The past two years Worldwide Quilting day challenges have produced interesting projects, but I have no use for them after the challenge is done. I entered one into the fair last year and both were exhibited at the guild show this past May. So, now, what to do with them? I can’t throw them away, but I have no desire to hang them in our home either. I was cleaning out some things from my speaking days and found a fidget quilt that I still had. I actually thought I’d given it away some time ago. But pulling it out, and seeing it with the two challenge quilts gave me an idea. Why not turn those challenge quilts into fidget quilts?

The one above was the challenge for 2025, a birthday challenge. The one below is the magic garden I did for 2026’s challenge.

The first thing to do was to remove the bits that I could reuse in other projects. For the magic garden, I wanted to keep the veggie buttons and the lace rabbit. So those were removed. For the birthday quilt, I removed the cupcake so I would have space to put several things.

The birthday candle and sentiment are embroidered, so I couldn’t remove them. I decided to incorporate the candle at the end of a zipper. The fabric that was the cupcake wrapper was pressed, folded in half and sewn right sides together, then turned right side out. It will become a book.

I added velcro to the long edges of the print, then stitched half of it to the base (over the “It’s My Birthday” embroidery) stitching the edges and up the center to create the book. The velcro aligns and becomes an activity to open and close.

Then, plastic shank buttons were strung on a ribbon to move back and forth. The ribbon is stitched on each end to the base. The wool fabric that was the cupcake itself was folded in an interesting way. I folded each edge 90-degrees from the middle, creating a thick triangle at the top with loose ends. It is stitched only horizontally through the center, creating two sections of texture for hands to fiddle. A ribbon is tied to the zipper pull to aid in opening and closing it.

At this point, a call went out from a guild member for a couple of fidget quilts, and she needed them within a week. This couldn’t have come at a better time! With one already done, one just finished, and one in progress, I could help out in the time frame needed. I started on the other base and finished it in just an hour. It was very long, so I decided to ignore the print direction, and turn it sideways. I added velcro to the left edge and down the center where the prints changed. Now when the person pulls the velcro apart, a scene of hot air balloons appears. In the middle, I had just taken a rattle out of a toy, so I sewed its mesh bag to the base with a bright red ribbon. The person can play with the rattle and it makes noise as it is moved.

Going with the red a bit further, I added a red ribbon to the white garden path. On the ribbon is an empty spool that can be moved from side to side. Then, at the bottom, I created a pompom of netting for a texture fiddle.

These were delivered to my friend at the guild meeting.

The best part for me is the work didn’t go to waste. Things I had no use for were transformed, at virtually no cost, with things from the stash into usable projects to meet a need. Less for the landfill is a great thing! What do you think? Do you have projects languishing on a shelf that could be recycled?

And now, the big announcement! My fourth pattern has been published! My design called Cozy Fireside just published in Fons and Porter’s Love of Quilting Fall 2026 issue!! Click on the link to get the digital version of the magazine for just $5 right now. The print version will be available next week. The fabrics are from Moda’s Quail Run line. I am now an affiliate for Golden Peak Media, so purchases may give me a small commission to help with the costs of writing this blog. Plus, this Labor Day weekend, get amazing savings on your favorite magazines like Love of Quilting, McCalls Quilting, Quilting Arts, and Quiltmaker magazine, one year print subscriptions are just $19.95 until Monday at QuiltingDaily.com. Video downloads are discounted this weekend too. AND, get my Freedom Waves Pattern published this summer in McCalls Quilting for just $4, that’s half off!

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