My revelation regarding my UFO list

I realized yesturday that I was going about my UFO list all wrong.  I keep adding stuff to my list as I start them and that is just not fair.  I think I am going to redefine what a UFO is to me.  I am going to start a "total quilts" list and a separate "UFO" list.

This will keep the quilts rotating.  When I start the UFO challenge, I would only use the quilts that have been started the previous year or earlier.  If I start a quilt today and finish it in a month, that would not count as a UFO finish.  

I came to this conclusion while talking to my daughter last night.  We were talking about the fact that I now need to add 20 more quilts to my UFO list.  Yes....you read that right, 20.  I kept arguing that they are only little NICU quilts and they will be completed fairly quickly, but she wouldn't hear of it.

This revelation will also help with me actually seeing progress on completions, instead of the number of UFOs constantly going up and down throughout the year.  I say throughout the year, because my UFO list will begin each year January 1st with whatever quilts I was not able to complete in the year.  My total list will be everything that I start regardless of what stage it is at (started to me is anything that I have cut fabric for).

I think I like this idea a lot.  I am very motivated by progress.  This will help me see progress and help me to work on older projects too.  So....I am going to revamp my 2018 UFO list.  Here goes:

**My 2018 UFO list - Starting the year with 27 UFOs, goal is to reduce this to 15**

1. Quilting-Reconstructed Dresden plate quilt (my own).
2. Quilting-Stashbuster's ugly/sunshine BOM quilt (no destination, yet)

3. Quilting-Tiny town quilt (my own)

4. Quilting-Drunkard's path quilt (my own) ***AP&Q UFO#2 - SEPTEMBER***

7. Main work-Tumalo squares quilt (no destination, yet) ***AP&Q UFO#4*** 

11. Main work-Mel's romance & roses quilt (family) **AP&Q UFO*#8 - AUGUST***

12. Main work-Scrappy Carolina chain quilt (charity)
13. Main work-Reconstructed bright 6-point stars quilt (my own) 

14. Main work-Reconstructed 1st & 2nd bow tie quilt (my own)

15. Main work-30s fabric Omigosh quilt (no destination, yet)

16. Main work-Monkey wrench quilt (my own)
18. Main work-Witch/pumpkin wall hanging (my own)

19. Handwork-To grandmother's house we go (my own) ***AP&Q UFO#9 - FEBRUARY***

20. Handwork-Gathering flowers quilt (my own)

21. Handwork-Hexagon quilt (my own) ***Grab 'n go***

24. Paper piece-Scrappy flying geese quilt (charity) ***AP&Q UFO#1***

25. Paper piece-Pineapple quilt (family, niece/nephew) ***AP&Q UFO#10 - OCTOBER***

26. Paper piece-Wild & goosey quilt (family, niece/nephew) ***AP&Q UFO#11 - JUNE***

27. Paper piece-Mini blocks log cabin (my own)

Total number of quilts completed - 6

Total number of quilts removed/dismantled - 2
Remaining quilts to do - 19 

Total number of quilts left to be completed to achieve my goal - 4

Quilts completed:

23. Xmas pineapple blossom quilt (no destination, yet) 

8. Farmer's wife sampler quilt (no destination, yet) 

9. Texas braid quilt removed/gave to Sabryna

6. Brown bear paws quilt (my own)

17. Silk triangles quilt from Carol (no destination, yet)

10. Xmas/Solstice star quilt (my own)

5. Red hearts quilt (charity)

22. ?? Dismantled

Much shorter!  When I look at it this way, it's more manageable.  In the next two months I need to finish 4 quilts and for next year I will start with the total list again and again try to bring it down to 15.  Though it will continue to go up and down over time, I will try and concentrate on getting some of my older UFOs done, to keep them revolving.

Let's see if this new revelation works!  It's worth a try!

New layout for the pineapple quilt

I went back to the drawing board, sort of speak, and redesigned the pineapple quilt.  The first edition was with the blocks set on point, with side pieces and corners.   I had incorporated a 2" black boarder in the side pieces.  Unfortunately, when I started to put them together, I noted my measurements were off by a 1/4".  I couldn't get the side triangles to match the square pieces.

At the time I was sooooo upset.  I mean really, all that work only to find out near the end that I messed up.  I was so upset, I started tossing the side pieces off the design wall and vowed to myself I would not be defeated by this quilt.  I was also determined that it was NOT going into the time out box and put away again for another time.  

This quilt is my October's challenge quilt for the American, Patchwork & Quilting UFO challenge.  I've had this quilt since July/2009 and I am determined to get this done.  So......after all the side pieces were gone, I took the squares and set them side by side.

When I stepped back to look at it, I thought to myself that it wasn't that bad.  It may not have been my first choice of layouts, but plan B is nice too.  

Today I worked on getting some of the blocks sewn together in four patch style.  I now have the top more than half way completed.  I'm still going to put a black small border on and a green border that my daughter and I selected.

There is still a very good chance that this quilt will get done for October, or at least the top will be.

Yay!!!  Wish me luck!

Another version of the Radiant Braided Star quilt

With the Halton Hills Quilter's Guild we had a workshop to make this quilt called Radiant Braided Star.  I showed a few different examples, of pictures I took during the class, in a previous post.  

This was one version that I didn't have a chance to take a picture.  It belongs to one of the members and she asked me to quilt it for her.  It's a beautiful quilt.  The pictures do not do this quilt justice.  In person, the blues have more of a presence, as some of the brown fabrics also have blue in them and the yellows blend very nicely with the blues.  They seem to highlight each other.

Here is a close up of the quilting design.  The design is an edge to edge pantograph called Jessica's Swirls Simplified.  It adds a lovely amount of texture to the quilt, without overwhelming it.

This is going to look great on someone's bed.  I think it looks gorgeous!  It still amazes me how the same pattern can look completely different dependent on the fabrics and colour chooses you use.

Mine hasn't been quilted yet and that one will take me a while.  I have too many other quilts to get done first and obviously, customer quilts get done first.  I can't wait to see some of the other people's quilts completed and what kind of border treatment they decided to do!

Progress on the pineapple quilt blocks

Now that I am in the swing of things with the pineapple blocks, my workstation is messier.  I find it impossible to keep it clean as I pull fabric for each piece.  The only neat piles are the blocks left to be done, the very small scraps, in a little pile and the too skinny strips in the shoe box.

I have been working away at the blocks ever since the number has been called for the American Patchwork &Quilting UFO Challenge for October.  When I started, I had about half of the blocks left still to do.  Picture can be found on a previous post.

I worked out what needed to be done. How many blocks I had to do daily in order to finish by the 20th.  The 20th, just being a random day that fell on a weekend, with enough time remaining of the month to work on assembling the rows and finishing the quilt top.  Whenever I had some extra time, I worked a bit ahead, so I was left with only having to do two blocks a day.  This was more manageable for me.

As I worked on finishing the paper piece blocks, I also kept up with the paper removal of the blocks.  Nothing was allowed on the design wall that did not have the paper removed.

So, this is my progress.  I separated the blocks since the last picture, and worked on the blocks to finish the perimeter first.  It helped me keep things neat and in perspective, of what needed to be done.  That would be the "need to keep things organized" bit in me.  My daughter and I jokingly refer to it as our OCDness.....lol.  It's funny really, how I work in a mess (can't help it), but still have to have some parts in order.

When I took the picture above, there were another eight blocks completed, but waiting to have the paper removed.  So as of now, I am ahead of the game, as I only have eight more blocks to do.  That equates to four days, leaving me with 3 days to spare (provided I get the required 2 per day done).  I'll have to find something for the border.

Yay!!!  It looks very promising that this quilt will be finished in October, for the challenge.

3-way BOM Free motion version coming along

Now, I am finally caught up on the 3-way BOM for the Free Motion version.  I have all nine blocks done, plus an extra one.  I still haven't had the time to figure out the last two blocks, so I'll just wait for them to come around. 

These blocks are a bit more tame than the modern version, with the white background fabric instead of the blue with skating dogs.  My daughter likes the modern version better though.

Here are the four new blocks I made to catch up.

Now I am on to the last set of blocks, the traditional version.

3-way BOM Modern version coming along

I am finally caught up on the 3-way BOM for the Modern version.  I have all nine blocks done, plus an extra one.  The flying geese chasing each other was easy enough to make, so I went ahead and made it.  I didn't have the time to figure out the last two blocks, so I'll just wait for them to come around.  I'm hoping they will be blocks October and November, so that I have all of December to play with all the quilting designs on the machine.

These are the blocks for July, August & September, in no particulate order.  I changes up some of the colour placements in order to get as many colours of my chosen fabrics in each block.

Now to get the other two versions done.....stay tunes.

Working on a Scrappy Carolina Chain quilt

Sometime in September, when I needed a break from something...?  I was obviously not doing what I was supposed to be doing, but having fun while doing it anyways....lol.  Sometimes you just need to play hooky from the 'must do', to play with the 'want to do'.  This was one of those times.

It was a rare lazy Saturday (or as lazy as my Saturday's can ever get).  It was mid day around 2:30-3:00pm, when your energy level does a spiraling dive down, you need a caffeine boost and some form of sustenance to tie you over until dinner time.

Around this time, is usually the time I start getting bored with what I have been working on all day (usually something I am supposed to have been working on), and I am looking for a distraction.  So.....once I take care of my energy boost and mossy down to my quilt room, I spy the box I have holding all the pieces for my Carolina chain blocks.

I needed no further distraction, just seeing the box was enough to grab my attention.  Above I have some of the dark blocks laid out ready to sew.  I sew them almost like a nine patch block with a twist once I get to the third row.  Below you see how many I managed to get done, before my conscious took over to remind me, that I was not supposed to be working on these blocks right now.

So, away they went into my large jar that I have, to sit and look pretty, until the next time I get distracted or until the number for this quilt is pulled.  I think the next time I will work on some of the alternate light blocks.

Enjoy your long weekend, for those in Canada celebrating Thanksgiving.

American Patchwork & Quilting UFO Challenge for October

My American Patchwork & Quilting UFO Challenge for October is my pineapple quilt.

I was given theses blocks from a past friend, who was a piecer, but decides she preferred doing log cabin blocks versus pineapple blocks.  I received these blocks back in 2009 with the centre and a light round started on each block.

Since, I have added a round of darks to all the blocks, decided I wanted to put these blocks on a diagonal, so made the half square side blocks plus the corners.  I'm not sure if you can see it from the picture, but the side units and the corners incorporate the first border in black.

Later, I figured out that It was daunting the amount of blocks there were and how one round on each block really didn't show.  At the end of it, you still felt like you didn't do anything.  That is when I decided to concentrate on a few blocks at a time.  That seemed to work better, as now I have this many done.  This is approx. 50% completely done.  It's more motivating to see progress as you go.

These couple of blocks were completed the last time I had this project out.  It's really been a while since this quilt has seen the light of day.  The number for this quilt has come up and I am gearing up to make a substantial amount of progress on this one.  I really want to see this one done and gifted to someone to snuggle under.

So, now I am all prepared to work on these this month.  I have the remaining paper foundations ready to go.  I have my scraps all lined up.  Let's see how much I can get done this month.

Another block for the Tumalo Trail quilt

Here is another block for the Tumalo Trail quilt from Bonnie Hunter/Quiltville.  These shirting fabrics are looking really nice.  The blocks have a different feel to them.

At this point, I have all of the half square triangles sewn and a good stack of the nine patches.

On my unit behind my sewing chair are all the sets of nine patches that I still have to do.  Yes.....it is a lot.  Altogether there are 350 nine patches to do and I think I have just over 300 left to do.

For now though, I have to put this one aside.  The American Patchwork & Quilting UFO challenge quilt for October was not this one.  Too bad as I was really getting into it.  I think I will leave these sets where they are for now and maybe do them as leader/enders when I can.

Stay tuned for the reveal of my AP&Q UFO Challenge quilt for October.