Working on UFOs

I hope no one was offended by my comments about the technology and the class in yesterday's post. Yes --- the participants were very accommodating, but all it takes is one offhand comment to go the wrong way. I should be above it - I'm a big girl. But there are times when even my shiny disposition just has enough, and it was 99.9% because of the technology.

My apologies if anyone was offended, but I was FRUSTRATED!

I had two classes with presentations yesterday morning, and a Virtual Retreat all afternoon, and not a single drop! Of course, the number of participants was significantly less. My guess is the dead pods just can't handle the extra bandwidth for the larger group. Let's hope they arrive in time for the next class. Otherwise, I'll have to Zoom from the kitchen or the office! 

So here is the good news! All EIGHT of the dog quilts are done! Bound and done! I'm pretty excited about it and certainly glad that I achieved that in a relatively short time, as I started piecing them at my September retreat!

All EIGHT dog-themed quilts are done!

What is astounding is that all the fabric for the fronts and the back is DOG-THEMED, and I didn't have to buy anything for the quilts. That is remarkable, considering the dog-themed basket still has a lot of fabric left in it. And sadly, there are "several" other baskets that had themed fabric in them. Food, bicycles, and the millennium come to mind! 

I need to write out some thank-you cards to go with the quilts, and they will be ready for pickup/dropoff later this week. 

I've noticed in our UFO group that several members are tackling fabric categories to get rid of - it could be panels or a particular line. Some of them have been working on those all year, and while they are making progress, they are not yet done. 

It was never in the cards to completely eliminate all the dog-themed fabric. My goal is flannel. While Diane did a great job using up the children's flannel for me, there is still flannel in the storage room. It's going to be used for backing those "favor" quilts I have to finish. There is a large basket of scraps from which I'm making scrappy blocks (crumb blocks), and the resulting squares will be used to make quilts. 

I have sorted and bagged the scraps by color, and I should really grab one of the bags and throw it into my retreat bag. It's a fun and simple thing to do at a quilt retreat, or I should designate a day once a month to make those crumb blocks. I need to make time to do something if I want to get rid of that stuff. 

Now that my technology is working (the microphone), it's easy for me to sew and chat on Zoom calls, so that is good. I'm getting better at it, but still not as productive as I would like. However, I did some machine embroidery yesterday while on the call. I have some experimenting to do, and I have accomplished that. Oh yes - I did get some sewing done, which I didn't take a picture of, but that is a start on one of the quilts that's been on the design wall for a long time. 

I have also set aside some items on the current project table that I need to purchase fabric for. I also pulled some items off the table to set aside for my new UFO projects this month, and I filled the blue box on the cutting table with those items. 

OH -- I just pulled the bag of blue flannel scraps out of storage, and I'll add it to the retreat bag. If I don't, I'll forget! Wouldn't it be nice to get all that flannel used up, and I would have an entire shelf free in the storage room! I'm going to work on it!

I've been a bit lax in taking photos of what's happening in Studio B, so I'll try to get some pictures today. 

But here's my UFO for this past month. This was the "list" of things to get done for yesterday. I wanted to put the binding on TWO of those children's flannel quilts, make binding and backing for two projects, insert an invisible zipper in a cushion, sew it together, and finish one of the Halloween ornaments. 

My UFO list for November

I got the binding and backing for these two quilts. This is Toes in the Sand. 

The Toes in the Sand quilt is ready to be quilted, and the binding is made

And this is the bicycle quilt. The binding and backing were sewn for this, and both projects were moved into the "to be quilted" pile. What astounds me is that it was easy to complete both of these projects, so why did they get set aside? 

Another quilt moved to the "to be quilted" pile

Instead of just binding two of the twelve children's quilts, I went ahead and bound all twelve! The cushion and the ornament were not completed. But that's OK - I made giant leaps and bounds in getting some UFOs out of the way, and this pile of quilts will be picked up later this week. I don't care if people don't complete their entire list for the month. I care that they make progress! Life happens, or they work on one area more than another, like I did with these quilts. 

The twelve quilts for Project Linus

I feel pretty good because my "system" is working. Because all these UFOs are spread out on the project tables, it's easy to select new projects for UFO. While working on the UFOs, I'm clearing those tables, although it doesn't look like anything has been taken off them yet! As someone mentioned, it's like having a smorgasbord of projects to choose from! That's hilarious, but true!

This is what I've pulled for UFO Club this month, although it's probably a bit ambitious, since I'm away for two weeks. Although one week is a sewing retreat, I could technically take some of this stuff and get it done there.

Two more quilts need binding and backing. And one of them needs a border. The cushion and ornament are also here, as well as a notebook cover, a small tote bag, and DH's golf towel, which needs a minor repair. So I'll have plenty to keep me busy this month, and all of it is piled into the blue box on the cutting table. It would seem that I will use that box for my UFO box, which is what I need to work on in my free time each month. I think it's working just fine! There are also two new, small projects in that blue box, which I want to complete ASAP. 

The UFOs for December

And should I get to the point where one of those tables is actually clear, I would have an extra table for someone to sew at if I go that route. A goal!! If you haven't noticed, I'm a big fan of setting goals! I could remove the items, but I don't want those sewing days to become a significant effort on my part, or what's the point? So I'd better sew my UFOs up much faster than I am! However, I'm making progress, and I wasn't before, so it's going to happen faster than we think. Most of the items on the tables are small, so I can tackle multiple in one month. 

I have ZERO desire to start anything new. Oh, the thought crosses my mind when I see the work others are doing, I remember my vow to myself to FOCUS. I want those tables clear. But I certainly don't need to rush to get them done. Those are my projects, and I want to enjoy working on them. And I don't want to work under pressure to complete them, although I sometimes work best under pressure; this is a hobby. I'll work under pressure at work!

 I'll start a new project when I need to, like for a class. But should I ever complete all the UFOs and have the luxury of picking a new project, will I be as excited? I don't know - it would be fun, but I'm happy to work on UFOs for a long, long time. 

Well, I guess I had better get moving. It's going to be a busy day, and I have a lot to get done. When have I not had a lot to get done? Off to spin class! 

Have a wonderful day!!!

Ciao!!!