Starting off my 2018 early

The hype is already in motion on Facebook to finish up those UFOs (UnFinished Objects).  I have decided to join the American Patchwork & Quilting's UFO Challenge this year.

Basically, you pick twelve of your UFOs and number them from 1 to 12.  Each month they will pull a number.  Whatever number they pick, you are to work on the corresponding UFO, that month.

Below is my full list.  There are really only 27 UFOs to do, but I have decided to add back onto the list all the quilts that I still have to bind, before I can gift them, and those that I want to go back and make a label for.

As you may have noticed from the list, I have a lot of labels to make and all the recently finished quilts to bind.  I've numbered everything, because on top of the American Patchwork & Quilting's UFO Challenge, I will also select my own number.  My number will be selected when I finish the quilt for that particular month, and I can get other things done too.  Basically, whenever I don't know what to do with myself or don't know where to start, I will select a number and just start there, until my mojo kicks in and takes over again.  

So.........I've cleared off my design wall, cleaned up my quilting studio, and I am ready to go.  Like many on the Facebook group, I've also decided to start early.  According to the American Patchwork & Quilting's UFO Challenge Facebook group the number for January has already been picked.  It could have been just for an example, however everyone is going with it.  January's number is 12.

According to my list (above and below), that means I will be working on my paper piece Xmas pineapple blossom quilt ***AP&Q UFO#12-JANUARY***

I started yesterday, in the afternoon, taking out all the blocks and Christmas fabric scraps for this quilt.  I already had 14 blocks completed and throughout the afternoon, I made an additional 6 more.  In total there are 80 blocks to do, which means I am now 25% of the way done on the blocks.

I am sure many of you have realized by now, that I work in numbers.  They motivate me.  The way I look at it, is like this.....I have 20 blocks/25% complete (glass half full), I only have 60 blocks/75% left to do, and that works out to only 2 blocks per day to have them all done by the end of the month.  Two blocks is very manageable.  So now I start out with a positive attitude and feel motivated and have a sense that I can succeed and accomplish this.  LOL...just try and stop me!!!

Believe it or not, it works!  You know the mind over matter business..... Try it and see.  You can and will succeed.

Here's to another great year!! Cheers!

**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. Main work-Drunkard's path quilt (my own) ***AP&Q UFO#2***

5. Main work-Red hearts quilt from Sharon (charity)
6. Main work-Brown bear paws quilt (my own) ***AP&Q UFO#3***

7. Main work-Tumalo squares quilt (my own) ***AP&Q UFO#4***

8. Main work-Farmer's wife sampler quilt (no destination, yet) ***AP&Q UFO#5***

9. Main work-Texas braid quilt (no destination, yet) ***AP&Q UFO#6***

10. Main work-Xmas/Solstice star quilt (my own) ***AP&Q UFO#7***

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

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)
17. Main work-Silk triangles quilt from Carol (no destination, yet)
18. Main work-Witch/pumpkin wall hanging (my own)

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

20. Handwork-Green & red appliqué quilt (my own)

21. Handwork-Hexagon quilt (my own)

22. Handwork-Line Gallery cross-stitch (my own)
23. Paper piece-Xmas pineapple blossom quilt (my own) ***AP&Q UFO#12-JANUARY***

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

25. Paper piece-Pineapple quilt (no destination, yet) ***AP&Q UFO#10***

26. Paper piece-Wild & goosey quilt (no destination, yet) ***AP&Q UFO#11***

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

Final totals for my 2017 UFOs -- GREAT YEAR!!!

On my 2017 UFO list, I starting the year with 45 UFOs, the goal was to reduce this to 25.  The final numbers:

Total number of quilts completed - 26

Total number of quilts/wall hangings added to the list - 9

Total number of quilts removed/dismantled - 1

Total number of quilts left to be completed to achieve my goal - 2

Final total of my top 12 priority list for 2017........ I completed 8 out of the 12 and made some good progress on a couple of the others.  I think those are good ratios.

Overall it was a very good year with progress on my UFOs.  They got out of hand for a while there, but now they are getting more manageable.  I feel great, and I am looking forward to reducing my list a bit further.

More progress on To Grandmother's House We Go quilt

On the second evening of handwork, I did some of the trees on the left of the evergreen tree.  The progress is slow going, but with every needle full of thread I sit there and admire the progress I have done.  I am liking it and I am enjoying the calming process of one stitch at a time, one after another.

On the third evening of handwork,  I am filling in the branches of the trees and a few sprigs of grass.  The picture is starting to take shape.  I am guessing, that I am more than two thirds of the way done, on these trees.

I just had a thought.....as I am looking at these pictures, I remember when I was in school and we did these books with flip pages.  They would have pictures of objects that when flipped would move across the page.  Does anyone else remember these?  If I were to take these picture to make a flip book....wouldn't it be neat, seeing the picture grow?

Anyways, I really like doing this handwork, though I've already had to put it away for a bit, as I am on a deadline, to finish my Canadian Northwind quilt by the end of the year.  I want just one last finish, so I am pushing toward it.  In the New Year I will start back up on the handwork.

Wish me luck.

My daughter's Christmas present to me

My daughter has been busy, making me my Christmas gift.  Isn't it pretty?  I love it!  This will be my winter wall hanging.  My daughter has been working on this for a while now, as these hexagons take time to do.   They are all hand pieced hexagons, which measure just over 3/4" per side.

She designed the wall hanging on her own and all five snowflakes are different.  It's beautiful!!!

I already have the quilting of it, planned out and can't wait to get started on it!

Yesterday, my daughter and I spent some time together and we went for a ride out to Kitchener, to check out a sale at a quilt store.  My daughter is just finishing off her Remember Me quilt.  That quilt is made with signature blocks and pinwheels, using civil war type fabrics.  My daughter calls them warm colours.

This is what we found for the borders of her quilt.  Very pretty.  This is going to look great on her quilt.  That small border really brings out the colour and design of the larger border.  My daughter also found her backing fabric, so this one will be ready to quilt once she adds the borders (pictures of the quilt will follow, once she has completed the whole quilt and it is quilted).

Hope everyone is having some good relaxing family time during the holiday week.

Xmas/solstice star quilt

I've been working hard getting ready for Christmas, making up the business samples, a bit of hand work, some of the Xmas/solstice star bocks and a whole lot of Canadian Northern wind blocks.

Now that Christmas is done, I have a few days between to putter around in the quilting studio getting things done before the New Years celebrations start.

I am still hoping to finish the Canadian Northern wind quilt, before the end of the year.  There is still a chance of it, with only 20 blocks left to do.  The blocks should take me approx. 4-5 hrs and the three borders maybe another 3 hrs.  It is possible to get the quilt top done.  

The quilting part of it....well, not sure I will have the time for that.  My machine may still have the large panel on it for the samples.  We will have to wait and see, though I am not going to push it too hard, as I want to spend time with family too, but they too have plans of their own, so we will see....

Hope everyone had a great Christmas and best wishes for the new year.

Started the To Grandmother's House We Go quilt

I was so excited to see the Sampler Cross-stitch done, that I..........started the To Grandmother's House We Go quilt.  This is a pattern by Crabapple Hill.

I've had this pattern for a while and have been collecting my black fabric and creamy/beige fabrics.  All my pieces for the blocks and the flying geese border have been cut out for a while too.

Right after I finished the cross-stitch, I started to iron the natural unbleached muslin.  It took me a couple of days on and off to iron and trace the design.

The next evening I couldn't hold myself back, I started stitching the design.  This is the bottom design.  The one with grandmother's house.  It's not the most complicated, but also not the easiest.  It took me all evening just to get the top of a evergreen tree done, plus the start of the line that marks the land going across the design to meet the house.

I am liking it so far, but this is going to take a long time to finish.  I will keep you posted with my progress.

Finished my Sampler cross-stitch

On Friday, right after work, I went to bed sick.  Hubby brought me a hot water bottle.  I just could not get rid of the chills.  Runny nose, major headache, achy bones and chills spells cold/flu to me.  I have been fighting it for going on two weeks, since it entered the house starting with my hubby, and to my son.  My daughter is still fighting it, but I now have it.  I slept and slept.  Slept in on Saturday and took it easy the rest of the day.  I guess my body was sick of resting, that this morning it woke me up at 5:00 am.  I woke up wide awake, the kind that you feel upbeat and ready to tackle the day.  The way I was feeling, there was no falling back asleep.  I still have the runny nose and now a soar throat, but everything else is gone.......for now anyways.  Let's hope it was a quick recovery and I am done already.

Here we are.....the finished Sampler Cross-stitch wall hanging.  Last week I finished the floral border.

I am so excited that I have this done.  I put it up on my design wall for now, until I can figure out how to frame it.  Doesn't it look pretty?  It took me since 1993 to get this done.  I worked on it on and off, but obviously, mostly off, considering it only took my four full evenings to complete the whole bottom section.

Well, at least it is done!  I am excited!  I was so excited to see this done, that I..........