April UFO Update

Hello!  Spring has sprung and it's time for some spring cleaning ....cleaning out more old UFOs.  April has been a productive month in my sewing room. This is what has been accomplished so far in April.

1.  I finished the flimsy for RSC 15!  (Or nearly finished--needs just a little white border and a new picture).  Finally I have a quilt worthy of some custom quilting!

2. RSC 18 "Squared Away" blocks for April are done. Isn't Yellow a happy color?

3. I cut and sewed the blocks for the Autumn Stars pattern from my November 2017 Sew Sampler box. The borders are ready to apply.  This one will not land on my UFO list at all. Whew!

4. Sapphire Stars is a flimsy!  It's going to the longarmer tomorrow.

5. My version of Bonnie Hunter's Grand Illusion will be picked up from the longarmer tomorrow. The binding step will go quickly and that means one more UFO checked out the list.

What's up next?  My quilting goals for 2nd quarter are to sew a quilt for my guild's challenge (a traditional block in a non-traditional way), finish more UFOs, and make a baby quilt for my daughter's friend.

So.....
Which UFO should I work on next?  Please leave a message with your vote.
1. Assemble those red/white disappearing 4-patches into a flimsy.
2. Assemble my old Floribunda blocks (another Bonnie Hunter pattern) and finish up the piano key border. 
3. Free-motion quilt the Little Fox quilt.
4. Work on my En Provence quilt.

On a higher note, the weather looks great for this weekend so I am expecting to fly circles in the sky in my airplane. I hope you are enjoying the beautiful sunshine this weekend, too.

Mesa Valley

Have you heard of Fat Quarter Shop's Sew Sampler subscription?  For about $26 a month, you receive a box filled with fabric, a pattern, notions and coupons. I started my subscription last September and have loved nearly every box. My favorite so far has been the October 2017 box. The fabric, quilt pattern and notions delighted me. Some of the subscribers did not like the Tula Pink modern fabric included that month (according to the FQS blog), but you just can't please everyone. My fabric stash has a lot of traditional-style prints, so it was fun to work with a modern print for a change. In fact, I may have ordered a couple fat quarter collections with more modern style fabrics....

Check out this Mesa Valley quilt using the Tula Pink Spirit Animal prints. It was included in my Sew Sampler box from October. The pattern was very easy and quick to assemble. I decided to use a light tan "sandy" fabric for the background rather than white.  If you make this pattern, you can safely reduce the background fabric by 3/4 yard. Also, I recommend pressing the block seams open (even the flying geese piece) to reduce bulk.  I pressed to the side only for between the blocks and for the borders.

Also I finished the green RSC 18 blocks for March. Here are the blocks for January, February and March:

On a higher note, I flew last weekend with an instructor for my biennial review. Private pilots like me are required to meet with a flight instructor every two years to make sure we are still operating safely.  We spent some time reviewing charts and regulations, and swapping a few stories. Then it was time for my flight review.  We took off and headed out to practice some flight maneuvers.  It was a rather bumpy flight because the winds were changing directions due to a cold front that was passing through later that evening. In fact, I discovered the winds switched to a completely opposite direction after my takeoff. After circling to land in the right direction, my landing was thankfully smooth and uneventful.  So with a fresh signature in my logbook, I am ready to explore the skies once again.

Green Light

Green light or light green?  The Rainbow Scrap Challenge color for March is green. The color my grass will soon be.  The color that means "Go".

Here is my green block, the first of three needed for my version of RSC 18.  My January and February blocks each have a center featuring a special print, so I decided to follow the same concept for the little Shoo-Fly block in the middle of this block.

I am also pleased to report progress on another UFO, a disappearing 4-patch project begun in 2012. All 42 of the blocks I had planned to make are made plus 1 extra. Each block is a different red print with a white-on-white print as contrast. Now let's figure out how to arrange them.

Which layout do you prefer?

UFO Progress

Hallelujah!  My UFO pile is finally decreasing!  Progress so far in 2018:

1. Jamestown Landing - DONE
2. Big Star Country - DONE
3. Magnolia Mystery - DONE
4. Grand Illusion - being longarmed.
[You can find these on my 2018 Quilts page.]

5. Sapphire Stars - Need to add final border; backing has arrived.

6. Baby Fox - sandwiched and ready to quilt.

7. RSC15 Sampler - Three rows complete; need to finish the remaining four rows.

8. Red/white Disappearing 4-patch - 14 more blocks to cut and reassemble, then arrange all blocks into a 48-block flimsy. Need to figure out backing.

I have started only one new quilt in 2018 - the RSC sampler for 2018. But I'm collecting fabric for others....gotta finish more UFOs first!

I hope you are progressing on your own UFOs, too!

Rip It Off

Have you ever had one of those projects where it feels like your seam ripper gets more of a workout than your sewing machine?  It feels like I have sewn every seam twice. I'm not sure why I am struggling so much.  At least the results are beautiful so it feels worth the effort.

Here is what I am working on - RSC (Rainbow Scrap Challenge) circa 2015. This is a free project designed by Angela at superscrappy.blogspot.com (LINK).

I started out strong in 2015, finishing three months of blocks, then stalled out for some unknown reason.  Probably because I ran out of white and while waiting for my online fabric order I got distracted with another quilt.

In my grand scheme to clear out some UFOs this year, I created a schedule of which projects to finish or work on each month. Well, I am already deviating from the plan. RSC15 was supposed to be May through September. But that's okay.  You gotta do it when the mood strikes because this is supposed to be FUN!

My variation on this pattern is to use solids for the star points and grid, with scraps for the centers of the star blocks and of the grid blocks.  Here are a few close ups of my favorites.

Have you made the RSC15?  And are you working on RSC18, same as me?  Bonus points: do you recognize the source of most of the prints in my quilt? My favorite online store.....

RSC18 Blocks 1 and 2

I love Angela's RSC18 plan, so I went ahead and started on it. Here are my January and February blocks. That bottom purple center is actually a luscious violet swirl fabric.  Join me on this fun sampler HERE.

After posting my UFO confession yesterday, I discovered another UFO hidden in my closet. It's my first scrappy quilt based on an old Dimensions/EZQuilting pattern from 1991. It required lots of green scraps sewn into pine trees. I can finish that one pretty quickly, too. Has anyone made this quilt? I'm using a white-on-white leaf print background.

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?