October UFO

My task this month in the UFO challenge is to finish Tell It To The Stars, a quilt-along project I began in 2014. Judy at Patchwork Times hosted the year-long event, and I did okay until about October of that year when I just fizzled out. After sitting in storage for three years (the quilt top, not me!), I am ready to finish it off. Click here to read my original post about this quilt.

The photo above shows how far along I am - and I truly had forgotten how much of it was done. What a pleasant surprise. I've just this morning pulled it out of the closet. This should be an easy UFO to complete.

I vaguely recall what forced me to halt my work on this quilt. After piecing that spiky green border (which was very detailed, as I recall) I thought all that was left was to do a solid outer border or perhaps a small containment border and then a larger outer border. I was wrong. I had to do one more pieced border. Having just finished what I thought was the last of the piecing, I wasn't in the mood for more apparently, so I quit.

Doesn't take much to turn me off a project, does it? Below is the pieced border that forced my shutdown.

Thankfully I had the good sense to print out a copy of the remaining steps. I have spent some time studying the instructions and I do believe I can finish without too much effort. I look forward to being able to claim another small victory in the UFO challenge. Getting this to the flimsy stage will make me quite the happy gal. Wish me luck!

Just to keep things interesting, I am joining the One Monthly Goal challenge at Elm Street Quilts blog. I did one earlier this year, and figure I am sufficiently ready to try again. It's fun to see what other quilters will be finishing this month. And, I have also snuck in to the party at Silly Mama Quilts.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

A Finished Quilt Top

In January of last year, I was feeling all full of hope and optimism for the new year. I generally experience this every January. The promise of a fresh start in a new year does get to me. In 2014, in particular, I started lots of projects - projects of the significantly sizable variety. That said, it should come to no surprise to anyone that several of these projects are as yet unfinished a full year-and-nearly-a-half later.

One of those several started projects has at last become a finished quilt top. Tell It To The Stars was a quilt along I started with Judy over at her blog Patchwork Times. It seemed simple enough. I just needed to make 2 star blocks every month. Well, that was until June. Then things got a bit more involved. There were 6 setting blocks in July. Then those infernal pieced corner triangles came along for August. And September had more pieced triangles for the sides. By the time I got to October and the sashing strips I was done for.

I decided that I'd been avoiding this for long enough, so I got myself in gear this week and finally, it is completed!

I am still planning to have another finish to share with you on Sunday. I have been steadily quilting on Long Road Home. With some very tender fingers, the goal is still on track. *wink*

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Sewing With Friends

Yesterday a group of us met at Terry's for a day of sewing. I had been looking forward to it for quite awhile as I knew I would get to work on something different for a change. (Referencing yesterday's post; I have been hand quilting a lot lately.) After much thoughtful deliberation, I pulled out the quilt along from 2014, Tell It To The Stars, which I worked on steadily until last October. At that point, I saw many sashing strips and corner stones and triangle settings which just put me off entirely. Into a tub it went!

Just look at how much of it I had done. This is shown without the sashing and cornerstones, obviously. Look at those setting triangles. There was some serious piecing going on when I made those. Intimidating, for sure.

Well, this is what I took to Terry's. I have about half of it together and will be finishing the remainder this week, hopefully. When I grow weary of hand quilting, this will be my go-to project.

Terry worked on the zipper bag, and I wish I'd brought mine along for her to see. I was no help whatsoever to her. She moved on to other projects of the zippy bag variety.

Sheryll did some applique; Sharon P. worked on a gorgeous Van Gogh wall hanging; JoAnn did a bit of Lucy Boston stitching; and Laura divided her time between binding and hand quilting. I have some pictures of their projects which I will share in my next post.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

My Own Worst Enemy

I don't think I have very many enemies. And who needs enemies, when I can foil my own efforts better than any foe could.

I had time this weekend to work on sewing a quilt top together. I'd worked at finishing the setting triangles through the week and had everything set for laying out the quilt and stitching it all together.

I didn't get any of that done. Why? Because I couldn't find the blocks. What?!? The blocks were missing? How could I lose a dozen pieced blocks and six setting blocks? And they aren't tiny 6-inch blocks; they are 12.5-inch blocks! Too big to just misplace! Talk about being frustrated!

The quilt I am working on is the Tell It To The Stars quilt along project that I began in January through a blog I follow called Patchwork Times.

Here are my setting triangles. What a lot of pieces! And biases! It was just slightly unnerving to work with so many bias edges.

Corner Triangles

Side Triangles

I made 10 side triangles along with the four corner triangles. All pieced. They will look fantastic in the finished quilt, which I have now seen on the quilt along blog.

 

I hope Judy, the blog host, doesn't mind that I grabbed her picture. Isn't this going to be a spectacular quilt? I am getting kinda' excited to get mine finished.

And that takes me back to spending an entire weekend trying to figure out where I'd put my blocks. I dug and dug. I rooted through piles and closets. I cleaned off the corner of my sewing desk. I put away some fabrics. I folded things and tidied up - not overly much, but some. I opened drawers and looked in project bags. The more I looked without success the more aggravated I became.

Finally, last evening I decided that I was going to open every tub in the sewing room - no small task. I've got little tubs with individual projects. I've got medium-sized tubs with a myriad of things. They seem to be the catch-all tubs. And I've got large tubs containing fabric. In one of those medium-sized tubs, about the 7th one I opened, I found my blocks. It was around 9pm; too late, in other words, to get very much done on sewing the quilt top together. I sort of remember putting that stuff in the tub - I was just cleaning off a surface and instead of putting things away logically, I just piled a bunch of stuff in an empty tub.

One of 12 star blocks

One of 6 setting blocks

Good grief. Imagine what I could do if I'd just get myself organized!

So now I'm back to a Monday, a busy work week, and a project that I'm dying to finish! Here's a quick peek at what it will look like (minus the setting strips).

See what I mean about being my own worst enemy? I spin my wheels because I can't bring myself to straighten up my sewing room, have a place for everything and keep everything in its place. 

I've always been this way so I don't see myself changing my habits any time soon. Oh well.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Caught Up - Tell it to the Stars QAL

Back in January when I decided to join in on 2 quilt alongs, I had every intention of staying caught up. Maybe that's the way it always is. One just cannot foresee what curve balls life will toss your way and interfere with completing such projects. I had some extra stuff going on there in the spring, and it's taken me until mid-July to get the Tell it To the Stars Quilt Along all caught up.

The 6 setting blocks are what I finished up yesterday. I have them laid out on the guest bed with a few of the January through June blocks.

 

I've stepped back here for this shot to show you all the remaining blocks - it seems to me that there will have to be more setting blocks. I just can't see any other way of laying this quilt out. At the top there, you can see 6 blocks without setting squares, so it seems like a logical assumption.

I am continuing the work on Eventide. I'm making Ohio Stars - lots of them. Most are turning out well, although I've had to resew a couple because of sloppy intersections. Stay tuned for some upcoming pictures of the progress.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Catching Up

July is going to be the month I get myself caught up on some things I've let lag. I had legitimate excuses at the time I was putting them off, but now I have no excuses, so I need to get myself in gear.

The first 2 things on my list of catching up are the May and June blocks for the Tell It To the Stars Quilt Along hosted by Judy at Patchwork Times. I thought I would do these 2 months at Terry's on Wednesday, but I cut some stuff wrong - used the wrong fabrics - so I opted to come back to the drawing board, recut, and do them right. I am glad I did.

Above are the two blocks for May.

And above here are the two blocks for June.

And here I've put the four blocks together.

I am curious as to how this is going to look when all the blocks are made. I have July ready to go, and this month I need to make six blocks. Obviously, these will be the setting blocks. I'm thinking that August through (maybe?) October are borders, and then November -December to sandwich it all, quilt and finish?? These blocks are rather big at 12.5 inches, so I can't imagine that there will be many more to make.

If you'd like to see my earlier blocks, click each month: January, February, March, April.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

April Block for Tell It To The Stars

Still playing catch up here in the Quilting Room. The Wishes Quilt Along is on schedule, but I'm a month behind on the Tell It To The Stars Quilt Along. I can, however, show you the April blocks. I promise that I am working on the May blocks and I fully expect to have them done before the month is over. Then I will be all caught up on both QALs.

For this QAL, we are instructed to make 2 blocks each month. So here are my April blocks. It seems ever picture I take of these fabrics leaves me with odd colorations. It must have something to do with the shadows and the sunlight in my sewing room. (It couldn't possibly be operator error, could it??)

A close-up view of one block. There have been some oddly-made blocks in this QAL, but since I only have to make 2, it doesn't scare me too much. I think they are turning out pretty well. I definitely have not been so dissatisfied that I've unsewed anything!! Heavens!!

This QAL is sponsored by Judy L. at Patchwork Times blog. She frequently has linky days when all who are participating can share their finished blocks. It's fun to see the variety! Here are links to the blocks I've made so far: January, February, March.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

March Block - Tell It To the Stars QAL

As promised in the last post, I am sharing the accomplishments of Friday's work at Terry's. I'm participating in not one, but two, quilt alongs this year, something quite out of the ordinary for me. I suppose I was inspired by a fresh new year back there in January, and all the possibilities a new year promises.

This quilt along requires that we make 2 blocks each month, so here are my March contributions. It was an odd block to make. The construction was unlike any I'd ever made before. That center star block is on point, so the pieces that create the outer star have to be made in a rather unusual way. It went together easily enough, so if you try it, you won't be aggravated. It's just unusual.

Here are the blocks for January, February and March.

January's blocks are on the bottom, then February in the middle, and March on top. I am eager to see how they are to be set together. If you note, there is a blue print in the January blocks, but it has not been used since. I hope it returns in April's blocks.

If you are interested in making any of these blocks or doing the entire quilt along, let me hook you up with Judy at Patchwork Times. Once there, look on the sidebar (or bottom depending on the device you are using) and click on the Tell It To the Stars icon. That will link you to all the information you need to select fabric and retrieve patterns. You can't work ahead! The links aren't activated until the first of each month.

To go along with this quilt, each month in addition to the pattern, there is a question about quilting that you are supposed to answer. I have not been keeping track of when those are posted, so I have missed two of the three. Maybe when life settles down a bit, I will look back through Judy's blog and find them.

Tomorrow, I will share with you the block I made for the other quilt along.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Tell It To the Stars - February Block

Just like yesterday's featured block, today's is for a quilt along. It's called Tell It To The Stars and it's sponsored by Judy at Patchwork Times. After I finished off the APQ quilt along called Tone It Down in which I made the Burgoyne Surrounded quilt top, I at last had some time to get these other blocks finished.

What do you think? I was so uncertain as I selected the fabrics, even though I had DD2, Emma, helping me. After completing four blocks for two months, I think I can breathe a sigh of relief. It's going to be fine. I will explain that the background fabric is more uniform that the picture is showing. There must be some shadows on the left side of the picture. There is not that variation in the background at all.

In this quilt along, we make two blocks each month, so here they are. How nice. I like it!

We had freezing rain last night and an awful mess in our lane. One car stuck, the other car blocked by it, unable to get through. We had to have a neighbor come over with his truck this morning to pull out the stuck car. Then a different neighbor came this afternoon with his tractor and blade to give the lane a good plowing-out. The snow is finally melting, but the slush left behind freezes at night, leaving a very dangerous mess to drive on. I think our lane could be an alternate site for some of the winter Olympics events. If you want to come visit, come in May. Right now would be a bad time, unless you want to bring your bags and just stay for week or two!! Ha!

It's not so bad for us, but I sure hate to ask friends to navigate our lane.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Tell It To The Stars

Well, I went ahead and made the first 2 blocks in yet another quilt along. It's called Tell It To The Stars, and it is hosted by Judy L. at Patchwork Times. She posts a lot on her blog, so if you go looking for it, you will  have to browse quite a bit. Or, you could look for the quilt along logo either on the side bar or bottom bar.

Emma helped me pull the fabrics earlier this month. You may recall the combination.

I was concerned that I didn't have enough contrast in the grouping, but threw caution to the wind and just did it.

And I have to say I am rather pleased with the look! It will be a pretty quilt, in my opinion! It will definitely be one that Emma will like, as she has always been a purple girl.

You may recognize some of the fabrics as very old Thimbleberries - the background, the center green and the darker purple. The light purple is from one of Barbara Brackman's collections, and the navy is unknown.

The quilt along will last all of 2014, and from what I can gather, we will make 2 of the same blocks each month. So here are the January blocks.

This quilt will be a nice break from the tedious work on the Burgoyne Surrounded quilt along. These pieces are nice and big, so the construction goes really fast. Nice. Very nice.

Happy Quilting, Friends!