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Wednesday, March 4, 2026

Fat Quarters by the Dozen – Release 4 – Checkmate Blocks

Fat Quarter shop published the fourth release of the FQBTD quilt-along on Monday.

Two Checkmate Blocks that were supposed to measure 9½”…notice I said “supposed to?” Both of my blocks are about an eighth of an inch too small.






My cutting or stitching is off somewhere. But for that small amount, I’m not going to worry about it.


Here is a reminder of what the other blocks look like, as well as the layout.


Sampler Layout


Release 1 - Beams Blocks


Release 2 - Bluebonnets Block


Release 3 - Celebration Block
We recently discovered these frozen French green beans at Trader Joe’s.

We enjoyed them twice with just salt, pepper and a little olive oil. Last night hubby grilled some steaks and I made a lemon, mint, shallot dressing to go on the green beans.


They were delicious!


Speaking of lemons and mint...I drink a lot of water every day. I constantly have a bottle nearby. In the last couple of weeks, I’ve started making a half gallon pitcher of lemon, mint and cucumber water. I let it sit in the refrigerator overnight and drink it the following day.


This is something that I always do in the summer. I guess I’m wishing for warmer weather and starting early this year.


Thanks for the mid-week visit. See you soon!

 

13 comments:

TerryKnott.blogspot.com said...

Gosh, those are cute blocks! I like a whole quilt of them too! Isn't it amazing how a simple block can have so much impact?

Julierose said...

Really pretty blocks, Jeanna--the more pieces the more difficult it is, at least for me, to get the final called-for size correct it seems.
Those sauced green beans sound great...yum!!
I need to drink more water--I have a hard time getting enough as it
doesn't settle well for me...that infusion sounds good;)))
Hugs, Julierose

Cherie Moore said...

You aren’t the only one wishing for summer! Your blocks look summer-y as well :-)

Gene Black said...

With that small a difference in size, you can fudge the seam allowances and make it work.

Linda at Texas Quilt Gal said...

I like your blocks! Almost everything I make is slightly too small, even though I have a quarter inch foot on my Janome.

LIttle Penguin Quilts said...

Those are neat blocks - I love the orange in them! I often have the same problem with that 1/8 of an inch off. I wish I could figure out where I'm doing that! Your green beans sound yummy - I'll have to look for them next time we're at Trader Joe's.

Granny Marigold said...

I can hardly wait until my mint grows enough so I can cut some bits to flavour my pitcher of water in the fridge. Once the mint has grown enough I like to stuff lots into that pitcher. So good.

Linda's Relaxing Lair said...

Dear Jeanna, your blocks are lovely! The pitcher is very nice and looks delicious with lemon, mint and cucumber water!!!
Your meal looks absolutely scrumptious!

Jocelyn is Canadian Needle Nana said...

Hi Jeanna, your blocks are all so sweet and I love the fabrics you are using. What a great project! Oh I wish we had Trader Joes here...such neat items to try. Delicious too!

Rosemary Dickinson said...

Such nice blocks! I wouldn't worry about 1/8". You can hide a lot in those 1/4" seams!! Ask me how I know!!!

Astrid said...

Such cute blocks. 1/8" off happens to me too and I don't worry about it. We get those sorts of beans at the vegetable markets here, but I'm not sure if it is the French green beans. They are yummy.

The Happy Whisk said...

I don't worry when I'm off a bit either. Onwards to the next thing. Sewing is sooo fun. Today I got my XL stripoloy and OMG. That this is off the charts. Worth it. Very, very worth it. Happy Sewing. Cheers, Ivy.

Anonymous said...

I do find that blocks with more pieces are harder to get correctly sized! That scant 1/4” is hard to perfect. An 1/8” won’t be so hard to make up. At least they’re really cute blocks!
Your greens beans sound delicious and that water looks so refreshing.