Completed! UFO #40

 I love the bright sunny batiks that were in this quilt kit I purchased at Buttonwood Quilt Shop (now Quilt A Bit).  I made the top a generous twin bed size rather than just finishing it off as a lap quilt.  It measures 60" x 92".  

The pattern is Gold's Got The Blues by Sue Harvey & Sandy Boobar of Pine Tree Country Quilts.  

I quilted it with my favorite design boards from Urban Elementz called Fossil.

Simply Sparkly! UFO #16

 I love this project!  I have everything I need to complete it. The top is only two or three seams away from being finished.  I have quite a few ombre strips left and think they might work to make an interesting Happy Blocks quilt using the free Mary Quilts pattern. If it's not enough, I have a more solid ombre set of leftover strips that I could add to use half of each collection.

The background fabric that I purchased originally from the same line will work better on another quilt I have in my sights so I restashed it and pulled a substitute that I believe will work just as well for the back of Simply Sparkly.  I truly love ombre fabrics and have quite a few on my 'want to make someday' list.

 I can't remember why I didn't finish it but, I have a pretty good idea.  I had an epiphany or sorts yesterday.

I noticed when I was pulling short strings (one of my Fab 4 tasks for this week) that I was allowing myself to get side tracked.  And as a lot of quilters say - chasing squirrels!

My goal is to list any additional fabric or supplies I might need to finish projects and i reevaluate them.  I pulled a background fabric from the shelf to go with the strings and went to look at the pattern to check that I have enough yardage.  Then, I went and looked at another pattern option.

I woke up this morning anxious to begin that new string project!  Nooooooooooo!  That's how UFO's are created!  An inspiration strikes and you can't wait to get started.  I need to condition myself to wait.  I took the first step and put the newly sorted strings away and noted the two possible patterns under consideration.

I went to the movies with my granddaughter to see Disney Jungle Cruise.  It was a cute movie and after shopping for her new pair of pink jeans I came home and quilted another 3 yard quilt.  I'll get it bound this week and take a few photos of it and the other 3 yard quilts I've recently finished.

Jacob's Soul Dance - UFO #15

 This is my oldest UFO!  I've held onto through a divorce in 1999 and through a couple of moves.  It's from 1997 so that makes it 24 years old!    All 35 blocks are completed.  

I don't quite remember but, I think I took the class at my local quilt shop because someone I knew was taking it too.  I was into Thimbleberries at the time and batik fabrics weren't my "thing".  It was going to be a fairly large quilt.  I didn't know anyone who did professional long arm quilting and probably couldn't have afforded it anyway.  I didn't really like it enough to put a lot of work into quilting it myself.  I was pretty inexperienced.  But, I had spent a lot of money on the kit so I hung onto it.  And, it sat, and sat, and sat...

What's ironic is, it's exactly my taste now!  If I didn't already own it, I wouldn't have second thoughts about buying it to make.  Several of the fabrics aren't batik.  I'm not quite sure if that's how the kit came or, in my inexperience I wanted more variety and chose the oddballs.  They're a little sentimental now though so, they'll stay.

It's definitely a keeper and I plan to finish it exactly as pictured.  I just need to purchase a backing for it.  As I go through my UFO's I'm writing notes and have a place to list any purchases I might need to finish them, with the hopes of using stash as much as possible!

There is a LOT of extra batik fabric here, even after I use a bit of it in the border but, other than a couple of fat quarters, none are really large enough to restash.  I'll be keeping an eye out for how I might want to use them once my UFO's are completed.  That may be a while!

Three-in-one UFO #14

I'm continuing with my goal to reevaluate my remaining UFO's and began yesterday with UFO #13.  I passed by the first 12 because I know those will be given a second look as part of the Stashbuster's random number UFO challenge.

Many of my UFO's are from blocks of the months.  I joined them more for the fun of it than the actual quilt but now, I have to deal with those unfinished projects. 

The majority of my unfinished projects though were mystery quilts!  I didn't know the pattern we'd be making and, in most of the cases where the projects aren't finished, I didn't select the fabrics either.  They were "Mystery by Mail" from the Glad Creations Quilt Shop which closed it's doors in 2019 after being in business for 43 years.  UFO #14 was one of those mysteries. 

I'm a little weary of Civil War type fabrics.  My tastes have changed along with the type of quilts I currently enjoy making.  (And, a reminder why it's not a good idea, for me at least, to buy fabric without a project in mind.  I may fall out of love with the fabric before it gets used in a quilt.)

The center of this quilt top is completed!  So close to being a finished quilt.  It measures 71" square.  I prefer rectangle quilts so I've decided to make two additional rows for the top and bottom and call it done!  

The  22 stars for the border are pieced and additional fabric strips intended for the border are cut.  I must have stopped working on this because I was disappointed in the border design.  I'm still not crazy about it so I'll be using those border pieces to make a second quilt.

There is a lot of additional fabric left from this kit in a style I'm not likely to use again in the near future.  You can't see it in this photo but, it's a pretty good mix of half neutrals and half prints.   I also have some coordinating fabrics scraps I can add to it to make a third quilt.  So, in reevaluating the project, here's the plan:

• Piece additional blocks to make the quilt rectangular.
• Use 22 star blocks and left over border fabrics to make a second quilt.  ("Down the Garden Path" setting from the book - 40 Fabulous Quick Cut Quilts by Evelyn Sloppy.  It may need a wide border to bring it up to a usable size).  
• Do NOT put any remaining fabric and scraps away!  Cut the leftovers to piece double four patches.  (Next leaders/enders project to use up some of these older fabrics.)

This UFO also goes in the "to be finished" pile with these notes for  the "3 quilts" idea.  I have a deep tan marble backing on hand for at least two of these quilts.

Goals & UFO #13

Another fun thing some of the Stashbuster group members do is post a FAB 4.  The idea is to not overthink things and get overwhelmed by all the ongoing projects, bins of UFO's, and fabric stash.  You can list weekly or just work through your list of 4 items one at a time for however long it takes if you prefer, either slotting in new tasks as you check off completed ones or making a whole new list when you finish.  Your choice.

I'm going to try and list mine weekly.  With school starting back in a week and resuming my part-time school crossing guard job, I think it will help keep me productive and focused.  

Here's my list for the upcoming week:

Week 31: 

1. - Begin really reassessing remaining UFO's and decide to Fling, Finish, Revise, or Restash
2. - Work on piecing blocks for UFO #11 (August's random number)
3. - Bind UFO #32 (May's random number)
4. - Sort out short strings to make a "3 at a time" quilt layout 

I began today by pulling out UFO #13 and was surprised to find that the blocks are pieced and sewn into rows.  Not much assembly left on this one so it's a keeper (placed in
the "to be finished" pile).  I was happy to discover I even have a suitable backing for it on the shelf that I think will work just fine. It's the gold mottled fabric on the left. Edit: I found a coral marble fabric that will work better in my stash.  I'm leaving the backing on the shelf because it may be enough for a second quilt.  But, I tagged it with how much I'll need for this quilt so I don't mistakenly plan to use it for something else.

The quilt I'm making is the one shown on the book cover.  

Seminole wind

 I finished another UFO.  This was my #4 from the Stashbuster's random number draw for February.  It was a mystery by mail from Glad Creations Quilt Shop in Minnesota (now closed).  

The sashing I substituted for the one in the original pattern is technique called "Seminole Patchwork". 

Because the fabrics are such a light breezy color I'm calling this one Seminole Wind.  It reminds me of my favorite John Anderson song. I used to blast it thought my speakers and sing my heart out every time it came on the radio.   And, if you're into trivia, here's a little known fact:  The Florida Seminoles are the only American Indian tribe never to sign a formal peace treaty with the United States.   

Back to the quilt details... I had to take two of the finished blocks apart to have just enough of the off-white batik.  The purple was intended to be binding fabric in the original kit. 

The outer border and setting stones are a little darker than I would have preferred but, I was determined to use fabrics I already own to get this one finished. (The backing, also from stash is a purple & dark teal batik).  It finishes at 58" x 68".

I followed the excellent tutorial for making Seminole Patchwork from Geta's Quilting Studio.  My blocks finished at an odd 11 1/2" unfinished size so I won't bore you with a lot of measurements you'll never use but, I did take a few photos during the piecing. 

Sew three units light, dark, light

Stitch the units together matching the horizontal seams.

Add an additional square (see top left and bottom right) so you'll be able to trim the piece into a rectangle shape.

Make sure to trim 1/4" away from the colored square to leave a seam allowance to attach sashing pieces.

Also, trim each end 1/4" from the colored square.

I needed to add fabrics to each end to bring the sashing piece to the same 11 1/2" as my blocks.

Subcut the strip units that same width as the retangle.

This photo shows the Seminole piecing rectangle, and one with the strip sets added to each end.  I then added cornerstone squares cut the same measurement as the width of the rectangle.  (I think mine ended up an odd 2 7/8".   But, I had to use the 2 1/4"white squares that were already cut from the original mystery.)

Here's another look at one of the blocks.  I still don't LOVE this quilt.  I was happy to have a chance to try the Seminole Patchwork I've been wanting to do for a while and also, to have another UFO striked off the list!
 

Here's what the quilt pattern looked like (in a different colorway) once it was revealed.   I chose the batik colorway.  The fabrics just all blended into each other (in my opinion).  No only did I change the setting but I also made the quilt quite a bit smaller than originally designed.  I'll use the left over fabrics in another quilt someday as I'm sure there is enough for a second quilt.  As you can imagine, lots of unused cut pieces intended for that outer border.  

Land's End knockoff quilt

 I finished another UFO, #37 on my list.  The top was made a few years ago to fit a full size bed for our guest room.   We replaced that bed years ago with a trundle but, I still love the quilt and since the bed is against the wall, being too wide for the bed is not a problem.

Here's a picture of the whole quilt.  It measures 80" x 100". 

I was inspired by a quilt I saw in a Land's End catalog around 2005.  I saved the page in my inspiration photo album for several years before I actually got around to making the top.  

Teal is my favorite color and it works well with all the sea shells my husband and I have collected over the years.  Most of them are from local beaches but, we've collected others from vacations to the Bahamas, Daytona Beach, Key West, and Sanibel Island.  

I like displaying our shells and was lucky to find these teal colored Ball mason jars a few years ago.  One of them displays a starfish we found washed up on shore.   Another one holds lots of tiny shells.  Those are always easy to find because most people just walk right past them looking for larger shells.  I also put broken shell pieces in the jar because it look more like the actual beach than a souvenir shop!

 

I dropped a few small shells from our first trip together to St. Augustine in the oil of this little reed diffuser.

 And or course, I don't think there's a room in our house that doesn't have something in it from Target!  lol  This photo is from the day I purchased the teal glass jar.  It sat empty for a while but, I've since added a few pieces of coral we found on our trip to Key West last year.

Last but not least, another one of my favorite things is this old beach pail.  I filled it with stuff Sam brought home one day, more roadside finds.  Lots of shells, some coral and, a couple of sand dollars.  :-)

And they're done!

 The two quilts for the sons of our friend that passed away in November are finished.  I'm happy with the way they turned out and so grateful to her best friend for bringing the jeans to me and helping to prepare them to sew into quilts. (Well, one of her best friends... Patti was a good friend to everyone that knew her.)   

She loved to repurpose things and find creative uses for them, long before HGTV made it cool.  I think she'd have loved seeing her jeans get made into quilts for her boys.  ♥

I posted the instructions on how to make this quilt here.

Puzzle Pick

 I finished binding this little UFO today.  I had put the quilt top aside months ago with the intention of using it for some practice quilting on the long arm.  When it's number came up on the Stashbuster's random UFO number draw I figured it was time to get on it.

A photo of the layout and size pieces to cut to make it are at the bottom of this post.  It's small but, I find it's pretty easy to increase the block size or just make more blocks if you want a bigger quilt.  I've made it several times over the years.  Unfortunately, I'm unable to give credit to the designer because I can't remember who gave it to me and there's no name on it.

                      

36" x 48"

I've had the multi-color peace symbol fabric in my stash for ages.  I'm happy to see it finally find a home. 

Cool Beans pantograph by Urban Elementz

Here's a link to a free, very similar puzzle quilt pattern made with strips posted at The Spruce Crafts.

One UFO = three quilts

 This is the third quilt from the UFO formerly known as Safe Haven.  I'm sure I have enough scraps for a 4th quilt but, I'm getting a little tired of looking at these fabrics.  They'll get put away with the left over border fabric for another day (year?).

This one is probably my favorite of the three. I saw a quilt photo posted on Jinny Beyer Studio's Instagram and knew is would be perfect for the pieces from the UFO monthly kits, especially to use up a lot of skinny 1/8 yard pieces of background.  

This quilt measures 58" x 70".  Feels great to mark off a second UFO only halfway through the first month of the year!

I practiced another free motion quilting design - echo swirls. (Second photo) This one also needs a lot more practice but, I had fun doing it and in the end, isn't that what it's all about? 

UFO #2

 This is the story of a quilt formerly known as Safe Haven.  I made four of the blocks, well over a decade ago.  (When I looked it up, this block of the month quilt came out in the year 2000 so maybe it's two decades old?)

I didn't like the blocks much and I got back to finishing it.  It just languished in my fabric closet.  

My goal is to finish all my UFO's.  I may not be able to get them all done this year but, if I'm careful not to add any new one, I may be able to get them done by the end of 2022.

I managed to make 3 quilts out of the fabric.  This is the first one.

I couldn't find a big birdhouse block set on point that I liked so, I drafted one out on graph paper.

I'm binding the second one now and hope to quilt the third one this weekend.  

Quilting Safe Haven

 I'm quilting my second UFO tonight - the quilt formerly known as Safe Haven since I chose not to complete the design in the original pattern.  Colors are awful in this photo but, the best I can do tonight.

"Safe Haven" is the perfect name for how I feel right now, home safe in my little cocoon away from all the turmoil "out there".   To put it nicely, I'm deeply disturbed by the events of the last couple of days.   So, I quilt.. it's more productive and makes me a lot happier than screaming at the t.v.

 

Rainbow tumblers

 I finished piecing my tumbler quilt today.  I was going to quilt flowers on it since it's for a little girl but, once I got it loaded on the frame I changed my mind.  

I decided to quilt a clam shell design because they kind of look like rainbows.  I love the soft velvet feel of the minky backing.  As soon as I'm able to hand sew the binding down I'll share a photo of the finished quilt.  This sure was a fun one to make!

Finished is better than perfect

 I'm making more progress on the old Safe Haven UFO.  I'm almost done making the 12 birdhouse blocks and I've been making a modern rail fence quilt at the same time with the extra fabric.  I have most of the 6" finished size blocks for the second quilt done.

It's those original 4 blocks though that have me stumped.  They're big, finishing at 20" each.  I don't like them but, I'm thinking it might be better to soldier on than to backtrack and disassemble the blocks and try to work the pieces into a design I like better.

It's difficult to finish a project you don't like, even when you plan to donate it.  I don't want to give anyone an ugly quilt whether I know the recipient or not.

I reached out to the Stashbuster's group for suggestions.  Two replies both suggested I need to finish the four blocks into a usable size lap quilt.  One suggested additional rows of flying geese to give it a cohesive look and, adding borders would bring the quilt to approximately 50" x 70" - a good size to donate.  The second comment correctly questioned whether or not I'd be tired of working with these fabrics by the time I get to this third quilt.  I hadn't really considered that but, it's a good question.  The answer it, I'm pretty sure that I'll be ready to just finish it the best I can and move on.  

Nearly every beginning quilter hears this phase at least once in a quilting class "Finished is better than perfect".  These four orphan blocks have sat way too long waiting to find the perfect home.

Changing direction

To my knowledge, this is my oldest UFO.  It was a Block of the Month Club in the year 2000.  I made the first four blocks and lost interest.  I've always loved Thimbleberries fabric and though I fell out of love with this particular quilt, I just couldn't toss it away.

This is the pattern for the last block I made.  I don't see anything appealing at all.  Do you?

And, this would have been the next one, Block 5.  A little better.  At least this one does look like a birdhouse.  I don't think all those half square triangles on the right side of the block do anything to enhance the design.  Just a lot of busy work to fill up space.  I've decided to change directions and make something I'll actually like.

I'd rather make 12 simple birdhouse blocks to complement the original bird print border fabric and set them on point with alternate blocks.  I wasn't able to find a pattern I had in mind so I sketched one on graph paper and made a sample block.  

Sometimes just keeping it simple is all you need.