Quilting and Stuff by Knitnoid

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2011 UFO Summary

Judy challenged us to finish 12 UFOs this year.  Since my stack of UFOs is considerably larger than 12, I made two lists.  The goal of List A was to get the top done.  List B had quilts I wanted quilted and bound.  There were 4 quilts on both lists as they were quilt-as-you-go.

In the images below, the left side is where I started and the right is where I finished, unless otherwise noted.

A1 – Mom’s 4-Patch Stacked Posies – This was a quilt my mom started in 2008.  I brought it  home to finished after she passed away in March 2010.

B1 – Red, White, and Blue Baby 2 – This quilt top was from the Spring of 2008. It’s now quilted and bound.

A2 – True Friends – I won this kit many years ago and started it in 2006 when I found out my husband’s niece was expecting.  When I found out she was expecting twins, it was set aside so I could make a pair of quilts.  Now it is quilted and bound.

B2 – Fireworks Over John Deere.  – this quilt top was completed at a quilt retreat in April 2008.  I think that year I my goal was to make 12 baby quilts for charity — I think I only got 6 quilted.  But this one is quilted now. The backing is from a John Deere pillow panel.

A3 – 2006 Retreat Mystery – The border blocks are from the mystery quilt which I didn’t complete.  The center star from my orphan box.  My goal – get the top complete which I did in November.

B3 – Thangles BOM1 – I didn’t think all of the blocks went together well, so split them into two quilt tops back in 2008.  It’s been waiting to be quilted — and still is.

A4 – Red, White and Blue Sampler – these blocks started off with 7  shop hop quilt and 6 birthday swap blocks.  I finished up the shop hop blocks and added a few of my own blocks bring the total up to 20 — then stalled trying to figure out my setting.

B4  – Thangles BOM 2 -This is the other Thangles quilt.  No work was done on it.

A5 – Victory Quilt – Started in 2008, I only had 7 blocks completed.  I’ve now got 15 done and there are still a few more to do.  I’m not sure what this quilt will look like when it’s finished, but it is a further along than it was.

B5 – Glenwood Avenue/Baby Glow – I had 4 leftover blocks from a swap in 2008, so I sewed them together for a baby quilt, but then didn’t get it quilted.  I can cross it off my list now.

6A – 2008 Charm Challenge/ 3 Sisters Choice.  Like the name implies, this quilt was started in 2008.  Between two cutting mistakes and a passed deadline, the pieces sat until this challenge.  Not only was this the first quilt top I finished this year, it was my first completed quilt of the year.

6B – Scrap 5-Patches – a few days after finishing 3 Sisters Choice, I quilted this quilt top from August 2009.

7A – Mom’s Baby Chain of Stars – This is another of my mom’s UFOs.  I finished the top and quilted it in August.  It will go to one of her great-grandbabies.

7B – Carolina Christmas Baby 1 – a relatively new quilt top completed in May 2010, I quilted it in March.

8A – Christmas Row Swap.  I received the blocks in October 2008 and finally got them into a top this past year. I’m still thinking about the quilting.

8B – Was supposed to be quilting No Blue Geese in my Tropical Garden, but by the time January rolled around, I had already finished the quilt.  So, I said I would pick another quilt off my To Be Quilted tab.  8 was called in June and that was the month I was finishing up quilts to deliver while we were on vacation.  I quilted 4 quilts off my list:  Victoria’s Rose, The Chain Event (twice!), Ribbon Candy, and Kansas Spirit.

Now to the quilts on both lists.

9 – Green and Cream Swap (Fall 2006)  – There are twenty blocks and I had 12 of them into rows when I started and another 8 ready to be quilted.  Not much progress was made — although I did get seams between the blocks stitched down and two rows sewn together.

10 – Dresden Plate (2006) – It took a little over two months to get this quilt finished, as I was still piecing the blocks! The plates are from a skirt my mom made me and the backing is from her stash.

11 – Compass Lone Star – this quilt has been in the works for nearly 5 years.  I started the quilting in the background of the center star, but had to rip it out.  Then I discovered I didn’t have enough background fabric to finish the quilt, but found a shirt that is a close match.  I plan to quilt on it after Christmas, so perhaps I’ll finish this quilt shortly after the first of the year.

12 – Hancock Stars BOM (2005) – #12 is December’s #.  Since I’m doing this is a quilt as you go and I pre-washed my batting (don’t ask) it’s all packed in a suitcase sitting between my sewing table and the window, where I put it after I photographed it last December.  I threw the towel in on this one about mid-November.  But, on a more positive note, I learned some things this year which should make putting the quilt together easier when I do get to it.

So, the tally from the challenge:

  • Finished 13 quilts
  • Completed 3 tops
  • Made progress on 4 quilt tops
  • Didn’t touch 3 challenge quilts

With all of this progress, my net UFO count is down only 8, as I started a few new projects – OK 10 — but I’ve finished two and should have a 3rd finished by the end of the year.

Bottom line – I’m moving in the correct direction.  Now can I keep it up next year?

To see how others did with their challenges, check out the links over at Patchwork Times.

UPDATE:  I re-read Judy’s post.  She’s looking for our 2012 Challenge Lists.  Mine can be found on the 2012 UFO Challenge.

 

What’s On My Design Wall

My design wall is bare as I need to focus on this project.

See if anyone has anything on their design wall by following the links over at Patchwork Times.

Stash Report

This week I picked up some thread and a few more notions for the purse I’m making. I made a few string blocks for Orca Bay which I’ve counted, I have cut 430 of the black HSTs for the current clue and over the week I made 20 HST squares for Ocean Waves. most of the fabric I used this week has gone into the purse. I think I still need to cut handles and maybe another set of pockets for the back of the purse. I’ll make that decision after I get the front pockets on.

Judy pointed out this morning that this is the next to last stash report of the year. I should easily hit the net 50 yards since I just need a 1/4 of yard.

So here are the numbers:

Fabric Added Last Week: 0 yards
Fabric Added to Date: 130.686 yards

Fabric Used Last Week: 1.788 yards
Fabric Used to Date: 180.471 yards

Net Used for 49.785 yards

The links over at Patchwork Times will show how others are doing.

And the Winner Is…

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

37

Timestamp: 2011-12-18 05:32:43 UTC

37. Marcia -Tulip Fields is my first choice. I am dutch and we grow lots of tulips in the Netherlands! Thanks!!

Marcia — I’ve sent you an e-mail to get your mailing address.

Give-away Closes Saturday Evening

Most of the Give-Aways on the Blog Hop Party end Saturday.  I’m planning on closing the comments on mine Saturday at 10 PM Central .  Be sure to sign up HERE.

Ocean Wave / Orca Bay

Last night and this morning I worked on a bit on my Orca Bay purple string blocks from Clue #4.   I’ve got a stack of HST triangles leftover from my Old Tobacco Road quilt that I’m using as the last string.  Instead of squaring up the blocks then sliver trimming them with my Companion Angle Ruler, I cut the blocks in half, corner to corner and remove the paper and give the blocks a good pressing.  Next I straighten the bottom edge and then finally trim the sides of the triangle. It’s what works for me.

Another project I’ve made a bit of progress on is the Ocean Wave quilt. The first 25 blocks and associated half/quarter blocks are sewn together.

Both of these projects are going to get set aside for a couple of days as I work on a couple of more pressing projects.

Don’t forget to enter the drawing for four patterns I’m giving away as part of the Quilting Gallery Blog Hop.  Enter HERE.

What’s On My Design Wall

Instead of working clue # 4 for Orca Bay, I spent time on my log cabin quilt.  I know doesn’t fit on my design wall — the wall is only 60 x 80.  Since I designed the layout I know it’s supposed to be  84 x 98 when it’s finished.  But — WOW! — this is a big quilt.  I don’t think I realized just how big.  Lately most of my quilts are in the vicinity of 60 x 74 so the extra 24 inches is somewhat overwhelming.  I’m so glad I didn’t try to do this in rows.

As I was sewing the blocks and rows together, my leader/ender project was the HST Squares for Ocean Waves — I’m up to 1030 – only 554 more to go.  No picture today – but I do have the blocks in the top right quadrant of the quilt sewn into rows.

I say I didn’t work on Clue #4.  More accurately I didn’t sew on Clue # 4.  I’ve got the foundation papers cut and I pulled more purple strips, squares, rectangles and triangles  from my pre-cut boxes  and pressed a few strings.

But, all the other parts are done.  I’ve got them pinned in groups of 10 and tossed into my mom’s knitting bucket.

To how others are doing on their Orca Bay quilts, check out the links over on Bonnie’s blog.  Judy’s blog  has links to design walls.  Finally, if you are looking for my giveaway — here’s the link.

Stash Report

This past week I worked on my Orca Bay, Ocean Waves and Log Cabin quilts.  At the Friday night sew-in I took my log cabin blocks for mindless sewing and Saturday I continued working on them, finishing up the rest of the logs – so I get to count them!  I’ve got the top left quarter of the quilt on the design wall ready to sew together.

Fabric Added Last Week: 0 yards
Fabric Added to Date: 130.686 yards

Fabric Used Last Week: 9.528 yards
Fabric Used to Date: 178.683 yards

Net Used for 47.997 yards

The links over at Patchwork Times will show how others are doing.

If you are looking for my give away click here.

Blog Hop Party Give-away

Quilting Gallery is coordinating a blog hop where the blog participants are hosting a give-away.  If you’ve never been to the Quilting Gallery site you should check it out.  They host weekly themed quilt contests (I entered this week’s contest) and maintain lists of quilting blogs, quilt shops and quilt guilds among other things.

If this is your first visit to my blog, welcome.  If you’ve been here before, thanks for stopping by again.

My blog is mostly about my quilting, but occasionally other “stuff” drifts in.  The biggest reason I blog is to have a record of my quilting.  To that end I’ve setup tabs that show the progress of my quilts from the cutting the fabric (quilts in progress), to becoming a top (tops to be quilted), and finally the finished quilt (finishes).  The idea is to motivate me to finish some of the quilts I’ve already started.

Now to the give-away.

These four patterns are from my stash.  I’ve made the Geese in My Garden (I called mine No Blue Geese in My Tropical Garden), but the other three patterns are new — well at least not used.   To enter, please leave a comment on this post telling me which of the four patterns you want to make first and a way to contact you. I’ll use a random number generator to pick a comment after 10 PM Central on December 17th.

Please note, WordPress sets your first (and sometime later) comments to moderate. As near as I can tell, I can’t change this. I’ll approve comments a couple of times a day, so if you don’t see your comment immediately, check back the next day.

Meanwhile, check out the other blogs on this hop by clicking the party balloons.

Update:  I just realized that it may appear that I’m only sending one pattern.  The winner of the random draw will get all 4 patterns.  – Pam

Quilting Gallery Weekly Theme Quilt Entry

The theme this week is Christmas Table Runners.  I’ve entered “Gift Wrapped” in the Quilting Gallery contest.   I’d love to have your vote.