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.
