This week I completed blocks 13 and 14 of the  2026 Sew Along: Scrappy Sampler.

I appreciate more and more Jessica’s videos and the two different printable patterns. You can find blocks 13 and 14 HERE. The piecing for Block 13 was new to me, but with no hurrying and better pressing techniques, I am happy with the results.

Only one more week of blocks, then on to borders. I am looking forward to it.

Looking for a way to use up surplus Half Square Triangles (HST)? This might be just the thing you are looking for. Gather up all the HST you have laying around, pick a size, add some low volume scraps, and, before you know it, you have a beautiful quilt to share.

I built my quilt without sashing, and the quilt sizes below assume that. You will likely come up with variations, and I would love to see them all.

NOTE: The quilt above is a 2-1/2″ HST variation using 36 blocks and finishing at 72″x72″.

WordPress recently notified me that I’ve been blogging on this site for 18 years. First of all, where did that time go? And secondly, there is a need to post with greater frequency. So here I am today blogging away with my favorite movie in the background. Tidying up my studio from four weeks of… Continue reading Well, where did that 18 years go?

In spite of life events, I have managed to stay caught up with the  2026 Sew Along: Scrappy Sampler.

While I have been quilting for some time, it is never too late to try something new. While working on this quiltalong, I have focused on pressing the seam allowance of my HST open after trimming them. I am surprised at the difference it makes. There is less slip due to bulk when I am assembling the blocks, and the blocks are flatter in the end. Who knew?

Not only will I have a fun quilt, but also a new-to-me technique ...

This started off as a little bundle of three floral print fat quarters. I found some friends for them and, using my favorite Heart Block Pattern, started sewing.

The 6″ size made best use of the fabric I had available. When trimmed to 2-1/2″ the HST cut-offs became the border.

The backing matches beautifully and came from stash, where it had been for a long time. Don’t you just love it when fabric finds its purpose?!

I have another heart quilt in mind and hope to start it in the next few weeks. I need to get the ...

I had seen something similar (without a pattern I could identify) on Pinterest . It turned out to be a good idea that didn’t work.

I am very pleased with the solid flying geese blocks. But, the background…If it had all been the flowers, or the other bright print. But, mixing the two with some leftover scraps…Not successful.

That said, I am going to try again with a single print. The idea deserves a second chance.

ps–I have been calling it the Ugly Geese Quilt, which isn’t fair, because the geese aren’t ugly at all.

Let’s Talk About UFOs (and the Quiet Guilt We Don’t Say Out Loud)

You walk into your sewing room with a plan.

Today, so today… you will finish something.

You open a drawer…
then another…
then a basket…

…and suddenly you’re staring at a stack of unfinished projects. The photo below shows my UFOs from long time ago. And yet, I still have some of them in my UFO pile. Today, we are going to unpack the guilt around UFO and learn how to make a gentle move around them. Read more below — and tell me, do ...

 Well, hello there. Sorry about the unplanned absence, I've had some health things going on the last couple of months but I'm back now, pretty much recovered from surgery in December. I've been creating all along, just haven't had the energy to keep things up to date. So, I have some catching up to do!

Back in May of 2025 it was my turn to provide a prompt to the Quilts Unscripted Bee.Here's a summary of what I sent them:

In 2024, my word of the year was Shine and I have found it ...

I’m so excited to share the 2025 Snowflake Quilt Block! It is a little late… but here it is! For years, I’ve

The post 2025 Snowflake Quilt Block appeared first on Always Expect Moore.

Have you heard of the 2026 Sew Along: Scrappy Sampler with Jessica Dayon?

Here are my blocks 3 and 4. I don’t love block 3. I tried reversing the colors, and it is a little odd.

Perhaps it will grow on me, but, if not, I have a Bonus Block created from the HST cutoffs and some 2-1/2″ squares. Perhaps I should have made the centers of the smaller 9-patch blocks from the solids?

You can learn more about these blocks HERE.

I can never get bored of putting these blocks into layout. So much movement and so many little piece of scraps that brings in memories of previous projects! Read more to see the latest progress and enjoy a few photos of these scrappy Ocean Wave blocks.

Last year, I focused on making half square triangles whenever I had scraps and a ...

Have you heard of the 2026 Sew Along: Scrappy Sampler with Jessica Dayon?

It has just started, and here are my first two blocks.

Thanks to Debra, who sent me an abandoned mystery sew along project a while back. The fabrics seemed perfect for this sewalong. I have added a few solids for variety, and I really like the look so far. Thanks, Debra!

I’ll keep you posted as we go. Learn more about the sewalong HERE.

They are so much fun, you can’t make just one.

So, I made 27. I pulled an assortment of cool color 2-1/2″ squares and warm color 2-1/2″ squares from my precut scraps bin. The black and white borders came from the black print scraps bin. (Yes, I have a lot of bins).

Ta-dah, before I knew it there were blocks ready to mail off to  Many Hands and Many Hearts. You still have time to join in. They are accepting blocks until the end of February.

One of the best ways I’ve learned to start a new year is not by starting something new, but by finishing what’s already been started.

As I eased into 2026, I decided to look through my basket of nearly-there projects. You know the ones like sampler pieces, practice blocks, things that were made with intention but never quite crossed the finish line. This time, I made a simple decision: they deserved to be finished.

I grabbed a handful of leftover bindings from my scrap basket ...

I learned about Many Hands and Many Hearts from Quilting JetGirl. She recently featured their current project: Black and White Framed Charity Blocks.

Yep, I’m on board. And cutting scraps. And gathering squares. I hope to have a good number (maybe between 20-30) to send in by the deadline (end of February).

If you have scraps, why don’t you join us? It is fun to have fun, but you have to know how…

Allie’s Ellies
Fall 2025

After finishing piecing a row of quilt blocks I checked the stitch count on the BERNINA 560 and it’s just over 1.5 million stitches since the last service. That was just over five years ago. That’s not a lot of stitches when 3 million per year is average expected. I clearly have not been doing… Continue reading Welcome to 2026