My Finished Sew Along Project

Earlier this month I decided to participate in the 2014 Sewalong hosted by Caroline from the SewCanShe blog. It was a straighforward challenge - make a project of your choosing with mini log cabin blocks. I decided to make a little mat for my teapot using green and cream fabrics and little elephants in the center.

As with every project I make, I learn a bit more with what I like and don't like. I like log cabin blocks, but I don't like them this small. I guess I'm a bit more traditional in that I prefer fewer fabrics. Just not a fan of the scrappy log cabin, probably because it messes with my internal need for symmetry. Here's what I'm talking about. Here is a picture of my first blocks:

Not having the same color on 2 sides really bothered me so I scrapped these and redid them using fewer fabrics and matching "legs." I also decided to make it smaller, using only 4 of the blocks for the mat. With the remaining two, I made a couple of matching coasters. Here's the finished project:

For the quilting I outlined the elephant blocks and in the cream area of the mat I quilted a center flower that feathered out to the ends. In the green areas I just did some loops. For the coasters, I just did some loops and ribbon candy. I'm much happier with these!