2008 has seen more sewing progress, as well as more positive feeling sewing progress. I like to inventory my UFOs to see if I made any progress since my previous roundup post of December 31, 2007 and where I am in the process as well as what I need to do. But first, I want to tout my accomplishments. 😉
Completed Pieces in 2008
Completed means to me that they are now usable and can in no way be considered to have anything left to do to them.
- 12 tote bags
- 5 Teacher Pillows
- 10 Christmas ornaments
- 1 quilt: Nosegay: still needs the sleeve sewn on, but Julie said I should count it as finished, so I put in both categories (see below)
- 302 blog posts related to quiltmaking, design or creativity
As it was last year, I thought there were more. I am surprised that I finished NO quilts, because I worked on so many, but 12 tote bags is nothing to sneeze at. I have to say that I think, in 2008,I really focused on enjoying my work and the process.
Mostly Done, Need Finishing
I added this new category to break up the UFO list and to make myself feel like I had accomplished something, which was quite overwhelming. Also, these are all mostly done, IMO.
- Cheerful Baskets: Top finished; needs back, quilting and binding
- Chocolate Box: Top and Back finished; needs quilting and binding. see the post from August 14, 2006 to see the fabrics I used.
- I Spy (Eye Spy) quilt for DS: Top finished; needs back, quilting and binding. I want to use flannel for it, so I need to find some flannel that is not too expensive, but nice and cozy before I can do the back. My quilt on the longarm after I have my longarm lesson.
- Nosegay: sleeve made and pinned on; needs hand sewing
- Purple Bullseye: Top finished; needs back, quilting and binding
True UFOs
Here is my list of UFOs. As mentioned last year, this list in no way implies that I will discontinue starting new projects or finish any of these.
- Original Bullseye: Still have those directions for doing the border the way I want it (the directions I found late last year). Asked TFQ to help me puzzle out the border, but we had better things to do. No progress in 2008, but am hopeful for 2009.
- Crazy Quilt Test: needs back and label, quilting and binding. Another candidate for the longarm machine after I take the class.
- Flowering Snowballs/Cross Block quilt: I have been working on it steadily all year and have about 8 more blocks to make before I start on the border. I am worrying a bit about how to keep the blocks from fraying after I square them up. Got some good ideas from fabulous readers after my December 20, 2008 post! Progress throughout 2008.
- Garden from Pamela Allen class: needs hand embroidery and embellishment. No progress in 2008
- House and Garden from Pamela Allen class in May 2007: completed machine quilting; still needs more hand embroidery and embellishment. Progress in 2008.
- Laura Wasilowski Flower Garden: started in the Laura Wasilowski class CQFA held in July 2007: needs machine quilting, hand embroidery and embellishment. No progress in 2008.
- He Tried to Make it Up to Her: needs back and to be quilted. This is probably a quilt I will want to quilt myself. TFQ has dug out a number of quilts, but I don’t know if this was one of them. No progress in 2008.
- Her Eyes were Bigger than Her Stomach: needs a back and to be quilted. Very active quilt; probably not the best design, but a mile marker in the quiltmaking journey and an excellent learning experience. No progress in 2008
- Kissy Fish: ongoing hand beading project. No progress in 2008.
- Pineapple: All blocks are done. Need to put them together. Still facing the reality that some blocks are much too large and trying to figure out how to move forward. I measured all the blocks and found they were all different sizes. Need to decide which ones I can fit together despite their differences in sizes. I am still prepared to remake some of the blocks. Some progress in 2008
- Pointillist Palette 4: Night: This is the fourth (of six) in a series of Pointillist Palette fabric by Debra Lunn and Michael Mrowka that was popular a number of years ago. No progress in 2008
- QA Challenge Quilt: need to fuse the parts and rubber stamp the words. No progress in 2008
- See: started in a David Walker class. Needs fusing, satin stitching around fused pieces and quilting. No progress in 2008
- Self Portrait from Pamela Allen class: needs more piecing, hand embroidery and embellishment. No progress in 2008
- Solid Star Friendship Quilt: need more friends so they can make stars for me in solids with black. No progress in 2008
- Spiderweb: foundation pieced project, still piecing. Need to create the templates for the border blocks. Aside from collecting more strips, no progress in 2008
- The Tarts Come to Tea: Last year I said that I needed inspiration. TFQ and I talked about this quilt a bit and I got some ideas on how to proceed. It really always helps to discuss with someone who has a good design sense. No progress in 2008
- Women’s Work 2: last year I said that this quilt “needs focus.” Was inspired and have the design. The 2009 words for this quilt: really needs execution! No progress in 2008.
On My Mind
Here are the quilts and projects I am thinking about. Some are on the list from last year. In some cases I have purchased fabric, but no sewing has been done, so they are not yet considered UFOs.
- Clear tote using tablecloth plastic
- Liesl tote/backpack
- San Mateo County Fair Dot quilt
- Paper pieced Nativity scene: I downloaded this pattern when it was free a few years ago and have never gotten up the energy to be as organized as I need to be to make this, but I still want to make it. You can find the pattern, for purchase, at Paper Panache.com
- Interlocking triangles #4: love the technique and have at least one, if not two, idea[s] for more quilts using this technique.
- Dot quilt with inset circles a la Ruth McDowell: more uses for dots and a good exercise in piecing. the Twinkle quilt recently shown in the January issue of Quilting Arts magazine is similar and renewed my interest in this design.
- Feathered Star dot quilt from Summer 2007 issue of Quilts & More: more use for dots. Thought I would get to this after making the Pineapple, but the Pineapple is still not complete, so this this dot quilt has not been started.
- Some kind of pink quilt with all the pink fabric I have been buying.
- Colorblocks 3 with silks: I want to use this pattern from Sandy Bonsib; silk fab will use silk fabric with a luscious sheen instead of the regular cottons. Background will be cotton sateen. What’s been holding me up? Backing all the silk. I have the backing and just can’t bring myself to do it. Barsha told me to skip the backing and just make the quilt without it. Can’t decide if the project has new life or not. Definitely not on the top of the list.
- Garden Quilt: I have been collecting photos and patterns of interesting flowers for years and have always wanted to make some kind of garden or flower quilt. It will probably be something like The Tarts Come to Tea. Need to finish the Tarts first before starting the same kind of project.
- Jack’s Chain: I saw a quilt of this pattern years and years ago and have always wanted to make one. Probably at least a partial hand piecing project after the Flowering Snowball (Cross Blocks quilt).
- P&B Pop Parade quilt a la Serendipity Puzzle
- Bathroom ‘quilt’ out of heavy clear plastic. I want to make pockets that I can put interesting things in that won’t get waterlogged. I also think the stitching would be an interesting addition to the piece.
- Presents quilt: have the pattern and jelly roll to do it. Got excited about it right after I started piecing the hexagons, but kept on with the hexagons.
Abandoned Projects
This is also a new category. I decided to be upfront about the projects I got rid of.
- Leaf Friendship quilt: Before he beginning of 2007 I thought to myself “this piece needs something that I don’t have.” Got rid of it after the big closet clean up of April 2008
Other
- I am still trying to enjoy the process of quiltmaking more than the finished product. I think there is more work to do, but I also feel like I succeeded so far.
- I have added projects to the On My Mind section because tote bags have been a big part of my life in 2008 and I expect that to continue in 2009.
