Ok, can I just be cheesy for a minute and say we’re ALL winners?! Because the real joy is in creating something beautiful and functional for ourselves, or as a gift, which is equally awesome!

The best part about this sew-a-long has been hearing that you all enjoyed the motivation and being inspired by everyone else’s projects. I’m overjoyed that so many of you set aside a little time to do this for yourself after having it on your long list of things to accomplish!

My life has been insane the last few weeks, and while this is normal, it’s been exponential lately. I’ve still been trying to squeeze in time to make my own mats, since that is why I started this in the first place, but I’m not quite finished yet. I’m close though, so I’ll get there eventually!

If you’re still working on your mat, please be sure to still use the #undercovermakermatSAL and #undercovermakermat hashtags so we can all keep up with everyone’s projects! There are still many that are almost complete and I can’t wait to see them!

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Alright, onto business. I’ve said this before, but I have a love/hate relationship with prizes. They are so fun, but I hate that everyone can’t win. I know people get that’s just how it works, but who doesn’t love to win something?! I made the mistake of saying I would pick my three favorite finished projects, which I knew would be hard, but holy wow you guys! I seriously lost sleep over that task! I’m not just saying it to be nice, but your creativity was off the charts. So, please please please don’t hate me if I didn’t pick your mat for my favorites! Gah, the stress!

I hope you all take a minute to browse the SAL hashtag on Instagram (#undercovermakermatSAL), whether you participated or not. So much hard work and inspiration! And if you weren’t able to join in, you can download the free pattern anytime here.

I also want to take another moment to thank the awesome sponsors who donated to this sew-a-long, Make Modern Magazine, Stash Builder Box and Stash Fabrics!

So, without further ado… here are my three favorite finished mats from the sew-a-long! And really, have I looked an hour later, or if I look again now, I might have picked three different ones. They were ALL amazing in their own unique way!

My first favorite mat shown above is by Mara @acrafty_maker. Between the paper pieced words (so creative!!),  the hand quilting, and that pieced binding, her mat just blew me away!!

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My second top pick was by Meaghan @meaghanmacd. Aside from the fact that she used Tula (which is always my favorite), I love how she carried her theme through so well. The potion bottle and the skull and crossbones trim is the best, plus the piecing on the body of the mat is amazing! And having a precious bit of this fabric myself, I know how hard it is to use it, so I love that she was brave enough to cut into it and make something special for herself!

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Last, but certainly not least, is by Dori @redfeedsack. She wanted to do something creative for her mat and figured out a way to incorporate a technique she had been wanting to try. Her execution was flawless and adorable!

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I could gush on like this about every single mat in the hashtag, and I clearly cannot say that enough! But, since I have to go weed whack, I will now share the other winners that were drawn by random from all the posts in the sew-a-long. And yes, I did write down the name from every single post and draw them from a bowl. I think it’s the only fair way! (So if you’ve ever wondered why I’m so SLOW at everything, now you know why! 😉

In no particular order, the remaining winners shown above are as follows. You can click each name to see more photos of their mats in their instagram feeds!
Top row (L to R): @mywanderingpath, @robyntischner, @giedrabowser
Middle row: @mandyandydesigns, @chriscreer, @ladykquilts
Bottom row: @5kidsandacat, @adventuresofthesingingquilter, @quiltingrage

CONGRATS, everyone!! And a big huge smothering THANK YOU to everyone who participated and otherwise supported this Sew-a-long!

Now the important question is, what should we sew along next?!

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ADDITIONAL SEW-A-LONG 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

PART FOUR: September 12 –Full Pocket Panel & Assembly

PART FIVE: September 15 – Optional Thread Catcher

PART SIX: September 16 – Sew-a-long Prizes