A Few Small Finishes

Despite how badly I wanted to begin something new, I restrained myself and instead made progress on finishing some of the items on that pesky UFO/PHD list I made a few weeks back. The struggle was real, I tell you, however the reward was satisfying - I checked several UFOs off my list.

One of the most satisfying finishes was a table topper-sized quilt made with the panel gifted to me from Sharon. While she was here sewing last week, I pulled out some potential fabrics to pair with the panels. We explored lots of possibilities. While that floral one (above) looks great, the flowers in the panel blocks are lost, so with Sharon's helpful input, I opted for the pink Aboriginal Dots.

Doing a small project like this takes no time at all. In 30 minutes, I had these 16 blocks stitched up and pressed. The time-consuming part was deciding on which fabric to use and cutting the panels accurately. 

Sharon suggests I add a border, and since I have more of the pink, I probably will. I mean, gee whiz, use the fabric! I certainly have no need to conserve here!

Two more fast finishes involved clothes for granddaughter Cate. In order to finish the bloomers for this green and white striped outfit, I needed elastic. I did it, and yesterday, she actually tried them on - but I failed to follow the Grandma game rules - I did not take a picture! It fits, though, and she looked darling in it.

The other Cate finish was the little yellow sweater that needed ribbons replaced. Again, I have no pictures. (arrgghh!) The sweater was one that Erin wore when she was a baby, homemade by a family friend. I'd saved it for giving to a grandchild, and now it's Cate's. I will take some pics the next opportunity I have.

To make up for the lack of photo evidence of Cate's projects, let's just look at the little darling herself. What a happy child she is! She now sits up well enough to take baths in the big tub, and from all accounts she loves tubby time.

Have a great week!

Happy Quilting, Friends!

UFOs and PHDs

Perhaps it goes without saying that the down-deep-and-dirty cleaning I've done in the quilting room has resulted in my finding a whole lotta' stuff I'd forgotten about. Now that all this has (mostly) been sorted and organized, I do believe I have earned my PHD.

In quilter lingo, that stands for Projects Half Done.

Early on in the excavating process, I decided I should list all the found projects I was unearthing. This is evidence that I really do like starting things a whole lot more than finishing things. I don't recommend trying to make sense of my list; I abbreviate and misname things. I know what I'm referring to, for sure, but it's likely gibberish to anyone else. Suffice it to say that my list contains 23 items, some I am eager to finish, others, ehhh, not so much. A few might never be finished, actually.

Let's talk about the ones that I am excited about; I've actually shared them on the blog, so they will be familiar, possibly.

For the life of me, I don't know why I have not finished Polka Dots and Posies. It appears that all the blocks are made; all I need to do is construct the quilt top. It will definitely be a high-priority item for July.

Some projects I have not shared. For example, Sharon gifted me a gorgeous Kaffe Fassett panel which I immediately buried in a pile on the table. What was I thinking!? This can be incorporated into such a gorgeous quilt, and I sure do have all the necessary KF fabrics to choose the prettiest combinations. Initially I was thinking pillows, but now I am thinking of cutting these into squares and teaming them with fabric cut to the same size, and stitching up a very easy throw. It would be so fast and fun -- and so satisfying.

Of course, we all know I have dozens of full-size quilt tops needing to be quilted; I have a whole lot of little quilts needing it, too. In 2016, I made two Market Day (pattern by Pam Buda) mini quilts. These are still flimsies; haven't done a thing with them. Geesh. If I would just quilt them, I would have two ready-to-go patriotic decor items! Gonna' try to do at least one of these ASAP.

Probably the most embarrassing thing to admit is that I get sooooo close to truly finishing something, and then just stop. What's up with that?? 

I even bragged (not once, but twice!) about how close I was to finishing this Christmas table topper, and had a mere handful of remaining stitches in order to complete it. Guess what? It still needs those final few stitches. Somehow I allowed myself to get side-tracked. Honestly, no excuse adequately explains this behavior.

One more, then I will stop. Recall, if you will, that last fall I was nearing the finish on hand-quilting Fall Foliage. It was set up in the family room, and I worked on it most evenings while watching sports or movies. 

Well, the holidays interfered; I dismantled it and put it upstairs to get ready for Christmas decorating and entertaining. It has not had another stitch taken on it since. I do have a plan, though. Next week, the Tour de France will begin, and I will stitch on this while we watch the cyclists and enjoy our yearly 'visit' to France. Yes, we watch as much for the scenic vistas as we do for the biking.

Wish me luck with my plans for checking several of these UFOs and PHDs off my list. Already, a couple are done -- progress, slow and steady.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Goodbye February; Hello March!

Welcome to March! In true folklore fashion, it came in like a lion. Our winds were fierce last evening; and overnight we even went to the basement because of a tornado warning. Yours truly did not get much sleep last night, so bring on the caffeine.

That's the worst complaint I can make though, and some folks all too near to us did have some damage. I am just now beginning to see some reports on social media of roofs off barns, trees and power lines down, and roads closed due to flooding. Our electric only flickered once, thankfully.

As we begin a new month, I like to review the accomplishments of the previous month and take a look at my list (arbitrary, as it is) to see what lies ahead.

I feel like February was not overly productive, however, I helped my daughter make a baby quilt and I taught 2 sewing/quilting classes, which requires some prep work ahead of time. So while I did finish Emma's baby quilt, teaching doesn't actually result in finishing things. It is still sewing, though, and I'm glad to be doing it.

The UFO for February was to finish the quilt top of Lorraine, which I did rather handily. It was such a fun quilt to make, and is sure brightened the gray days of the month.

I spent a lot of time hand quilting, another task that is slow to show results. I am working on borders now, so this is steadily coming along. While I quilted on this, I watched Broadchurch, a BBC series available on Netflix. That was fun. After I finished that series (it was only 2 seasons), I started The Crown, also on Netflix. I am really enjoying it.

The baby quilt Emma wanted for her friend is another finish I am going to take credit for - and this was not even on my radar when the month began! It was such cute quilt, and I love seeing what the younger generation prefers.

And, for the two classes, I do have some things that will be useful. The little butterfly table topper is finished and ready for summer on the porch; the Drunkard's Path parts, well, we shall see what happens with them. *grin*

Now, what does March have in store? Well, the UFO for this month is #7, and for me that is what I call "small tumblers." (I also have a large version that is also a UFO.) I have pulled it out and have begun working on it.

In this tub - labeled, even! - I have all the parts to this UFO. And let me tell you, I don't know what I was thinking when I was making these! I have two separate parts and a pile of tumblers. Now why would I have made two part? I am clueless as to the thought process for this. Seems rather odd to me now.

The part pictured above is the smaller of the two. If I planned on connecting these two parts, I would have thought I'd have made them the same width, but no, I didn't. Good grief.

Back to the list...In addition to UFO #7, I also have a couple of items that were on February's list and that appear again on March's list. I just didn't get to them last month. Baby quilts for two babies must be completed. I also want to make something my mother requested, and I'd like to get started on the wall hanging that Emma requested.

And while all those are on the list for this month, yesterday I did this:

This gorgeous star is the center of a Swoon block. Yes, I decided I needed to start, so I did. The pattern I have is the original one which makes a huge block - like 18 or 24 inches. This star is the center of the block and it measures 12.5". Stay tuned for more Swoon fun throughout the month.

I am going to link up to Let's Bee Social; if you have some time, go browse the neat-o stuff other quilters are creating.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Things Pile Up

Isn't it funny how life works? I was (relatively) on top of the projects I wanted to work on a week ago, but now I have extra irons in the fire and am feeling some increased urgency to get a few of them done.  Typically, when things get this way, I make a list.

1. Finish the 19th C. Reds kit - I made the blocks at retreat; now I'm feeling the need to have it put together.

2. Put the binding on Emma's purple KF quilt. Terry quilted in no time and I picked it up on Wednesday. I first will need to make the binding (I plan to use what I cut away from the backing).

3. Finish the last border of the Tulip Wall Hanging. I've got no excuse for not having this completed. It just needs a 2.5" neutral border and then I can sandwich it and quilt it. I've been lolly-gagging. (Is that a term you know?)

4. I took on a new project this week. I am altering a prom dress for a friend's daughter. It was too long, and that portion of the alterations is finished. The part I am stewing over just a bit is an insert she wants in the bodice to give her more coverage. The dress was made with rhinestone-covered tulle over lining on the skirt. The bodice, however, was lined only in certain area; the rest was see-through. Anna felt that there needed to be some additional lining in this one particular area. I made a practice insert yesterday, which will need a couple of adjustments. I plan to finish it today.

5. The April UFO has been in the back of my mind all month. I've been considering options, and just need to make a decision and get this completed.

6. The two Quilt-Alongs also need to be dealt with. I took them to the retreat, but did not get to work on either.

7. Put the blocks from my Farmer's Wife Quilt together. This, too, I've been pondering and it's time to just make a decision. I have 53 blocks completed and will need to make setting blocks of HSTs or hourglass.

8. Long Road Home is still not finished. I have completely ignored it since around late February. My fingers got sore, I took a break, and that's where I left it. With NBA playoffs coming up, and MLB on TV, maybe I ought to just watch my sports (Go Cavaliers! Go Tribe!) and finally finish quilting this. I will love having it done. 

We quilters sure know how to stay busy, don't we?
Happy Quilting, Friends!

Around the World Blog Hop

A week or so ago, I was contacted by Sandra White at her blog, Hand Piecing. She is participating in a blog tour called Around The World Blog Hop and asked me to join in. Sounded kinda' fun, so I agreed. If you are here for the first time, WELCOME! It's so nice to have you visit!

I do have to set the record straight on one thing - if you have read about this blog from Sandra's blog, you might think that I am a grandmother. As of now, I am not, and to my knowledge, won't be any time soon. I am quite patient to wait on that phase of my life, but when I do become a grandmother, I hope that I will be as wonderful as my own grandmother, whom you met yesterday. ;) Happy Birthday, Grandma!!

Participating in this Blog Hop involves showing you the projects I am currently working on, and answering some questions about myself. I recommend getting comfortable, as this will be a lengthy post. Let us begin!

WHAT AM I WORKING ON?

Mostly, I am trying to complete the 12 UFOs in the challenge that my little quilting group had this calendar year. I am probably in last place, as I still have over half of them to complete. I began with such high hopes, too. I was derailed a bit in the spring with family stuff, but I got back on track once things settled down. Lately, though, I find myself derailed again by the time I'm spending on non-quilting projects and my composition classes at Ohio University - Chillicothe.

With that introduction, I will give you specifics. First, I am hand piecing the remaining few blocks for a UFO I call Six-Point Star. I began it about 13 years ago.

A second UFO is the Tumbler quilt top that I started about a year ago on a whim. I will only need 2 or 3 hours at the sewing machine to finish this quilt top which is my goal.

Tumbler is going to be a throw. Since I am inventing it as I go, I can make it whatever size I like. I have an idea that I want to create a solid inner border and then add more tumbler blocks in an outer border. We shall see.

Third on the UFO list is to quilt a Schnibbles called Sunday Best. I will do it on the machine. It is sandwiched and ready to go. I still think I can get it done by our deadline.

The fourth and fifth items on the UFO list involve finishing Christmas pillows that I hand pieced last December when I was laid up after my surgery. It would take about a half an hour to finish them, so I should just do it. How easy! And a third pillow needs to be finished and will be gifted to a friend who has the design on the barn at their farm.

One item on the UFO list will likely not make the deadline; I'm just not going to push myself to complete it. I have a Flag Day Farm panel from an old Minick and Simpson line. My goal was to use this panel in a quilt; I have an idea of what I want to do, and will definitely get it done in 2015. I'm thinking of a medallion quilt with many borders added around it - is that called Round Robin? I think it is.

Not all my current projects are part of the UFO Challenge. I am trying to finish hand quilting my Long Road Home quilt. I put it in the quilt frame over 2 years ago; it's been ignored more than I care to admit, but since early October, I have been very focused on finishing it.

Those of you who have followed me for awhile know that in January I joined in 2 quilt-alongs. What was I thinking?? Actually, I have enjoyed them, and I managed to stay caught up with them through October, which is pretty good for me. I hope to regain my momentum and have them done this month.

One QAL is sponsored by Jolly Jabber at Fat Quarter Shop. It is called Wishes, and proceeds benefit the Make A Wish Foundation. Here are my blocks to date.

The other QAL is sponsored by Judy at Patchwork Times. It is called Tell It To The Stars. It has such an involved border, but I am quite eager to see it finished. I need to cut the sashing strips and get it put together.

Let me go on the record here and now: I will not do a quilt-along next year. While these have been fun, there are far too many quilts I've planned on making to get sidetracked by the whims I find in blog-land!!

HOW DOES MY WORK DIFFER FROM 

OTHERS OF ITS GENRE?

I am not exactly sure how to respond to this question. You see, I doubt very seriously that I actually have "a genre." My work is all over the quilting spectrum - I like just about everything. Machine piecing and hand piecing; machine quilting and hand quilting; repro fabrics and bright Kaffe fabrics; two-color quilts and scrappy quilts; modern patterns and traditional patterns. With this variety of interests, it is impossible to say what "my genre" would be!

WHY DO I WRITE/CREATE?

Why? I have never stopped to ponder why. As far as I am concerned knowing why is just not relevant. I do it because I enjoy it; I love quilts and I love fabric and since no one is lined up to give me gorgeous quilts, I make them for myself. Simple as that, actually.

As for writing, I have never thought about this either. I taught high school English for 30 years, and found it to be a satisfying career. As soon as I retired, I started teaching Freshman Comp at OU-C on a part-time basis, and I enjoy that, too.

I write this blog to keep track of the projects I am working on, planning to work on, and recording the wonderful things my friends are working on. It's on-line journaling, I suppose.

Since retiring, in addition to writing this blog, I have entered into a writing relationship with the Greenfield Historical Society. We did a little paperback book a couple of years ago, and I enjoyed it so much that I jumped at the offer to do a bigger book with them. This one will be a coffee table book about our beautiful high school; we will be commemorating the 100th anniversary of its opening next September. I am learning that I enjoy writing as much as I have enjoyed teaching it all these years.

HOW DOES MY WRITING/CREATING PROCESS WORK?

As for quilts, my creative process varies quite a bit. I have been know to find a pattern, go to the quilt shop and buy the fabric and then make the quilt. Or put the pattern and fabric away in a bin for making at a later time. Sometimes much, much later.

I have also been known to do quite the opposite: find myself in a quilt shop, see some amazing fabric that screams to come home with me, and buy that fabric (and more, most likely). The fabric is always content to be petted occasionally and wait patiently for a pattern to come along.

I have lots and lots and lots of fabric waiting for a quilt pattern to come along; in fact, I will very likely have to live to be about 150 in order to use up the fabric stored upstairs. I've made great strides at limiting the fabric buying in favor of using from the stash, but it's still going to take many, many quilts to use it all.

I generally always have projects in various stages of completion, because sometimes I just don't know what my mood will want. If I am in the mood for cutting out a quilt, I generally always have one waiting in the wings. At other times, I might be in the mood for some hand-stitching. I always have something ready because that is what I do every other Friday morning with my friends in the Frankfort group. And still, there are times when I just want to do something fast and show some results for my efforts. I will have some machine project waiting for those times. I think a lot of quilters operate this way, so I'm no different.

One thing I do that sorta' drives me crazy: I like starting things. The finishing is the hard part. I guess I get bored or I want to move on or something. Anyway, that is likely the reason I have so many UFOs. And guess, what else I do? If I make a mistake, I have no patience for fixing it. So many UFOs have been put away because there was some error that aggravated me and I just wasn't interested in fixing it. Silly, huh?

As for my writing process, with this blog I try to write a blog each evening and schedule it to post early the next morning. I don't always operate this way, but when I do, I like that system. If I am going to be away, I will sometimes schedule several ahead, but it takes planning and time - two things I am often short on. And, it doesn't bother me in the least to just go a week or so with no posting whatsoever. I know I ought to be more reliable, but I do this for my purposes - not to make money, not to impress others, not to become widely read - just for me to keep track of what my friends and I do.

So there you have it - everything you probably never knew you wanted to know about me! Hah!

I have recruited one blogger to join in on this Blog Tour. I'd be ever so happy for you to click on this link to Lynn's blog, Sew'n Wild Oats. She will be posting her contribution to this Blog Tour next Monday, December 22. (I will remind you to go visit then, too.) Her blog is one I have followed for a long time, and I think you will like it, too. She has some beautiful quilts that offer no end of inspiration, and she has a pretty Golden Retriever named Mazey.

Happy Quilting, Friends!