UFO Confession

How many UFOs do you have?  That's a question we quilters tend to ask each other.  Possibly helps us feel better about ourselves if the response is higher than our own list. LOL So what is a UFO?

A UFO is an unfinished quilting project.  In my mind, a few orphan blocks is not a UFO.  Setting aside fabric for a future quilt is not a UFO (because you can change your mind).  But actually cutting into the fabric with the intent of making blocks for a full quilt flips the switch to UFO until it is actually finished.  Finished means assembled, sandwiched, quilted, and bound.  Labeling is secondary, although some quilters believe until it is labeled, it is still unfinished.  Not me. I tend to label in a batch of several quilts at a time, so the quilt is done when binding is finished.

With that in mind, I decided to be honest with myself and compile a list. Whew, baby!  It was quite a list!  It got so long I had to put it in a spreadsheet. I'm an accountant, so I live and breathe in Excel. Then I figured out what stage each project was in (making blocks, ready for assembly, ready for quilting, ready to bind).  Deep breath. Okay, here goes:

I have TWENTY FIVE unfinished projects.

Not too bad, but not too good.  How many UFOs do you have?  'Cause I need to feel better.

Then, because my list was in a spreadsheet, I began to schedule which projects to work on. Those closest to being finished got to go first in line.

Top 10 quilts are:

1. Jamestown Landing, started in 2013. DONE in January. I have to take credit for my 2018 finishes, right?

2. Magnolia mystery from Meadow Mist designs, started in 2017. At the longarmer. I didn't get a pic of the final flimsy, but definitely will get a good picture when it comes back to me.

3. Big Star County mystery from Alycia Quilts, started in 2017. At the longarmer.

4. Grand Illusion, a Bonnie Hunter mystery from 2014. Blocks are done, need to assemble. Backing is on hand (it's that dark aqua I had found recently and forgotten it was for this quilt).

5.  In the 'Hood mystery from EvaPaige Quilt Designs, started in 2017. Backing is on hand. Need to sandwich & FMQ.  My plan is to quilt little scotties in the four blank square and do little swirls or tiny stipples around the block scotties. The big scotties need hair and sweater stiching. Not sure what to do with the border bones.

6. Floribunda, a Bonnie Hunter design started in 2012. Blocks are done, border is nearly complete. Need to assemble. Backing is on hand.

7. Sapphire Stars, a mystery from Kevin the Quilter, started in 2017.  Finished assembling the blocks in January, nearly done with the border. Backing has been ordered. I hope to drop off to longarmer in February.

8. Red Cross, started in 2013. Need to finish the FMQ. It's already bound.

9. Baby Fox, circa 2015. It is sandwiched and ready for FMQ.

10. En Provence, a Bonnie Hunter mystery from 2016. Six blocks done, need three more plus sashing and border. Will need to shop for backing.  Or maybe I should skip the sashing and do 12 blocks total. Looks pretty with the just the blocks, doesn't it.

As I said on January 1, my goal is to finish at least half of my UFOs. That means I need to finish THIRTEEN.  If I hold true to my Excel schedule, I could finish as many as 22. And my goal is to resist starting another project until three UFOs are done.

The remaining quilts are Garden Party, 1860's Revival, Red/White DSP4, 2015 Craftsy Sampler, RSC15 sampler, a t-shirt quilt, Lady of the Lake, a 199X baby blanket, fabric cut for a patriotic Tobacco Road, an assembled tree skirt, a Christmas table runner cut and ready to sew, a Crabapple Trees medallion, a batik Jewel Box, String X, and my first quilt which needs a border fix before it can be quilted.

Ummm, I must confess I have already kinda, sorta, started a new project already. Angela at SoScrappy announced her RSC18. Although my 2015 blocks are still languishing in the UFO bin, I just know I can keep up with RSC18. Yes, I know I can.  I pulled my light blue scraps and cut enough to make three 10" blocks. She announced the February purple block design today, so will need to cut some purple scraps and keep it going.

Just for fun, I also made a few Lady of the Lake blocks because I just cannot resist doing some piecing. This one is going to be so pretty!  After finishing my last blue & white quilt (Jamestown Landing), I had to push this blue/white one onto the active working list.

So it's your turn to confess. How many UFOs do you have?

Still Kicking

Hello everyone!  No, I am not retiring my blog. This blog cannot retire before I do (haha) so that means I have to keep it up for about ten more years.

My quilt projects have been progressing. And I was able to work in a few new projects that finished quickly.

---I am still working the clues for Meadow Mist Design's Magnolia mystery quilt.  We finally are assembling the flower blocks. Can't wait for the next clue in early December!

---I am still working on Kevin-the-Quilter's Sapphire Stars mystery quilt. I got stuck cutting the big neutral triangles. Just need four more neutrals to finish those.  I have purchased three different neutral fabrics in the past month, so all is good now. Soon the blocks will start coming together and I can finally catch up to all those fast sewers who have already completed their flimsies.

---I entered my first quilt show!  No ribbon, but I didn't expect to win anything. Several of my friends received awards, though. There are some mighty talented quilters in my guild! The quilt show this weekend was awesome, and I was happy most of the ladies I invited were able to come and check out the beautiful quilts (and mine).

---I have been making pot holders!  Check out these two books by Chris Malone. It has been so fun to sew her cute designs.  If you try some of these, I have a couple tips.  First, read the directions carefully. You may need to layer the pieces in a different order than you think. (My seam ripper has been busy.)  Second, for patterns that will be seamed instead of bound, do not cut the shape until you have stitched it. I trace the pattern on tissue paper, layer the fabrics and battings, then stitch directly on the paper before cutting. 

And.... I took my airplane up for a quick flight before its scheduled annual maintenance. It was nice to get up in the air. I can't wait until flying again!

What have you been working on?

Mystery Quilts Progress

Am I crazy for participating in four and a half mystery quilts all at the same time?  The extra half is my ongoing En Provence mystery quilt of fall 2016 from Bonnie Hunter for which I am still sewing parts and assembling.

1) Alycia Quilts "Big Star Country" - Flimsy is together and ready for longarming if I can find a backing. My sewing machine died in the middle of the assembly, so I had to suffer through Sewing Withdrawal Syndrome (SWS) for a week while it was being repaired. As soon as it came home I finished up this flimsy.

2) Kevin the Quilter - Ready for clue #3 to arrive next week.

3) EvaPaige Quilts "In the 'Hood" - Final reveal came today. I cannot post the final block design until Beth reveals it on August 25th.  Cute blocks!  Update: Beth also shared my pic on Facebook! 

4) Meadow Mist Designs "Magnolia Mystery" - The fabrics I purchased originally just didn't excite me. Instead I found a black print (not the solid shown below) and some leftover blush-colored print to mix with my teals and background white-on-white print. There are lots of others who posted their fabric selection on Facebook which make me second guess my own. But I decided these colors felt right and I went ahead and cut my fabrics.

4.5) En Provence - Lots of quilters have posted their final versions which gave me ideas on how to alter the design slightly to make it my own. Here is a view of how my version is progressing. I am planning on 12 of the large blocks and will put solid pink centers on the stars to make them stand out. Bonnie Hunter designed this quilt and I really like it. But as you know, Bonnie's quilts require a LOT of sewing!

And I assembled a quick baby quilt for a friend. It's quick and easy! I'm planning on a fairly simply FMQ of half-inch spaced lines with an occasional daisy.

What projects or mystery quilts are you sewing?