New Pattern Launch: mmmquilts’ A Roll of the Dice

Sandra, mmmquilts, just launched her newest pattern “A Roll of the Dice” yesterday and am excited to have been included in this fun. Last month, she asked a group of her “quilting friends” or for the purpose of injecting some humor in this post, I’m saying we’re “Guinea Pigs”. A group of guinea pigs is called a muddle so a group of guinea pigs testing a mmmquilt pattern would now be called a “mmmuddle” so we, the mmmuddle, were asked  if we would be interested if making one of her pattern projects which were a baby quilt, bed runner or pillow. As you can see I had a game plan for her pillow pattern.

I have to mention how I came up with this idea. I was catnapping at the Grandparent House while waiting for the darling granddaughter to come over. I was awakened by the ping of my iPhone alerting me that Sandra sent me an email and a photo of a quilt was attached. My eyes really opened up when I saw the photo and for a brief moment I was startled because I thought I missed the start of her Pop Star QAL parade and I was in trouble because even though I finished the flimsie in mid April, I had not yet quilted it nor written a post and was not ready to participate. Then I remembered that it was only May 23rd and the parade wasn’t until June 15th, three weeks later. After I recovered and read her email and realized it was a new pattern,  I told her I would be glad to make one of the projects and my first take was going to be the baby quilt but only using three out of the five blocks. I realized after several days later that I really need to  follow her pattern and to “behave” myself which after participating or being an Alummmnus in several of Sandra’s QALs I find hard to do. Looking at the pattern title and remembering I once made a comment on a friend’s FB photo of  a board game on her table runner that I thought a table runner matching a board game would make a wonderful housewarming or hostess gift, I decided to make a game/dice mat based on the pillow pattern.

Before I could chose the fabrics for the game/dice mat, I first had to find a game preferably a dice game and I would have the fabrics in the colors of the game/box in my stash. I was lucky to find the QWIXX game while perusing on Amazon (not an affiliate link) and ordered it. 

Based on the photo of the QWIXX game, finding the fabrics in my stash was no problem: the dice blocks were made with Alison Glass’ Cross Stitch prints bordered with a fun tone-on-tone black print from years ago and backed with a Laurel Burch Fanciful Felines print which I have to say were perfect for the game/dice mat.

Quilting was simple and easy with first only doing in the ditch around the color patches and then outlining the blocks. After that was done, I decided to crosshatch each of the blocks which turned out to be a good idea since it mimics the Cross Stitch prints.

When sewing the binding, I also attached a cord made from a 1.5” x wof strip of the black fabric so this game/dice mat could be rolled up when not in use and for another reason which you will see below.

Since this game/dice mat measures 18” square, I was hoping the QWIXX game box would be small enough for it to be wrapped in it and when the game finally arrived, it was. As mentioned earlier, I think this would make a nice housewarming or hostess gift; it’s small enough for it to be put in a gift bag filled with a bottle of wine or bottles of craft beer along with some snacks and candy like M&M peanuts which have some of the same colors as the game/dice mat. I also like to mention that rolling six dice on a table sounds pretty noisy to me so another good reason for having a game/dice mat.

One last photo of the game/die mat which like all of Sandra’s patterns was a fun and quick make. This was made in less than a day and as her pattern states it’s “Scraps and Precut Friendly”. The next time I’m at the store, I’m going to check out the game aisle to see if there are any other dice or card games which would go great with a game mat. Even though I found the QWIXX game online, they don’t give you the size of the box which you need to know if you want to wrap it in the game mat. I just think it makes for a nice presentation. Also, this would make a great Holiday gift, it’s never too early to start making them, right? A   Roll of the Dice Pattern is on sale this week for 30% off and can be purchased through Sandra’s Etsy shop Here. (Not an affiliate link but public service).

Here is the “mmmuddle” list for The Roll of the Dice Pattern launch; be sure to visit their blog and see their wonderful mmmakes (I can’t stop with these mmm words!)

Wednesday June 8 - Cushion, aka pillow cover:

Helen @helenmidgetgem 

Rose at SomethingRoseMade (me!)

Thursday June 9 - Bed Runner:

Michelle @peetmichelle

Sue @susangodfrey600

Marty @suryasmiles

Friday June 10 - Baby Quilt

Anja at Anja Quilts

Carol at Quilt Schmilt

Marty @suryasmiles 

Tish at The Madd Quilter 

BTW, after I finished the game/dice mat, I did finally quilt and bound my Pop Star Quilt and I am ready for next week’s parade celebrating a Famous Canadian’s Birthday. Here’s a peek.

And lastly, I just realized in May as I’m approaching a milestone birthday next week that fifty years ago I was spending my last days of being a teenager. I don’t have a photo of me back then but I still have a painting I did finish near the end of my sophomore year of college (1972) when I was an Art Major.  I switched my major to Art History after that since at first I wanted to be a fashion designer but decided I didn’t want to deal with a sewing machine and would rather write about Art. Now look at me fifty years later—I’m dealing with a sewing machine—that is what I call Quilt Karma. If you’re wondering about the figures in this four foot square painting I called Creation, I based them on magazine photos of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain and Judith Jamison of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.

See you next week for the Pop Star QAL Parade and I will be celebrating my Golden Anniversary of Adulthood.