Shelly, over at PrairieMoonQuilts is hosting the 7th annual Final Countdown. It’s a chance to do a few things in your quilting space to get you ready for the new year. I’m not sure how long I’ve been participating, but whatever the challenge, it’s usually something which needs to be done in my space.

Task Three:

Get out of your quilt box!

Several ideas were thrown out as possibilities:

• Learn a new technique
• Use a different color palate than you normally do
• Take a leap and challenge yourself
• Join in on something you haven’t done before

I don’t like to think of myself as a naysayer or negative person (who does), but as I read this challenge all sorts of reasons popped into my head as to why I wasn’t going to be able to do this one.

• Learning a new technique would mean starting a new project and I’m doing my best to not start anything new.
• Using a different color palate would mean buying new fabric and I’m doing my best to now buy any new fabric except for what is needed to finish my UFOs.
• Take a leap and challenge yourself – if finishing 12 quilts (most twin size or larger) in 4 months is not a challenge, I don’t know what is.
• Join in BOM, Quilt-alongs means new projects and that’s in part how I ended up with as many UFOs as I have. I’m not currently part of a guild, but haven’t found one which works with my schedule, although I’m in several on-line groups.

Well, now that we know all the reasons why I “can’t” do this, lets see what I CAN do.

• I bought a Squedge Ruler a while back and haven’t taken it out of the package. I need want a weird size table runner for my table (12″ x 30″), so this should be quick to make and FINISH. 
• I’m going to call using a different color palate done. Although nearly everything I make is scrappy,  I seldom use a single line/designer in my quilts. I did however recently finish a quilt in all Kansas Troubles fabrics. But keeping in the spirit of things, I’ve dug around in my stash and found the following:
  • The Night Before Christmas – I bought these fabrics in 2009. I fell in love with the sample quilt, but haven’t worked on the quilt. Is it because of the limited # of fabrics or the fear that I won’t remember which fabric goes where?
  • MayPole fabrics from 2009 – Originally bought to make bags and wallets, I didn’t get it done, and now I’m concerned it’s “out of style”. The fabric as a group seems to be brighter than what’s in my stash.
  • Tuscan Sun BOM from Jo-Ann’s who knows when. – My mom collected all of the blocks and setting kit for this quilt, but did not get it made. This is not a color palate I would put together myself. Maybe it’s time to make the quilt.
• Take a leap and challenge yourself – a few years ago I  had several patterns published in an on-line magazine and the copyright has reverted back to me. I think this is the year I’ll see about getting them published for sale.
• Join in — for this one, I’m going to count going to a new retreat. I’ve gone to a few different retreats in the past, usually with my same group of friends. My sister and I are going to a new-to-me retreat in May.

Although I’m still trying to knock out my UFOs, a girl has to occasionally start something new. The key is to FINISH it so it doesn’t become a UFO. I’ll take some of these “kits” to the retreat this spring and summer (there’s another one in June) and combine a couple of things to get myself out of my quilt box!

Now back to Task One. Progress is being made. The stack on the left are those pieces which are really to big to fold like the ones on the right. I’ve also culled some fabric to chop up into my stash user’s system (no, I’ve not cut them, I’ve tossed them into one of the drawers of my ironing station — baby steps). Next I’m going to find the other box of florals and ultimately may decide to put these fabrics in the ‘color’ box instead of the floral theme box.