Tuesday, December 17, 2013

UFO update

We moved nearly all of our stuff to the new house last weekend.  So happy to be in the new space!  We originally selected our rental house for the price and location - NOT the condition, so there are a lot of upgrades and amenities that we loving about the new house.  My fabric hasn't made the move yet - I know that is usually the first thing people move, but the new house still has some lingering smell from floor refinishing, so I'm waiting for that to clear up some more before I bring my fabric over.

I do have everything packed up, though.  Going through my UFO drawers reminded me that it's probably about time for an update.  Errr.... make that past time!  When I went to pull in the previous list, I discovered that I made it in May of last year.  At the time, I had 8 WIPs.  I finished four of them but added four more in the same period, so I'm still at 8.  The projects are definitely getting more current, though, which is a good thing.


Linen Stripes Quilt  Finished in August 2012!


Sewing Machine Cover Finished it, decided I didn't need a sewing machine cover, and then turned it into a tote bag in mid-2013.


Bed Quilt Finished in November 2012!
This quilt is double-sided and so large that I have never gotten around to taking proper pictures and blogging it.

Embroidered Kitties Quilt  Finished in August 2012!
My niece is using this quilt on her bed!

1.  Wedding Quilt
I have decided that I will probably use this as one side of a double-sided quilt.

2.  Queen of Embarrassing Toasts' Quilt (Modern Quilting Bee)  - This quilt is basted and ready for quilting!
My sister has spoken for this quilt.

3.  Giraffe Quilt (Tethered Threads 2 Bee)
This is one of those times when cutting a precious fabric turned out to be the best choice.  This quilt is definitely staying with me.  The block/fabric combination is straight copied from Film in the Fridge.  Sometimes you see something and you just gotta have it. 

4.  Secret project
What?  It's a secret.  No pictures!


5 (NEW).  Round Boo Bee
My round robin quilt is still going!  We are filling in the four corners to bring this out to square.


6 (NEW).  Other secret project
What?  It's a secret.  No pictures!


7 (NEW). BAM-BOM Quilt (more like an ongoing project than a UFO)
Photo from the design wall - I need to sew these blocks together and then I have four borders planned..

8 (NEW).  BAM Round Robin (more like an ongoing project than a UFO)
I wish I had a more recent photo!  This quilt is going to be epic.
My new (as of this year) approach is to slow down on starting new projects to keep from getting bogged down with new starts, and meanwhile chip away at the older projects in between.  With that in mind, I'm setting my new year's resolution early:  Whether I start new projects or not, I want to get my UFO&WIPs list down below five by the end of 2014. 

Thursday, December 5, 2013

Excited, exhausted, and confused

I have been in such a state lately.  We spent the last two months shopping for and then buying a house (I know, it was so fast!!)  I'm still in shock about it, and at the same time so excited that sometimes I feel a little ill.  In addition to the happy transition from renting to owning, I'm thrilled that my sewing area will be moving from the dining room table to my very own sewing room.


It's not much to look at yet, but hopefully it will be!
 
Because of some work that needs to be done at the new place, we won't be moving our furniture until mid-December.  In the meantime, I have plunged enthusiastically into getting ready to move.  I have to say, the logic element doesn't factor very strongly into the tasks that I've been completing in "preparation" for moving.  For example, I had some thread spools sitting on top of my fabric drawers, so I decided to put them away.  There wasn't room in the thread bin, so I ended up on the floor surrounded by a hundred spools of thread, winding loose thread and picking out ones that could go in the trash bin.  Oh wait, actually that does make sense.  Clearly, organizing my thread = critical pre-move preparatory step.

I said in the title that I was confused, but actually has to do with the blog, not the move or the new house.  I thought that I had already posted something from a few months ago, but now I don't see it! Since that apparently happened only in my mind, here is what was passed to me for Kelly's round robin (with my local MQG):
And here's where I ended up:


I planned the outline for my additions on graph paper, with the hope of echoing and emphasizing the partial star shape.  Once I started sewing, I added in a little bit of improvisation with details like the geese and the nine patches.  I just love this quilt, and I'm totally jealous that Kelly gets to keep it.  I can't steal it 'cause Kelly would just track me down... but maybe I'll duplicate it when some more of my UFOs are cleared out.