Was is just yesterday when I said I was off to sandwich the Crossword Puzzle quilt and it would be late this month before I worked on my UFO?

Here’s my excuse:

Yesterday after work I worked on sandwiching the Crossword Puzzle quilt.  My method involves my large ironing board (abt 24 x 60) and basting spray.  Typically I don’t have any problems.  However, for the first time I’m using a homespun for the backing and it is not as stable as I’m used to.

I got the backing on just fine.  Then I flipped the backing and batting over and spray basted the quilt top.  Took great pains to keep the batting “square” with the plaid.  Everything looked good.  So my next step was to mark the quilt.

Since the plan was to mark the stitching lines using painters tape (love that stuff) across the diagonal, I turned the quilt — but in doing so, I saw the backing was scrunched.  So, I flipped the quilt over backing up just to see how bad it was.

It’s too bad.  I’ve got to get those wrinkles out.  But how?  That’s when I walked away from the “current” project and back to my  “UFO Steps” project.  Except, by this time my husband was napping on the couch and I didn’t want to turn on enough light to see in case it woke him.

As a result, the only “legal” project for me to work on until either the seam on the Green & Cream quilt is finished or I finish quilting the Crossword Puzzle quilt is one of my August UFOs.

This is a project my mom started before we knew she was sick the first time.  My plan when I packed up this UFO (and the 3 others she left) was to finish them.  This baby quilt will go to one of her next great-grandbabies.

Working on the quilt last night I discovered that mom’s 1/4″ seam was off — by at least an 1/8″.  I could take all the stitching out and re-stitch it, but then it would be my quilt, not one from my mom and me.  So, I made an executive decision — instead of the 4-patches finishing at 3″, they would finish at 2 1/2″.  I just wish I made that decision before I made the HST and cut the rest of the quilt out.  This afternoon I trimmed everything to finish at 2 1/2″ and pieced the center together.

The center of the quilt 4 1/2″ smaller than it was originally designed, and the borders need to be narrower as well. I think I’m going to put on a 3 to 4″ border of the orange floral fabric and then possibly bind it in the green.  Time will tell.

Now to decide what to do about the Crossword Puzzle quilt — attempt to fix the backing or quilt it on the longarm.  Either way requires thinking.

After making the extra buttonhole on my husband’s shirt, I pulled out the Green & Cream quilt to see what I need to do on it.  The quilt will be 20 blocks 4 x 5 and I have 12 blocks quilted.  This section just needs the seam sewn down on the back.  My goal is to have the seam done and have the quilting started (maybe finished?) on the Crossword Puzzle quilt by this time next week.

We’ll see how well this works.

Or I learned the wrong lesson.

After pushing to complete 10 quilts in 3 months, then sitting idle for nearly a month recovering, you would think I could focus on just one quilt.  The one that needs to get done.   The one that is overdue. But no, there are 34 quilts on my WIP/UFO list and another 33 quilt tops waiting to be quilted (including the overdue quilt top).

While I wasn’t quilting, I was making a list of 14 quilts which I want to see progress on (some to finish, as in quilt, bind and label; others just get the top done.)  And I’m sure it will get longer before the end of the year.  There are five more months left in Judy’s UFO Challenge and 7 quilts on my challenge list, which are not already on this list.

This combined with the heat & a clean sewing room, I can’ t figure out what I want to work on next.

So, I took a page from Shelly’s Procrastination Challenge.

On slips of paper I put a step for each quilt I want to see done by the end of the year.  The slip has the quilt name and one step — for instance the QIAD Christmas Row Quilt has multiple steps – make cornerstones; sash blocks; assemble center of quilt & add borders.  I just want the top done by the end of the year, so quilt; label & bind are not included.  Some quilts say things like “quilt one ring” x 15.  If a quilt has multiple steps, only the next step goes into the bag — and I also have a slip called “press scraps for 15 minutes and cut up”.

This is the step I picked tonight:

It’s almost enough to get me in gear and sandwich the Crossword Puzzle quilt.  I’ve given up on the True Friends quilt — or more acurately I’m not sure how I want to assemble it.  So, it will stay on the design wall until I either need the wall or figure out what I’m going to do with it.

My husband’s new shirt needs another buttonhole.  I think I’ll go make it.  Then decide if it’s cooled off enough to manhandle the Crossword Puzzle quilt for sandwiching or if working on a row of the Green & Cream quilt is more appealing.

If you had told me on July 1st I’d have not one, but two finishes (ok, they are small), I would have told you there’s no way.

But earlier today I finished stitching not only the binding down, but also the label.  Who knows, I might even get the quilts washed before midnight.

First up is Fireworks Over John Deere.  What else can I call this?  The pattern is called Chain of Stars.  I wrote it as the 2008 retreat mystery quilt.    I found in my stash a couple of John Deere pillow panels, so naturally they went on the back of the quilt.  This quilt top has been hanging around since the retreat.  This is the July UFO pick.

The second quilt I finished  this month is called Gift Wrapped.  It too is a mystery quilt — for this fall 2011 retreat — so you only get to see the back of the quilt until the retreat in September.

So what was I supposed to be working on this month?  The Crossword Puzzle quilt.  Progress was made.  1 – I got the missing “L” inserted into the quilt; 2 – removed the temporary hanging sleeve and ribbon stabilizer; 3 – decided the quilt is “square enough” to quilt and then square up; 4 – returned the Go! I borrowed to cut the blocks out;  5 – pieced the quilt backing and 6 – tentatively settled on a quilting design.

Let’s hope August is a productive.

It’s the backing for “Fireworks Over John Deere”.