UFO updates

Oh my --- I may have "wasted" some free time last week, and today will be a scramble to get all the stuff prepped for tomorrow morning! 

Yesterday was super productive, but I can't share anything yet with you. It was a good day, though, and I learned a ton. 

Let's chat about the UFO club. Despite the three-month hiatus since our last meeting, everyone stayed pretty productive, and lots and lots were accomplished. Few unhappy faces were handed out! 

I want to share this photo of one of the attendees' quilts with you. It was made by Linda. Can you guess whose pattern it is? 

A beautiful quilt by Linda 

Well, it's NOT a pattern—she made this from orphan blocks. It's her design, and I absolutely love this quilt. She very artistically assembled the quilt, adding those two blue lines as fillers, balancing the lights and darks, and using those red blocks as a focal point. 

Now, here's the thing I want to emphasize about Linda's quilt, and I need to take this advice to heart. If you stumble across a UFO and you feel obligated to finish it, PLEASE ask yourself why. If it was abandoned many years ago, with only one or two blocks done, there might be a good reason why you didn't finish it. 

This is what Linda did with this quilt. There are blocks in there from quilts that she started but wasn't happy with or didn't want to finish, so she grabbed her orphan blocks, sorted them into groups, and made this quilt from a grouping. 

I think we have more to learn from this exercise, than finishing a quilt that we may no longer like or have moved on from that style or whatever. 

I must take this lesson to heart because I know I have several quilts I've started, and I must ask myself if I really need or want to finish them. 

I have admired this quilt from the first time I saw the flimsy, and now it's a finished quilt. While I like and appreciate the colors and design, I admire where those blocks come from the most. Linda did a super job and should give herself a huge pat on the back for a job well done. 

So, now let's visit my UFO. You remember that I've been working on Cabin in the Woods for quite some time. I pulled this quilt out in January of this year, and it was a long way from being finished. Oops—I pulled it out in November of 2023. No wonder I'm tired of the darn thing!

Anyway, this is a picture of it when I started, and there is another top, but I couldn't find the image. Both were about this stage. 

The center of Cabin in the Woods

I set a goal of finishing both tops by yesterday. People have asked why there are two tops. Back in the day, I would have the block finished for the class and then another partially completed to show the steps. I learned very quickly that this is NOT a good idea. 

When I got back from my walking trip, I set aside time every day for three weeks to do the applique as that was all that was left. Sometimes it was easy, and sometimes it was a struggle to continue. But I set a specific goal for each day, and I could work on something else guilt-free when that was done. That was a HUGE mindset change for me, and it worked beautifully. I did NOT miss a day, even though there were days when I didn't feel like working on it. I would finish the applique after dinner which is usually a no-sew time for me. I was determined not to let MYSELF down. However, I had to get to work on other priorities, and some of the appliques were left. 

I finished it this weekend, and during the Virtual Retreat on Saturday night, I quietly sewed the last seams together. I'm sorry I made such a big ordeal out of it, but let's have a look. Here is quilt number one—all the applique is complete, and the borders are sewn to the quilt. 

Cabin in the Woods - the quilt top is done!

WAIT --- The second quilt is in the same state! All the applique is stitched in place, and it's sewn together. There are a few ripples in the bottom row because of the curved seams, which will quilt out!!!

Cabin in the Woods - Number Two

And just in case you think I used the same picture twice, here they are together!!! I know you trust me, but just in case!

Both quilts on the design wall

I used a buttonhole stitch with cotton thread for all the applique. It's a bit hard to tell, but the applique is gorgeous, and I got the edges for the most part. Like many of you, you have terrific functions on your sewing machines to do great applique. 

The button-hole applique

I use the needle up/down function ALL THE TIME. I also used my Tie-off and Stitch Restart functions, which I programmed into the foot pedal, so I just swung my foot left and right to get to where I wanted to go. I never use my scissors, so I can keep the bobbin thread long enough to pull to the top. Anyway, I'm thrilled that the quilt tops are done. 

Both quilts are still on the wall and not my priority today, and I'm almost afraid to take them off the wall. They have been my scenery for almost a year. I'll miss them!!!!

The backing and binding for ONE quilt are also ready, and in my wildest imagination, I thought I could have at least one quilted by yesterday. LOL. What a dreamer I am!!!!!

The backing and binding for one of the quilts

I've pulled out a "new" UFO, and I can't wait to get started on it. It's one of those that should be done in one month, and I'm going to work on some of those for a while. I need a change of scenery. It's a T-shirt quilt, and the T-shirts are mine from volunteering for the Sick-Kids Telethon. Here's the top—it needs a border, and then the backing has to be made. 

My T-shirt quilt

Here's one of my biggest downfalls. When I often pack a project away, I put tools, supplies, and books with the project. I found four books on T-shirt quilts in the bag. So if I had wanted those books, I would never have found them!!! I must rid myself of that habit!!!!

What I found in the project bag

Oh -- this picture is for Linda. In the background on the Zoom call, I could see she had hung up a Halloween quilt. I said it was too early, and she said NO, it was not. So I dug out a Halloween quilt and threw it on the bed. It's a bit warm to actually uses the quilt, but at least I can smile when I walk into the room. Or the quilt can put a smile on my face!!! This quilt has such a cool story - I should share it again at some point. It's from the same "workshop" from which Linda's quilt came. 

One of my Halloween quilts

This was the message in my tea in the morning. Oh boy, this speaks volumes. How many times are you in the presence of someone, and yet they are NOT there for you? Yep, they are on their phone. If we plan to spend time with someone, we should only pay attention to the phone if we are on call for our job. We have texting and voicemail for a reason. 

An important message

For the book lovers in the group, this is such a beautiful thing. We need to teach our children and grandchildren this: You can go anywhere by reading a book. 

Yep -- the world is at our fingertips

Speaking of reading, I'm reading a book about someone walking The Camino, and I'm struggling for many reasons. I'll share that story another day. 

It's pouring outside, and I'm off to spin class shortly. Hopefully by the time I finish editing the blog, the rain will have stopped! I do not have ombrophobia (fear of rain); I just didn't want to dig out an umbrella. 

Have a super day!!!!!

Ciao!!!!