You guys. This sew-a-long has just been so awesome! I keep saying it, but it’s true. As always, I am blown away by your creativity! The best thing about designing patterns, for me, is watching other people bring them to life, and this one just has so much personality to it.
I was thinking about this while working on mine yesterday. I chose two sets of fabrics for two mats, with no thought but what do I want to look at everyday, and then I laughed when I realized how similar the two pulls were. I realized that my mats 100% represented me, my style and my personality, and that the same was true for every one being made. Of course this holds true for many quilts and other sewing projects, but there are so many ways to customize and personalize this project, that I just feel every one gives so much insight into the person who made it.
I’m still working on mine, but will share some pics tomorrow! Below is the mat I made for the Paperie blog tour earlier this year. Aren’t those fabrics gorgeous?
Some of you are just joining in and some are already finished with their projects. Today is my last post about the steps of the pattern, but there is still plenty of time to sew! Tomorrow I will be sharing some additional prizes, but will be waiting until next Friday (September 23) to draw winners. I will choose my two favorite finished mats to win prizes, but will draw the remaining prize winners from all the photos in the hashtag, so even if you’re just beginning, you’re still eligible to win! You just have to post your progress photos with the hashtag #undercovermakermatSAL on Instagram or Facebook. If you’re joining in and don’t have any social media accounts, feel free to email me some pics (nicole at lillyella dot com)!
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THREAD CATCHER
Onto today’s business. You’re either a thread catcher kind of person, or you’re a throw-it-on-the-floor-and-sweep-it-up-later kind of person! So, this step is optional. The thread catcher is designed to hang from a button on the far right pocket, but it will also stand on it’s own and can sit on your work table. If you choose to have it stand alone, you may want to shorten the height of it a bit to make it easier to use.
As with all the elements of this pattern, there are endless ways to customize the thread catcher. You can use a single fabric embellished with trim and selvedges or you can create any sort of patchwork design you like. Piece in a single accent strip, make the bottom half a contrasting fabric or use another paper pieced block. Here are a few examples:
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OTHER USES
Outside of this project, the thread catcher alone is handy for a variety of other uses! I’m working on a set that will hang from hooks on the wall behind my sewing machine to hold tools and notions (I’ll share pics when I’m done!), or you could hang some in a bedroom or bathroom for jewelry, toiletries, hair accessories, etc! You can easily adjust the size by adding or subtracting equal amounts to all pieces.
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Just a handful of you have finished the thread catcher so far, but here are some pics from the sew-a-long hashtag!
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Remember to keep sharing your photos with the hashtags #undercovermakermatSAL and #undercovermakermat! Tomorrow I’ll be sharing some additional prizes up for grabs and I will also share more photos from everyone sewing along throughout next week!
ADDITIONAL POSTS:
Undercover Maker Mat Sew-a-long: All the details
PART TWO: September 6 – Kickoff, prizes and main body panel variations
PART THREE: September 8 – Accent Pocket Panels
lillyella 
I’ve posted several times on IG about how much I’ve loved this SAL. I’ve made the undercover mat two times before as gifts, the one I’m making now is for ME! But, what I’ve loved about the sew along is the camaraderie among those of us sewing along together. Sharing our progress pictures, finished pictures, ideas, etc. And yes, definitely yes, my fabric choices and style of quilting it represent me exactly and it made me look around my sewing room at my mini quilts and other things that are all so me. My new Maker Mat is such an awesome addition to my sewing room. AND, I wasn’t going to make a thread catcher because I don’t use one but you gave me a grand idea in this post. So now, I’m back to the sewing table and I’m going to make one to use next to my sewing machine!
Thank you again, Nicole. I’m so glad I jumped on board with the sew along!
– Dori Troutman (@redfeedsack on IG) –
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