Done, done, and DONE!

Thanks for the heads up on the links. I have to click each link twice to get the HTTPS thing at the beginning. I've been very careful, but perhaps I've slipped up on a couple. I will attempt to pay even more attention to that little detail!

I did not post about Colour My World yesterday, nor will I do it today. I'll aim for tomorrow. Today, it's all about the finishes! 

I have hosted the UFO Club for over five years, and in that time, things have gotten done not only for me but for everyone who has participated in the club. It's very therapeutic and an eye-opener. There are many UFOs, and they need to get done. It is NOT a club for everyone - I can't make you fulfill your commitments - you have to be motivated to do that! 

In the past, I focused on larger projects, and sometimes I worked on the same project for many months. While the project got completed, it was sometimes disheartening as I never saw a reduction in the pile of stuff on those current project tables. And let's face it, while there are large UFOs that need to be completed, there are just as many, if not more, of those silly little things that just get forgotten and may require less than 60 minutes to complete. 

So in 2026, I decided to focus on the little projects or those that are almost complete to see if I could make a dent in the piles. Here's what happened in January. Remember, with my semi-retired schedule, I now have a lot more time on my hands. So if I'm not sewing homework for my TWO classes, I'm working on material for the TWO clubs, or UFOs. Focus -- it's that simple! Although I do have some new stuff that needs to be done as well. 

I had set aside several projects that were related to binding. So I had to make a ton of binding for various projects. There are two other bindings I made that are not shown in this photo. Some projects required a lot of binding, and others did not!

I started by making a lot of binding

And now the binding is made for this One Block Wonder quilt that needs quilting. 

Small One Block Wonder quilt moved to the "to be quilted" pile

The binding is made for this soccer quilt, which also needs to be quilted. 

The soccer quilt got moved to the "to be quilted" pile

These are four quilting samples I did a while back, but never finished the binding. The items were trimmed, and the binding is on. They are completely done! 

Four quilting samples - DONE

If you remember, last week I quilted my Vintage Christmas, which was also part of my UFO assignment for this month. I taught this quilt as an online Sew Along in 2020. When I peeked in the book, I found the distribution list of participants. There were twenty of us on that list. I wonder how many of those quilts got finished? I know one other one did for sure, because I quilted it and it hung in the Concurrent Show at Quilt Canada last year. Thanks, Shelly! Did anyone else finish? 

Vintage Christmas - DONE!!

I forged ahead, trimmed it, and bound the quilt. 

The binding is now on! 

I also got myself together and made a label for the quilt, as it's one that I'll keep. I am definitely keeping all the ones I've taught in the sew-alongs, and there are about 80 of them!! 

The label for Vintage Christmas

Now, this quilt didn't just need a label and binding to be called done; four blocks needed buttons sewn on. Do you know how horrible it is to sew buttons on a finished quilt? I may never do that again. I sewed them on by hand, wasn't a fan, wanted to quit several times, but I stuck to it, and it is completely done. The buttons had been stored in labelled plastic bags and were stuck to the quilt top, so at least I didn't have to search for them to sew on. I may have caved and not done it if I had to find buttons! 

One button on the puppy block

Three buttons on the gingerbread block

Four buttons on the snowman block

EIGHT buttons on the candle block

Thank goodness that is done. And guess what? This quilt was also on the visual to-do list, so I had another happy dance as I took the picture down. That one was also included in the Many Blocks category, so I think I had better start working on another category, which is precisely what I have planned this week! 

Vintage Christmas in the Many Blocks category on the visual to-do list

I wasn't sure what to do with the pictures I was removing, so the last one was still sitting on the table beside the list (TSK TSK!). Then I thought, "I'll get a small envelope, put the pictures in there, and keep it attached to the bottom of the rack." I am writing the month that the project was completed, so at the end of the year, I can revel in all my successes once again!!! 

The completed projects are stored in the envelope!

But WAIT -- there's more that got done. I had to make the binding and hand-stitch it to this sample I made. I make a lot of samples, and they don't always get finished. There are a couple more small projects from the binding class I did several years ago, and I would love to have them all done. I'm very close to making that happen. 

BIAS binding hand-stitched to a sample

These placemats had the binding stitched to the back and only needed the binding topstitched to the front. DONE!!!

Four placemats - DONE

And then there are these two projects. One needed the binding sewn on, and the other needed the final join done. Guess what? Both are done, but you'll see these again tomorrow because there was another part to this project. 

Two more small (but MIGHTY) finishes!

There was one more thing in the UFO blue bucket for this month: fixing DH's golf towel. It technically wasn't a UFO, but since it had been hanging around for months, it was now a repair UFO. 

How hard could this be, and why did he want the towel repaired? After looking it over, I suspect he paid a reasonable price for it, as it's not an ordinary towel. 

Somehow, it got caught in the wheels of his push cart, and the little carabiner got ripped off. So I grabbed the towel and my seam ripper and pulled out the loose stitches. Then I went to sew it, and OH MY— we have a problem. Can you see the problem?

 

There's a GIANT strong magnet on the corner

Yes, there is a HUGE magnet attached to the towel in the corner where I need to do the stitching!! And as soon as it got close to that large stitch plate, it just clamped down and wasn't going to move! 

Hmmm --- how to fix this? So I lifted the magnet and held it, then stitched the little loop back onto the towel. Back and forth, several times, so hopefully it will stay put! 

Sewing the loop back onto the towel

And there it is—the loop with the carabiner is back on the towel. I don't know why it has the carabiner and the magnet. What do I know about golf towels? The bottom line is that it's fixed.

The golf towel is fixed! 

And then I told DH I needed a "reward" for fixing that towel, so he bought me a plane ticket to Italy! Now I like that kind of reward! Actually, we needed to book our trip tickets, so that got done. This will be a weird trip because technically we are travelling together (AGAIN!!!), but then we're not really. So you will have to wait for that one to see what happens!!

I hope people don't think I'm a nutcase because I'm celebrating how happy I am right now. That was one thing that Gail Blanke also mentioned in her book - Throw Out Fifty Things. When things are going great in our lives, people get scared and think they don't deserve that happiness. Well, if I had any of that in my head, I've decided to throw it out and embrace the fact that things are going well. 

Now they aren't just going well because I'm getting lucky, not on your life. They are going well because of what I'm doing. I'm taking charge of how I live and have worked very hard on the decluttering. It's taken over ten years to get it right! It's taken even longer to get the mental focus I need to complete these UFOs, and it's taken a long time not to feel the need to start something new! 

Only me, myself, and I are responsible for that happiness! And as I was having my happy dance in front of the visual to-do list, I remembered this quote that hangs at the top of that rack!!! How true!!!!

A great quote!

And so that pile of small UFOs is done, and everything is put away. If you look closely, you'll spot a dent on the current project tables, but there are many more small projects where those came from. The blue bin is again filled with small projects, and I need to start (slowly) working on them. 

It all makes myheart sing, and trust me, when I was working on some of those small things, I was bored to tears! Well, I wasn't bored, but some of those jobs were tedious, and I wanted to quit. BUT if I did, the alternative would be for those items to remain a UFO, and I am DETERMINED to stick to them until they are done! I can do it! This month was proof of that!

I had to laugh because one of the ladies set a goal to complete a small kit she bought years ago. Actually, she had purchased two, one for each of her kids. One was done, the other hadn't been started. Guess what? That's like starting a brand new project and getting a UFO done at the same time. That's how I feel when I open up some of this stuff. I don't need shiny and new - I want things done and out of the way. New priorities!!!

Remember - it's all about attitude!! OUR attitude!!!

On that happy note, I'm off to spin class. 

Have a super day!!!!

Ciao!!!!