A possible redundancy - back to back

It's recently come to my attention just how many quilt TOPS have accumulated in my studio over the last year or so that have yet to be truly finished. In some cases I've been itching to get them quilted and see how they really turn out, but have just not been able to find the right backing fabric.

So, this past week I was on a mission.

And thanks to the help of some wonderful gals, namely Marie at Cool Cottons, and Linda and Michelle at Pioneer Quilts, I was able to come up with some stunners!

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As in most of these cases, it was evident that I'll have to piece the backing, and that little taupe fabric fit perfectly with the vine stripes in the other piece. A combo about which I am most excited!
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A top started in a class nigh on 7 years ago, taught by Portland quilt artist Lee Fowler. It took me until this past year to finish the top, but hopefully won't be nearly as long to see it quilted!

And then we get to the white whale(s)... I've made a couple of these 60° diamond quilt tops in the last couple of years, HOPING that they'll turn out as well as the twin crib quilts I did originally. But it seems there's no good way of knowing until I get them quilted. But look at this combo that Marie helped me find...

And how could I doubt that ultimately it would be Philip Jacobs to come through with the winning number here? Courtesy of Pioneer Quilts.

Is anyone else out there scrambling to bring some of their UFOs a step closer to completion as the calendar year is winding down? What's at the top of your "unquilted top" list?

Putting a hand to it

Once upon a time I almost exclusively hand quilted my quilts. Using the tools I had at the ready. Don't get me wrong, it was not, nor has it become a skill of mine, just a tool and a means to an end.

The last project that I decided to hand quilt is a queen sized bed quilt I made for myself. That is the death toll to timely finishes, let me tell you.

I finished piecing this quilt, I dunno, some time in 2007 or 2008 I would guess. Once I had cleared enough floor space to baste it, that went pretty smoothly. And then I put it in the quilting frame.

And worked on it a few inches at a time.

And then it sat. Untouched. Gathering dust and taking up space in my living room.
For way too long until I finally dismantled the whole operation some time last winter (or was it the season before??) and stowed both the quilt sandwich and the frame in my basement.

I am not sure what hit me during the last week or so besides the change in weather, but I was suddenly inspired to bring this puppy out of retirement and make some tracks.

So back in the quilting frame it goes, positioned in front of my super-comfy arm chair.

Just getting back into the swing of things...

A close-up of the needle in action

Now, as I stated before, I am no expert at hand quilting. I will never win any awards or even get more than 5 or 6 stitches per inch, but I AM reminding myself of the calming quality it has, unlike machine quilting for me.

I have no doubt that this will take me another year or two to ultimately finish up, but I am looking forward to the process. And as long as I have the space beside the chair for the frame, I shall stitch on.

WIP Wednesday - starting from scratch

I'm taking a new approach, after my cataloging of UFOs earlier this week, which I wrote about here. I came up with 17 already begun UFOs (spanning the last 5 or 6 years), not to mention 6 projects in the idea stage only (perhaps the fabric gathering stage, but not further than that).

Since one of my goals for this year is to chip away at that list of UFOs, I've decided to start my count there. I'll cut myself a *little* slack and not include the stacks of fabric waiting for action as WIPs!

Some Progress
So, the UFO I was able to strike off the list this past week (or rather, move to another list of completed quilt tops yet to be quilted) is the one mentioned in my previous post, resurrected from the pieces of a set of place mats that was just not to be!

I'm also finally making some headway with another project that's been lying in a basket off and on for the last couple of years...

I'm hoping to finish this top within the next week or so.

Now, I must admit I AM guilty of one new project! I've been lusting after one of the luscious AMH louLouthi flannels that Marie has at Cool Cottons, but since I rarely if ever work with flannel, I couldn't justify buying any. But sitting on my couch one evening, just dreaming up possible projects for this fabric, I figured why not make myself a flannel throw quilt?? Really, Lin, there's no reason you shouldn't treat yourself to a little gift, right?? So, today I picked up a lovely stack of flannels, which also happen to work with a few FQs I picked up a couple of years ago for burp cloths that never got made.

Can't wait to get started on these guys!! Y'all will probably see something soon!

Now, the bitter truth of starting my count where I am...
No Progress
(get ready for quite a list!)
Bliss November quilt
Purple/Green Asian sampler
Seams Perfect Sampler
Curved Piecing Aqua/Green
Batik Warm/Cool QAL
Lee & Glenn's quilt
red/brown/green I-Spy
girly hourglass
Medallion quilt
Judy Neimeyer double wedding ring
broken dishes
Trip Around the 9-Patch
Halloween Stack 'n Whack
leftover I-spys from Hopman quilt
tote bags
blue/green place mats

Tally:
New - 1
Completed - 0
In progress - 18
Unquilted tops - I'm guessing at 15

Thank you, Lee, for providing us all a place to link up and share our endeavors! Please go visit the others at

actual UFO count (oh my!!)

Okay, do any of you get a certain amount of motivation and inspiration from sitting down (figuratively) and cleaning up, sorting through and reorganizing your sewing space? I find it so strange that I can actually enjoy doing this at my sewing studio, but to clean and straighten at my house?? Hardly ever happens like this.

Thursday I went into the studio and was kind of in a funk. I'd been struggling with getting quality photos of the quilts I was hoping to submit for the MQG showcase at the Houston International Quilt Festival, which was seriously stressing me out. At least I had plans with J for him to bring his studio photo equipment to help me out - in the 11th hour, mind you. To say that I was distracted seems like an understatement, but we'll stick with it.

So, to help me focus and to get my mind off of the stressful photos, I decided to clean out the drawers and shelves and bags that held projects in progress, collections of fabric that I had selected at some point I can't remember to put together in an impending project, those sorts of things.

The count --- a whopping 17 UFOs! This does not include the 6 stacks of fabric simply set aside for specific projects, but not yet begun. Nor does this include the 15 or so quilt tops I have completed just hanging out waiting to be quilted.

A modest sampling of what I came across:

a starburst block that perhaps one day I'll try again

the semi-girly hourglass toddler quilt I began a few years ago for a friend's daughter, but decided to change course.

A quilt I drafted in early 2011, using the Kaffe Fassett print as the focus, but after piecing a few of the blocks, something fell short...

...so I auditioned another focus fabric for the pieced blocks

a set of reversible QAYG place mats

my personal sampler from the members' block selections for the Seams Perfect Scrap Bee.

a work in progress, with a particular recipient in mind

intended for my brother and his partner, using a Gail Kessler line from a couple of years ago.

another 60/30 diamond quilt started a while back that I've been meaning to finish up...

...and am one step closer to that goal as of this afternoon!

One of my goals in the coming months is to decrease this list considerably. And I mean to take an active approach, I tell you! So I am hoping that y'all will keep me on task if I seem to stray.... and would love to hear about any projects that you consider ready to come off your UFO list, so whadya got??

Over a hurdle

This past Thursday I cleared a hurdle. It was one of those that you see for miles down the track, and upon approach you stumble, bump you shins, psych yourself out until you are SO CLOSE to giving up and walking around it in the hopes of just moving on, but for some reason that's not an option. And then it happens, you clear your mind and concentrate on each individual step as opposed to the whole picture, and the next thing you know you're on the other side.

That is what quilting the Tangerine and Wine quilt has been for me. I think I was putting undue pressure on myself, for various reasons, which only results in a worse performance. And on top of that, because I am working on a very tight deadline, I found it difficult to concentrate on any OTHER projects in the mean time. It was like having a hangnail... no matter what else you're doing, all you can think about is this little annoyance! However, I took a couple of days away from the studio, away from my broken machine (which I still need to take in for repair!), and came back with a more open mind.

I came into the studio Thursday morning, set up and just went for it. I still did a fair amount of ripping stitches, but nothing like the previous week and weekend! And before I knew it, I only saw one more line of quilting that needed to be added!

A detail:

I was so happy to be at this stage (and with a whole 5 days to spare before the submissions are due) that I almost even enjoyed cutting and stitching the binding strips to the front of the quilt (my 3rd least favorite part in the quilting process, behind basting and the actual quilting!) But now I have the weekend to sit and enjoy the hand stitching of the binding, which I DO very much enjoy! Call me crazy.

So, that one being mostly out of the way, I am finally able to work on things that have been on the back burner for the past month.

I've pieced the backing for and basted last November's quilt for the Bliss circle of do. Good Stitches

And completed my second long-standing UFO quilt top of the year, Encapsulated - from a class with Lee Fowler here in Portland MANY, MANY years ago!

I'm looking forward to ticking off many more UFOs throughout this year! Have you all got any UFOs that have been hanging around that you're hoping to finish up in the near future??

WIP Wednesday - too many new!

There are actually quite a few things to report on this week, I am pleased to say! Last week and weekend I got some good, full work days at the studio, and new projects and inspirations on the horizon.

New Projects
We'll start small... I got a couple of sets of napkins squared away.

These would have been ready sooner except I was carrying them in a bag with a bottle of Best Press that decided to leak and soak a stinky, flowery starch alternative all over. Blech! Second round in the washer ensued.

Started playing with a new design and technique:

and have selected fabrics to try again, hoping the end result will be of a quality to submit for the MQG section of the 2012 Int'l. Quilt Festival in Houston this fall.

Completed
Okay, so this is a bit of a cheat, since I am still working on the binding, but by the END of today it will no doubt be finished! Quilted this baby quilt on Monday:

quick set of Jane Sassaman pillow cases

Some Progress
Completed quilt tops:

The Nubees blocks

A peek at project #1 for the FTLOS2 swap.

And baby steps:
finished cutting out freezer paper ovals to get the rest of those encapsulated blocks appliqued and ready to put together.

No progress
Bliss quilt quilting
Warm/Cool QAL
placemat sets
Starburst blocks

So the tally:
New - 4
Completed - 3
In progress - 6
unquilted tops - 16

Now it's time for me to get ready for work, then I'll be heading over to Lee's blog Freshly Pieced and see what everyone else has been up to this last week on their WIP Wed. posts!

WIP Wednesday

Well, this past week had a very different rhythm to it than the previous week or two, but I still managed to check a few things off the list (some expected, and some completely not!)

Completed
The Hopman baby quilt:

I got the binding finished up on a very slow and slightly snowy day at the quilt shop.

FMQ pot holders:

Throw quilt from YEARS ago:

Silly little table topper:

A few of these were simply a matter of bindings, but that counts as completed, right??

Some Progress
Summertime Stars quilt top:

Quilt top is pieced and on the shelf of tops awaiting quilting... it may be there a while;-)

Test block for Friends + Fabric bee:

I still have a fair amount of work on this one before it's ready for the next stage.

No Progress
Encapsulated
Trip Around the World
November Bliss top
Nubees quilt top
Warm/Cool QAL
place mats already cut out

This week's tally:
New - 2
Completed - 4
In Progress - 8

Go check out all the other activity in blogland through the links on Lee's blog, Freshly Pieced


Here's to a great week ahead, kids!!