…a length of gold Dimples (Judy would be so proud). Although, can you call less than a yard “a length”?
Anyway, there’s enough to make the inner gold border and all of the centers for my Colorworks Dresden Plate, which is this month’s UFO Challenge.
Category Archives: Ufo Challenge 2011
Progress on UFO #10
February’s UFO started off looking like this. When I started this quilt, the plan was to make this:
Those are 15″ blocks with 3″ sashing, so the quilt would finish at 75″ x 93″. But since I can’t find these two quilted blocks, I can either pick a different quilt to work on, or approach the quilt with a fresh perspective.
Picking a different quilt wouldn’t get this one done, so I decided to try a fresh perspective. I played in EQ with several ideas and decided on this one:
This quilt has a 2″ inner black spacer border, a 1 1/2″ inner border and then finishes with a 3 1/2″ outer border. The quilt will measure 59″ x 89″. I have to dig through my stash to see if I can find 5/8 yard of yellow fabric. I may just have to make a trip to the LQS. Believe it or not, when my husband looked at the options and I told him this one would require a fabric purchase, he still picked it. I think he said something about 1 yard (I hadn’t done the math yet) wasn’t that big of a deal.
I haven’t just been playing in EQ, I’ve actually did pieced. I now have 10 plates in progress. I’ve got more cutting ahead of me.
Drop in later in the week to see how I’m progressing.
What’s on My Design Wall
Today it’s really What’s on my Scanner Bed. I was afraid to try to put them on the design wall. It looks like I’ll be redoing a couple of these before I put the top together. If they were all usable I’d be a little over 1/3 of the way done. I’m going to put these back in their envelope for a couple of weeks. I need to work on something bigger.
I still haven’t found the two completed (as in quilted) blocks to my UFO#10. I have no idea where they got to, but I have found the black batting, so I think I’m just going to regroup. There’s nothing stopping me from making the plates and appliquéing them to the background. The final decision will come when I see how many plates I can get from the fabric I have — there’s no buying new – the fabric is at least 20 years old.
Follow the links over at Patchwork Times for great inspiration.
February UFO Challenge
Judy has drawn the UFO Challenge number for February. The link to the January challenge finishes can be found here.
This month’s number is 10. That means I’ll be working on my bright Colorworks Dresden Plate Quilt-As-You-Go project…
…if I can find it.
The top picture is a relatively current picture. I took it this past December. That portion of the quilt is in my UFO crate on the shelves. The bottom picture was taken a while back. I’m not sure where those two finished blocks are – or for that matter the box of black batting I purchased for the project.
This project was started in 2006. Most of the prints are from the Colorworks collection which came out in the early 1990’s. I know this, because the fabric is from a “broomstick” skirt that my Mom made for me as ‘model garment’ at a now defunct chain fabric store shortly after I moved to Texas. I am here to tell you that quilting cotton does not make an easy to care for broomstick skirt. Which is not to say the skirt wasn’t cute. Mom used the same fabric to make a skirt for my sister and sister-in-law — although I don’t think their skirts had as many tiers.
I loved the skirt. Wore it for nearly 10 years (I’m obviously not a clothes horse) but tended to roll over the hem when getting up from my desk at work. Since the skirt had an elastic waistband, it made for some potentially awkward moments. The last time it happened, I decided I would make a quilt from the miles of fabric in the skirt and came home and tore the skirt apart. I managed to acquire the other two skirts and found some leftover fabric in Mom’s sewing room.
Of course as a project without a known destination, this quilt got set aside to languish unfinished as I worked on something else. Since it was started, I’ve completely gutted my sewing room, so there is no telling where the missing blocks and batting are. For a while, the missing batting (and maybe the missing blocks?) was in a crate sitting in the living room. Then we cleaned up the living room and the crate got moved. Our best guess is it’s in the basement – but everything in the basement got moved around not too long ago when we had the plumber out. So, before I can really begin working on this project, I’ve got to work on the basement. I wonder if Judy will let me count a cleaned basement as a finished UFO?
I’ll search for the missing batting and if I don’t find it in the next two weeks, I may have to swap out UFO #10 for something else on the list.
January UFO Challenge Met – Part 3
It happened! I finished two UFOs this month. This baby quilt (about 38″ square) was quick to quilt — once I figured out how I was going to quilt it. The backing is a piece of fabric left over from a dress I made 4 or 5 years ago.
The binding was made when I finished the quilt top last August so, I’ll only get to count the backing at the next Stash Report.
Since February is a short month, and I still have to my “regular quilting” to do, I hope Judy calls a low number. My “regular quilting” for February will consist of resuming the hand quilting on my DWR, and piecing mini-stars for the miniature quilt I’m working on.
What’s on My Design Wall
This is UFO #6 off the second list. Yes, I might just finish 2 UFOs this month. The binding is on and I just need to stitch it down — then decide if I need to go back and quilt the around the outside edge (I’m thinking yes.) I even have the quilt labeled.
Follow the links over at Patchwork Times to check out other design walls.
And check back this evening to see if I finish the quilt before midnight!
January UFO Challenge Met – Part 2
Over on my UFO Challenge 2011 tab I have two lists. The first list is for quilts I will consider “done” when they get to the “Top” stage. The second list is for quilt tops which will be considered “done” only when they are quilted and bound. Thus my announcement on January 25th that I had met this month’s challenge. I had finished UFO #6 off the first list.
Well, I’m happy to announce that I’ve finished Three Sisters’ Choice. As in quilted and bound.
After washing, where is scrunched up beautifully, it measures 53″ x 74″.
I hoped to have the quilt off the 2nd list to show tonight, but I rapidly ran out of time. My husband hung it so I could photograph it. There’s a pillow case to go with the quilt.
Check back tomorrow to see if I finish the second quilt.
All Ready to Sandwich and Quilt
I’m too tired tonight to sandwich the quilt, but I’ve prepped the backing, made the binding, found a piece of batting the right size and wound two bobbins. I see quilting (instead of piecing) in my future.
January 2011 UFO Challenge Met
Three Sisters’ Choice is now a top. It’s come along way from a pile of pieces with no design (or good name) in mind to this finished quilt top.
The name is derived from the fabric designer, Three Sisters, and the block, Sister’s Choice. I don’t see where I have any other choice but to call it Three Sisters’ Choice.
Earlier today I rooted around in my yardage boxes, and found 4 yards of a peach fabric which will make the perfect backing.
The fabric was originally intended to be either the framing or sashing around some 4-patch Stacked Posies blocks, but I used the 4-Patch fabric back in October or November to back the Row Quilt I gave my brother and his wife for Christmas. There is enough of the border fabric for binding and the cuff of a pillow case. All I have left of the rest of the fabric is 2 – 2″ strips WOF of the green and a pile of trimmings. I’m going to have to be inventive for the body of the pillowcase.
What’s on my Design Wall
This weekend I was on call for work, so I spent some quality time with my sewing machine and completed the center of my 2008 Charm Challenge quilt which is UFO #6 for Judy’s UFO Challenge. Now I’m working on the borders.
I had 13 1/2 inches of the green fabric and 7 inches of the peach. Needless to say my options were limited. I managed to mangle the math, but I think it’s going to be OK. The inner peach border will finish at 1/2 inch, the middle green border 1 inch and the outer border 3″. The finished size of the quilt will be about 54 x 76 — a smaller than the 60 x 85 I try to aim for.
Another evening or two, and I’ll have this quilt top finished and off my UFO list and on to my “to be quilted list”. I do hope that whatever # Judy draws next month, it’s something I can finish without much thought. #2 or #7 would be good numbers for February.
Check out what others are working on by following the links over at Patchwork Times.
