My Designer Mystery 2023 Quilt Top Is Finally a Flimsy!
Well, quilty friends, it’s done… the top is done, anyway! My Designer Mystery 2023 quilt has officially reached flimsy stage, and I have to tell you, getting here took a little more grit than I expected.
If you’ve been following along, you’ll remember I shared the progress of this quilt back in my Block of the Month post. This quilt is the Fat Quarter Shop’s long-running Designer Mystery program, and for this in particular is the one for the year 2023 with that gorgeous Camille Roskelley fabric collection. The blocks have been sitting pretty for a while, but the part I’d been quietly avoiding? Sewing all those rows together.
Why I Was Stalling (Confessions of a Reluctant Row-Assembler)
Putting the rows together is hands-down my least favourite part of quilting. I love piecing individual blocks. I love the quilting. But that in-between stage — wrangling a giant quilt top that is so flimsy and heavy and yet delicate just doesn’t spark joy for me.
There’s something about the flimsy feel of a big quilt top that I find a little stressful. It’s floppy, it’s heavy, and it has no structure yet, so it feels almost fragile in my hands. A large flimsy like this one has to be handled slowly and gently, or you risk popping a seam open just from the weight of it dragging across the table. So I kept finding other things to do. You know how it goes!
The Pressing Struggle Is Real
And then there’s the pressing. Oh, the pressing. When you’re working with a quilt this large in a small sewing space, getting all those seams pressed nicely. My large wool pressing mat was an absolute lifesaver here, it makes it so much easier to press large rows of seams and it gives such a crisp, flat press and holds the heat beautifully (affiliate link here). But even with that, a quilt this size means a lot of careful shuffling and folding to make it all work on a small surface. I made it work, and it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. The procrastination mind seems to exaggerate things a little, don’t they!
All Those Points… So Much Pinning!
This quilt has patchwork sashing, which means matching points. Lots and lots of points. And matching points means pinning — pin, check, pin, check, sew slowly, and pray that all the seams matches well.
I managed to match most of them, and I’m genuinely proud of how crisp they came out. But there are a few that are just a little bit off, and you know what? I’ve made my peace with it. Done is better than perfect.
I Almost Changed the Whole Layout
As I mentioned earlier in the progress post here, I wasn’t sold on the original layout in the pattern. The secondary pattern that forms when the blocks come together with the original design just wasn’t clicking for me, and I was this close to redesigning the entire thing into a different setting.
But then I saw another quilter’s finished and quilted version here on Tammie’s Youtube HERE> and something just shifted. Seeing it with the quilting on top, all that texture pulling the design together, made me fall in love with the original layout all over again. And I’m so glad I did. I genuinely, truly love the final look. Sometimes you have to trust the pattern (and a fellow quilter’s vision!) a little longer than feels comfortable.
One Little Change: The Border
I’m not following the pattern completely, though… I’m making one happy little switch. The pattern calls for the same dark blue sashing fabric to carry through into the final border. But I felt the quilt wanted a lift, something to brighten and frame all those lovely blocks.
So instead, I’m using the white floral for the border. I think that bit of brightness around the edge is going to make the whole quilt feel airier and let the blocks really sing. I can’t wait to show you how it looks once it’s on!
What’s Next
Once that border is on, it’s finally time for the part I love — basting and quilting. I actually have a little stack of quilts waiting to be basted right now, so it’s going to be a productive season over here.
I cannot wait to share the finished, quilted Designer Mystery 2023 with you. After all that stalling, all that pinning, and all that pressing, seeing it come to life under the needle is going to be such a sweet reward.
Hang in there with whatever flimsy you’ve been avoiding, friend. Sometimes the least favourite part is the very thing standing between you and a quilt you’ll treasure forever. 💛
Tools & Supplies I Used
- Designer Mystery 2023 BOM kit — you can check out the new Designer Mystery HERE>
- Large wool pressing mat — for those crisp, flat seams. Love the large size too.
- Fine glass-head pins — my point-matching best friends, these pins are so fine!
- Quality cotton piecing thread – I use Aurifil 50wt for piecing
- Rotary cutter – Get the ergonomic one. Makes a big difference to my wrist!
- My Sewing Machine – Janome Horizon QCP8200
P.S. — Are you a “love every step” quilter, or do you have a least-favourite stage like me? Come tell me in the comments — I’d love to know I’m not the only one who stalls on putting rows together! And if you’re curious how this quilt began, start here with the Designer Mystery story.
