UFOs Abound

Oh boy. I fell off the wagon. I started new projects without finishing the ones hanging in the Black Hole closet.  Twenty lashes with a wet noodle (pasta, not pool noodle, please).

First, I dug through  my yarn-dyed plaids to make a dozen napkins for OUR LOG CABIN. [This week we finished negotiations on a log cabin home - really, an estate with acreage and a huge workshop for my hubby. We are beyond excited!] The napkins were a breeze to make. Kelly from myquiltinfatuation was my inspiration.  Done!

Then I decided the Jamestown Landing quilt on my bed needed matching pillow covers. So I found a stash of blue and neutral triangles leftover from making that quilt. Several Broken Dishes units later, I began contemplating a solid blue scrap to frame the units. Will need to think on that a bit. [sigh - UFO alert.]

Then I pulled out the project box for Old Tobacco Road, a free Bonnie Hunter pattern. Several years ago I had cut 108 red bricks with the thought of making this a red, white and blue patriotic quilt called Freedom Road.  I wanted stars instead of a pinwheel in the column between the red bricks. I had decided to frame the star blocks with light blue and neutral 4-patches. The holdup in my mind was deciding how to make the star blocks.  Applique or piece?  The answer was obvious once I finally thought it through.  Piece!!!!  But should I make a paper-pieced 5-pointed star or a 4-pointed Friendship star?  The Friendship star uses 1.5-inch dark blue and gold scraps and it is much simpler. After all, this is an itty-bitty 3.5 inch block. One test block surrounded by the other units quickly formed on the design wall. That's what I wanted!

I began cutting 1.5-inch strips to make 90 (NINETY!) star blocks. Seventy gold sets and twenty navy blue sets later, that got boring. I needed to sew some 4-patches and star blocks. These little star blocks are so cute! This will make a great leader-ender project. [UFO alert - although I had already counted this one as a UFO, so hey! Progress has been made.]

Okay, now for the real confession. For the past two Monday evenings with my quilting friends, I have been cutting 10-inch squares from my stash of Christmas fabrics to add to a layer cake purchased last year. I have been wanting to make a Christmas quilt using the free Anita's Arrowhead pattern. Anita published an alternative block size guide which included instructions for using 9.75-inch squares. I decided to sew a test block without trimming down my layer cake.

After cutting and sewing the pieces, the block was trimmed down to the nearest 1/2 inch which was 11.5 inches, the same as Anita's instructions for a 9.75-inch starting square size. One less cutting session. That works for me!  [UFO alert - 41 more blocks to go unless I get bored and decide to make the quilt smaller.]

On a higher note, I flew my airplane to a nearby airport so it can get outfitted with a new ADS-B transmitter so it will comply with the new rule for flying in controlled airspace. It was awesome to get back up in the air again. I brought the airplane back to its hangar home yesterday. I called a local instructor and made plans to go flying again and practice landings. Not that my landings were bad, just not as perfect as they should be. Really!