches square. Some of you will have blocks with extra to trim off, some of you may have blocks that are short of 11-¼ inches. Not to worry! Here are the most important things to keep in mind when trimming your blocks:

 

• All your blocks are square (same dimension on all sides with right angle corners), and the same size. If your smallest block is 11 inches when squared up, it's not the end of the world—just use 11 inches as your target measurement when squaring up the rest of your blocks.

 

• Trim your blocks consistently, so the ring seams line up within each grouping of four blocks. That's the goal, but remember that slight mis-alignments will barely be noticeable in the end. Don't sweat it if things aren't perfecty-perfect!

Before you dive into my written info,  here's a video from Amy on trimming, using a big square ruler and washi tape! Why didn't I think of that? Great tool for this job if you have one!! Thanks Amy!

This is the most straightforward way of trimming the blocks!

 

Once I'm ready to sew ring quarters into ring blocks, I first give all my blocks a really good press on the right side. I make sure the ring seams are fully open (no extra folds at the seam edges), and get the blocks as flat as I can. I use plenty of steam for this, and I also use a smoothing spray like Flatter.

 

As I press each block, I take its measure on my gridded mat to get a feel for size consistency. Your smallest block will dictate the trim size for all of them. This isn't strictly about the size—likely they are all pretty similar—but more about those wobbly edges or slightly angled sides. Mine were all more or less 11-½ inches (below), so I am using the pattern measurement of 11-¼ inches for my trim size.

 

Once you identify the trim size that works for all your blocks, you can square them up all at the same time, or in batches as you go if you're anxious to get some rings sewn together. 

To ensure my ring seams align from block to block, I make sure I have a consistent measurement from the trim line to the outer ring seam. In my case, it's ¾ inch. Yours can be whatever works for your trim size, but anything less than ½ inch will be harder to manage when sewing your ring blocks together to complete your quilt top.

 

With my block positioned on a corner of the mat (it's easier to be able to use the marked measurements this way), I use my gridded ruler and mat to measure and square up the block. Note that I've positioned my block so that the edges on all sides are meeting or over the trim line.

 

As shown below, my outer ring seam on the bottom edge is ¾ inch from my 11-¼ inch trim line. The top image shows the overall—my ruler follows the mat grid lines so my cut will be square. The bottom image shows that I will have ¾ from the outside trimmed edge and the seam.

Repeat this on the top edge of the block, as shown below. This process may seem slow and fussy at first, but once you're confident of your positioning and measurements, it will go faster.

 

Once I trim the top and right edges, I trim my left and bottom edges.

Now you're ready to trim out the rest of your ring quarter blocks, and assemble the big ring blocks! The pattern instructions will get you through this. I always pin my ring seams when sewing blocks together to double-make sure they line up (below). 

• Don't forget about Wendy's tip from Week 1, about pairing up like fabrics from block to block, as I did below with the black dot. This helps to “erase” the grid lines a bit.

 

• Want a faster finish?  Remember those great examples with just four blocks in a queen size? Bigger borders gets you done faster, and your quilt makes a statement!

Karen Brewin @number9designs won a FABULOUS bundle from our good friends at Oliso, featuring a M3Pro Project iron, coordinating carry bag, and wool MultiMat! Karen's got ring blocks for four full rings done (so far) in a soft, colorful palette set off by a dark navy ground. Beautiful! Congrats to Karen on this awesome prize, perfect for travel to retreats and classes, or working at home! 

 

Morgan Witlow @morgsewcute won a copy of the very delightful QuiltFolk Cats  (featuring foreword written by my own @georgeandeliot 😸, from our friends at QuiltFolk. Morgan has color-specific rings on a rich brown ground. Love!

 

@rachelle_ccbc won a copy of Love You to Pieces, A Gift of Friendship, by Amy Barickman's! This cheerful, heartwarming book features a charming cast of vintage fabric characters set amidst a backdrop of glorious handmade quilts. A must for any vintage textile-lover! Rachelle completed her goal of one full ring, and I appreciated her alluding to my MTM reference in the pattern copy!

 

Thanks to all of you for your posts, comments, and beautiful work. I'm so blown away by all the work that's getting made out there! Lots of gratitude to our sponsors for providing our prizes!

Can you believe we have more amazing prizes (dangling carrots) to help you achieve your goal this week? We do! To be eligible to win, follow the prompts at the top of this email. 👆🏻 Here's what our generous sponsors have provided:

 

• From our friend and co-conspirator, Amy at Sewtopia, we have a fat quarter bundle of juicy Ruby + Bee Solids (above), by Heather Ross and Annabel Wrigley, and brought to you by Windham Fabrics. Oh my! These solids have a great, smooth hand, and the palette is my go-to these days—clear, bright, and just right. Thanks Amy!

 

• From our friend (and co-conspirator) Wendy at The Next Stitch, we've got 4 meters of my Darling cheater cloth (below)! I love this triangle stripe cheater, partly inspired by a fabulous dress once worn by Gloria Vanderbilt. Get the look, without the work!  A perfect amount for baby quilts, or an apparel project, or maybe part of a larger quilt back?! Fab!

 

• Last, but definitely not least, we've got another copy of QuiltFolk's special QuiltFolk Cats, with a foreword penned (okay, dictated) by my own furry companions, George and Eliot. Like their quarterly magazine, QuiltFolk Cats is beautifully printed, and ad-free. This special edition is 124 pages of pure cattitude, featuring stories from quilters whose lives—and creative practices—are delightfully entangled with cats. You’ll meet artists inspired by their feline companions, quilters who love fostering kittens as much as they love sewing, and perhaps even a few internet-famous cats. It’s a celebration of quilts, creativity, and the irresistible cat charm woven into it all. Meow!