From UFO to WIP to Finish – Week 2 of the 52 Quilts Challenge
Some projects never really leave you — they just wait quietly in drawers until you’re ready to return.
This week’s quilt finish waited patiently in a Ziploc bag with the pattern teasingly on top. That is, until the 52 Quilts Challenge gave me the perfect reason to finally finish it.
Originally, I planned to finish a witch’s-brew wall hanging for Week 2, but I couldn’t find it anywhere – probably buried in my UFO galaxy somewhere in the studio.
Sigh… another Halloween I suppose…
Plan B? The bats came out to play again!
The Back Story
YEARS ago (a theme I’m sure will repeat often this year), I was charmed by a Halloween-themed table runner and placemats published in the September 2007 issue of McCall’s Quick Quilts. See, I told you it was years ago!!
I was still a new quilter back then – even a straight ¼ inch seam felt like a victory. But this magazine gave me the courage to try. As a beginner, no quilt was a quick quilt as the title of the magazine suggested, but it did often have many beginner level patterns to explore.
Our family LOVES Halloween. We are a sucker for all the coziness and fun of the spooky season. We deck out our house almost as much for Halloween as we do Christmas. It’s an event we wait all year to return! Pumpkins in all sizes, glittered candy corn, and witches in flight – that’s our vibe.
This project just sang to my Halloween heart! Isn’t it too cute?
🍁FALLing in Love Again with Applique
I made the table runner once I was brave enough to try machine applique. I traced the bats onto fusible web, followed placement diagrams, and satin-stitched every tight corner – I was so stinking proud of my work.
It doesn’t show well on camera, but I used glow-in-the-dark thread. Such a fun treat when the lights go out! (Here’s a similar one on Amazon [affiliate link])
🎃 Try This:
Use glow-in-the-dark thread for a surprise accent — perfect for Halloween dinner tables!
Fun side note, when my scouts were little, I used the same glow-in-the-dark thread to sew patches on their uniforms. My son later confessed he always wondered why they glowed at night! 😊
Machine Quilt or Bust
Machine quilting and I have never fully clicked. Other than straight-line or stitch-in-the-ditch quilting, it always makes me tense! I’ve long preferred hand quilting and hand-stitching bindings — it’s slower, but it feels calm and rhythmic to me.
Still, one of my goals for the 52 Quilts Challenge is to practice progress over perfection. This year, I’m determined to get more comfortable with machine quilting, even if it’s a little intimidating at times.
I’d always planned to make the matching placemats for the Halloween table runner. But after all the time I spent on that first project, and the discomfort I had with machine quilting especially, I paused. I tucked the leftover fabric, traced bats, and pattern into a Ziploc bag — telling myself I’d come back to it “next Halloween.” Well, that “next Halloween” turned into ten!
Sewing Up the Placemats
When I finally pulled out that old Ziploc, it felt like greeting an old friend. I was pleasantly surprised at how well I’d done the table runner back then — it had been tricky for a beginner! I figured these placemats would take less time now that I’ve logged a decade of sewing experience.
I don’t machine appliqué often either, so I needed a quick refresher. Once I found my rhythm, though, these came together beautifully. See a video of prepping and placing the applique shapes with fusible web here! For similar fusible webbing for your own applique projects, check out this one on Amazon [affiliate link].
One difference from my original project? My ¼-inch seams were not accurate back then! The inner borders on the table runner ended up much thinner — and honestly, I prefer that look. A happy mistake. If I made the placemats again, I’d purposely go with slimmer borders for that delicate framed effect.
Still, I adore how these placemats turned out — tone-on-tone blacks, orange spiderweb prints, fall leaves, and cream tonals. Simple, cozy, and full of nostalgia. 🍂
One of my favorite parts? Using up scrap batting! Click on the video below to see the batting joining in action.
♻️ Thrifty Tip:
You can zig-zag batting scraps together — just be sure they’re the same loft and fiber type.
🪡 Maker’s Notes
- Pattern: Bats in the Belfry by Sue Keck and Sue Shipman, McCall’s Quick Quilts (Sept 2007)
- Finished Size: ~13¼ x 17¾ (Mine = close enough!)
- Fabric: Mix of holiday prints bought ages ago – tone-on-tone blacks, large print fall leaves, spiderweb orange, and cream tonal. Scraps or fat quarters could work well.
- Backing Fabric: Large print fall leaves with gold accents
- Purchased from: JoAnn Fabrics
- Skills Practiced: Machine quilting, applique, straight stitch piecing
- Quilting: Meandering and stitch-in-the-ditch on my domestic machine (don’t forget your glow in the dark thread) [affiliate link]
💡Tips & Takeaways
- Done is better than perfect – nearly every time. This isn’t heart surgery for Pete’s sake!
- You get to be in control – if you want thinner borders, make thinner borders! If you don’t want to use 2.5” binding strips, go smaller!
- Sew what brings you joy – your free time is precious.
- Batting scraps are gold – piece them together and save money for more fabric 😉
The Big Reveal
After all these years… the bats finally took flight!
This project wraps up Week 2 of the [52 Quilts Challenge → link to challenge post].
Do you decorate with handmade items for the Halloween Spooky Season?
Share them in the comments or tag #hoopsandhoots on Instagram!
See all quilts from the 52 Quilts Challenge posted so far in this one link 🎈
Last week’s quilt finish was Gia’s Color Wash Baby Quilt – check it out!
Next Steps
Quilting along? Tag me on Instagram @hoopsandhoots or drop a comment below — I’d love to see your works in progress!
Quilting Merch
Want some spooky themed quilter merch? Check out my Etsy store for some hauntingly cute t-shirts and other goodies perfect for your holiday sewing!
Hope you get some cozy autumn sewing in this fall weekend! 🎃
