UFO Busting #56

It's been a week of slow going when it comes to working on my list for the month.  I was able to cross one and a half things off.  I'm officially all caught up on the Pat Sloan Out of this world quilt along.  

This is me sharing the top row all pieced together at the guild meeting.  I didn't get a picture of this month's block, but it is finished as well.

UFO Busting #33

Can you believe October is already upon us??  I always welcome this month when it comes in.  It brings with it the wonderful smells and cooler temperatures of Autumn.  The leaves begin to change and there is so much to do.  This weekend (hopefully), I will be following our band to a neighboring town to take in the Forrest Festival.  In all my almost 40 years of life, it will be the first time I've ever gone.  Jen and I are busily preparing for all the fun that comes with her reaching adulthood.  There are colleges to visit, tests to take and forms to complete.  Needless to say, for the most part sewing took the back burner this week.  However, I did manage to sneak in moments here and there.  Five to ten minutes a day can make a huge difference.

I'm still hard core juggling the Sewcial Bee Sampler blocks.  I try to stitch up 3-5 at a time when I can.  This was me block juggling, complete with open rotary cutter.  I call it extreme block making.  Do not be like Tisha.  Do not sew with open sharp objects.  No Tisha's were hurt, but this should be left to only professionals...and probably not even then.

My efforts proved worth it though.  I'm almost done...all but five blocks.  Then the sashing can begin.

I am also happy that I can finally share my Bohemian Baby Star Blossom quilt finish this week.  The quilt its self has actually been completed for two weeks, the weather just refused to cooperate for pictures.

You can read more about this finish and the quilting here.

Let's see what happened in last week's party.  First up is Roseanne and Sue from Home Sewn By Us.  Those two have been working hard at working on older projects.  This time they tackled their I Wish You A Merry Christmas Quilt.  

I love this quilt.  It will be a fun one to cozy up to the fire with, hot coco in hand and Christmas movies on TV.

Next up is Gail at Quilting Gail and her Sudoku Quilt.  I'm a big fan of that game and an even bigger fan of her quilt.

I love how she used those squares to practice different free motion motifs.  It added great texture to the quilt and is just plain fun!  If you haven't been by to congratulate all of them on their UFO finishes, hop over and visit them now.

Now it's your turn.  What have you been up to this week?  Link up and tell us about it below.

An InLinkz Link-up

I have exciting news for next week...I'm going on a bit of a field trip and so is UFO Busting.  Since I knew I probably wouldn't get a post together for next weekend, my dear friend Sandra at mmm!quilts has agreed to host UFO Busting over on her page!!   I do hope next Saturday (the 13th) you will continue the party over there.  Then things will be back to normal here the next weekend.  I hope everyone has a wonderful week with lots of stitching!!!

UFO Busting #15

Welcome to episode 15 of the UFO Busting Party.  I feel like this is the Quilty Health Class addition.  Today class, we are going to split up into two groups, the boys in one room and the girls in another, and talk about how UFO's are conceived.  Oh, wait.  We don't have to do that.  But this UFO did start out with a husband and a wife.

Earlier this fall, David gifted me this fat quarter bundle after a work trip to North Carolina.  He wanted to challenge me a bit.  I do love the fabrics neatly wrapped in this FQ tulip, but I'll be honest, it's probably not a color palette I would choose.  He knew that.  So since November it has sat.

Until Yvonne at Quilting Jetgirl posted a picture of an adorable baby quilt version of her Bundle Buster Pattern made with fat quarters she picked from Bernie at Needle and Foot's Etsy shop.  The light bulb in my head lit up!  My fat quarter bundle...it would be perfect.  So last weekend, I spent a couple hours in labor, well cutting and stitching, and gave birth to this retro fun baby quilt.

And that, boys and girls, is where UFO's come from and how they are made; because now it must wait for its turn to be quilted.   If you have any questions you should probably ask your parents when you get home.  Class dismissed.

Quilting is well underway on the pinwheel quilt. 

The pattern is a free pattern, Pinwheels in the Park, at Sew Mama Sew.  I think if I could block 3 hours of uninterrupted time I could have this one finished...just not sure if that will happen this weekend.  Just keep stitching.

Why might this not happen, you ask?  Because I sense a disturbance in the quilting force.  I have a feeling the fabrics above will provide a distraction as I test my pattern for the lap size quilt of the Fire Burst Mystery Quilt.

Look, I have the start of a QAL button.  I'm still working out some details, but hope to have the page up and going soon. Stay tuned.

I haven't been the only one in quilty labor.  Julie at Pink Doxies has been too and, boy, was it a big one.  I'm not sure the weight but it measures in at 92" x 93" and she has named it Hapi Quilt.

I kind of feel like her Lamaze couch.  Behind the scenes, she texted with me as she auditioned fabrics, tested ideas and gave birth to this quilt.  My job, to remind her to breath, of course.  I'm forever in love with Julie's design process and the way her quilts come together.  If you missed it, please hop over to Pink Doxies and read about it here.  Wonder if I'll get to be the quilt Godmother?

Gail at Quilting Gail is celebrating, or I hope she is, her recent finish and what I would consider a pivotal quilting moment.  She is half way to reaching her PhD goal.  We aren't even half way through the year!

Look at all those fabulous feathers and all the fun continuous curves in this classic red and white quilt.  If you haven't already, make sure you congratulate Gail on her finish and celebrate her reaching her half way mark.

Before we find out what everyone has been up to this week, I just wanted to remind you that the 2018 New Quilt Bloggers Blog Hop will be officially kicking off this Monday, April 16th.  Make sure you come back so I can introduce you to two of my HST's.

We know how much I love acronyms, so I absolutely love the name they came up with for their hive, Happy Stitching Team.  On top of meeting new quilty friends, the co-hosts, Beth (Cooking Up Quilts), Jen (Dizzy Quilter), Sandra (mmm!quilts) and myself, will provide you with opportunities to win prizes from our 17 (yes I said seventeen) very generous sponsors.  Each week of the hop all 17 will be giving away awesome prizes.  Trust me, you do not want to miss this.

Benartex	Canuck Quilter Designs	Christina Camelli
Clinton Modern Creative	Cooking Up Quilts	Devoted Quilter
Island Batiks	Make Modern	Meadow Mist Designs
Needle & Foot Fine Fabrics	Northcott	Phat Quarter Fabrics
Quilting Jetgirl	Sew Fresh Quilts	Sew Sisters Quilt Shop
The Red Hen Shop	Victoria Findlay Wolfe Quilts

Now on to what you've been up to this week.  Did you go into quilting labor last week?   Are you breathing through the pains of trying to give birth to a finished quilt or enjoying the process of making a UFO...wink, wink?  What ever the case link up below and tell us all about it.

An InLinkz Link-up

UFO Busting #13

Have you ever had one of those projects that you completely forgot about it and it has a deadline?  Well you don't completely forget about it.  Maybe you just don't put it at the top of the priority list.  It's still really important but you just got...squirrel!  You know, something like that.  Luckily for me, while moving my piles around, I uncovered the tote this was hiding in and remember it.  Above are signature blocks members of the guild signed for a secret project that I agreed to turn into a wall hanging.  My dead line is June, but I want to be finished way before then.  Quilter's good intentions...wink, wink.  Hopefully, I will have them all sewn up before the weekend ends.

Jen is second from the bottom right

Last weekend I warned that there might be lots of pictures from the WV State Archery Tournament.  There won't be many, because I was so on edge watching the shoot, I forgot to take pictures.  Our high school team was ranked first going into the shoot.  Our elementary and middle school teams both placed first in their divisions and will be headed to Nationals in May!!!  Unfortunately, the high school team didn't place.  Jen still did very well, but missed placing as an individual by one point.  The competition was very close.  However, she still shot the best she's ever shot at the state tournament and was our teams top shot girl.  Both goals she's worked very hard to achieve.  Missing by one point makes her our little unicorn...she does love unicorns.  We are extremely proud of her and her team mates!  Next year guys, next year.

Jen is the really short one in the middle of the picture with her bow up to shoot.

So with all the travel last weekend, not much sewing happened in our house.  I wanted to share with you David's current project because I am in LOVE with it.

He's calling it Fractured.  It's made up of batiks with some hand dyed fabric (made with the help of Julie) and it's just gorgeous.  He started off by using Liz at Savor Every Stitch's Haphazard random HST generator (she also has one for squares and rectangles).  A very cool app for creating this style of quilt.  If you've never played with it, please take a few minutes to give it a go.  Liz, your a genius, thank you for sharing it with us!  After he had a general idea of how many HST's to make and a basic layout he got to work.  Once his pile of squares where finished, he played around with the layout some more and this is where everything fell.  He's quilting it now, so I can't wait to see it finished.

So what were you guys up to last week?  Let me show you.  Chris at Chris Knits, was busy finishing up a fun table runner for Easter.  She started this little project before taking a vacation and got right back to it after the fun in the sun was over.  I think that deserves some recognition.  I know I have a bad tendency after a break to not go back, just start a new project.  But, Chris hopped right back to it.

Now she has this bright fun piece to share with her family just in time for the Easter holiday!  Egg-celent job, Chris!

I also wanted to mention Wendy at Pieceful Thoughts of My Quilting Life and her Lost Woods Batik Table Runner.

She pieced this beautiful table runner using left over blocks from another project.  I know those spinning strips brings back many childhood memories of playing in the woods for me and seeing the trees gently blowing above your head.  I applaud Wendy because after piecing them together she had to make a decision; table runner, bag or pillow?  I know for me, I can waste a whole lot of time with debates like this, or even abandon a project because of it.  Wendy, made the decision of table runner and quilted on.  I'm going to take a lesson from this and just keep quilting myself.  Congrats on your beautiful finish, Wendy!

So now it's your turn.  What have you been up to this week?  Are you looking around your sewing room for your abandoned projects like a toddlers on an egg hunt?  Or maybe you are stashing them in corners like the exhausted parents, praying that the kiddos find them all later.  Whatever the case, link up!  Let's celebrate some finishes and cheer each other on as we sew toward finishes.

An InLinkz Link-up

UFO Busting #11

Every time I finish a quilt, a Corona gets its lime.  Okay, so that might not be true but I was having fun quilting what I was calling line wedges this week.  I'm still working on quilting doll quilts, but may have got a bit distracted by other things.

I think I've talked about it before, that quilter Dave travels around our state for work quite a bit.  Sadly, I don't get out much, so I haven't seen most of the places he goes too.  We decided to take a little trip recently to one of those places, because he scoped out a good quilt shop.  The largest Moda dealer in WV.  So to Moundsville, WV we go!  Moundsville gets its name from the large Indian burial mound located there.

A site I had only seen in pictures is a very common site for David.  This historic landmark just happens to be right across from this...

Sorry, not a castle, folks.  The Moundsville State Penitentiary.  Opened in the state of West Virginia in 1876 and closed in 1995.  The penitentiary along with the Trans-Alleheny Lunatic Asylum (in Weston, WV built 1864, closed 1994) are gothic style sandstone structures that both had to be closed due to deterioration to the buildings.  Also both are places you didn't want to live in.  The state still owns the building and property that the penitentiary is located on and the public can take historic tours of the building and grounds.  However, our Division of Corrections, still uses the property and building for different training events.  Including something called the Mock Prison Riots held every spring, when corrections departments from all over the world gather...think of it like Quilt Market, just corrections.  Okay, enough of that.  No more history just quilting.

The quilt store was AMAZING.  The ladies knew David the second we walked into the shop. The shop is called Theresa's Fabrics and did I mention it is the largest Moda dealer in WV?  I saw Moda fabric lines I had completely forgot about.  I need to make a list of my older pre cuts and get back there ASAP.   Plus I need a Julie fix.  I didn't find out till after I was home she isn't that far away from where I was and was quite familiar with the shop.  If I knew geography a bit better, I might have figured that out on my own.

While I was at the store, I did pick up a few goodies.

I found this Hoopla fabric and charm pack and immediately knew what I wanted to do with them, but it's a secret.

I also picked up some beautiful blue fabrics and a white on white to work on another charity/raffle quilt.  After a weekend of sewing the raffle quilt left off like this.

Will be adding sashing, but should it become one larger quilt or 3 wall hangings?  Decisions.

The kick off of Cheryl and Paige's blog hop for their new book Modern Plus Sign Quilts has started.

Make sure you check out all the posts from this week (and next week too).  So many talented quilters have created beautiful projects using, Cheryl and Paige's easy to follow instructions. 

MODERN PLUS SIGN BOOK HOP SCHEDULE

Monday, March 12th

Cheryl @ Meadow Mist Designs

Paige @ Quilted Blooms

Tuesday, March 13th

Soma @ Whims and Fancies

Ann @ Brown Paws Quilting

Kitty @ Night Quilter

Sophie @ Luna Lovequilts

Afton @ Quilting Mod

Shelley @ The Carpenters Daughter Who Quilts

Wednesday, March 14th

Jayne @ Twiggy and Opal

Jen @ A Dream and a Stitch

Abigail @ Cut & Alter

Yvonne @ Quilting Jetgirl

Sandra @ mmm! quilts

Karen @ Run Sew Fun

Thursday, March 15th

Linda @ Flourishing Palms

Bernie @ Needle and Foot

Liz @ Savor Every Stitch

Stacey @ Stacey In Stitches

Michelle @ From Bolt to Beauty

Patty @ Elm Street Quilts

Melanie @ A Bit of Scrap Stuff Blog

Friday, March 16th

Myra @ Busy Hands Quilts

Izzy @ Dizzy Quilts

Ruth @ Charly and Ben's Crafty Corner

Christa @ Christa Quilts

Monday, March 19th

Jessica @ Quilty Habit

Cindy @ Hyacinth Quilt Designs

Jennifer @ The Inquiring Quilter

Julie @ The Crafty Quilter

Tuesday, March 20th

Tish @ Tish N Wonderland

Judy @ Sew Some Sunshine

Emily @ The Darling Dogwood

Wanda @ Wanda's Life Sampler

Karen @ Tu-Na Quilts, Travels, and Eats

Katherine @ Sew Me Something Good

Wednesday, March 21st

Anja @ Anja Quilts

Kate @ Smiles from Kate

Sue @ Sevenoaks Street Quilts

Carole @ From My Carolina Home

Alison @ Little Bunny Quilts

Thursday, March 22nd

Debbie @ Esch House Quilts

Laura @ Slice of Pi Quilts

Beth @ Cooking Up Quilts

Janice @ Color Creating and Quilting

Joanne @ Quilts by Joanne

Friday, March 23rd

Cheryl @ Meadow Mist Designs

Paige @ Quilted Blooms

I dare you to try to flip through this book and not find a project you love.  You can't do it.  There is seriously something for everyone inside, from beginner to advanced.  Large projects to small ones.  I wouldn't steer you wrong.  My day to post is on Tuesday, I hope you will come back to take a peak at my project.  You can pick up a copy of the book by hopping over to Cheryl and Paige's Etsy shops.

I hope you caught Deanna at Dreamworthy Quilts last week.  If not join me in cheering her on.  Not only did she spend some quality time with her family, she also worked on some wonderful embroidery blocks.  One of her next goals is to work on her Medallion Quilt and it is a beauty!  I'm drooling over those blue and orange fabrics!

Help me cheer her toward a finished flimsy!  You can do it, Deanna!!!

So what have you been working on this week?  Are the UFO's floating around your sewing room like a flock of sea gulls heading back to the beach? They know where they are headed and are ready for summer!  Or are you like me, standing around like a flock of confused sea gulls stuck in a flurry of snow, wondering if you should have taken that left turn at Albuquerque?

Whatever the case, link up below and let's celebrate our progresses, the distractions we love, and of course finishes!

An InLinkz Link-up

UFO Busting #10

UFO Busting---we've reached double digits!  So as I've been quilting away this week, I've allowed my mind to wonder and ponder UFO's, but we can talk about that in a minute.  This week has been all about the small quilts, doll quilts, super quick and fun quilts.  Last weekend me and the mister went a little crazy.  Together we pieced a total of 11 small quilts.  We are nuts.

I took them with me to the guild meeting this week, so here are a few shots of me talking about them.

This is one that David pieced.  These fabrics have a special story, but I'll tell it once I have all four of his completed.  Man, I'm being very mysterious this week.

So, as I was sewing up these quilts, I have to say, I was feeling a bit guilty. I'm creating new projects when there are old ones to finish.  What is wrong with me??  How can I write about busting UFO's when I started new stuff.  Then an awful realization happened.  Technically when you take your first cut into a piece of fabric for a project, doesn't it become a UFO until it's finish?  I UFO is simply an Unfinished Object.  Gasp.  We call them many things;Works In Projects, Unfinished Objects.  Isn't it like me saying, "look at that red flower," and someone else saying, "no, that flower is clearly scarlet."  

If I stand back and look at my project when I'm finished working on it for the day and ask the question I this project finished and the answer is no, doesn't it qualify as an unfinished object?  I know that we typically relate UFO's to old projects, but if we are honest, unfinished just means it's not complete yet.  So why so much guilt?  I'm not sure if I feel liberated by this, if I'm making excuses to not feel bad about not working on something a bit older, or if I'm going stark raving mad?  I think I need to turn the music up louder and stop thinking :)  I guess I'm  just saying most projects don't get finished over night, all progress should be celebrated just like all finishes.  UFO's come in all shapes, sizes and time frames.  No more guilt.


In other exciting news, next week kicks off Cheryl at Meaow Mist Designs and Paige at Quilted Blooms block hop for their recently published book, Modern Plus Sign Quilts.  Believe me you want to check out all the wonderful quilts in this book, there is something for everyone.  You will be POSITIVELY amazed.

My day on the hop isn't until next week (and I can't wait to share my projects with you), but until then make sure you check out all the awesome quilts next week.

MODERN PLUS SIGN BOOK HOP SCHEDULE

Monday, March 12th

Cheryl @ Meadow Mist Designs

Paige @ Quilted Blooms

Tuesday, March 13th

Soma @ Whims and Fancies

Ann @ Brown Paws Quilting

Kitty @ Night Quilter

Sophie @ Luna Lovequilts

Afton @ Quilting Mod

Shelley @ The Carpenters Daughter Who Quilts

Wednesday, March 14th

Jayne @ Twiggy and Opal

Jen @ A Dream and a Stitch

Abigail @ Cut & Alter

Yvonne @ Quilting Jetgirl

Sandra @ mmm! quilts

Karen @ Run Sew Fun

Thursday, March 15th

Linda @ Flourishing Palms

Bernie @ Needle and Foot

Liz @ Savor Every Stitch

Stacey @ Stacey In Stitches

Michelle @ From Bolt to Beauty

Patty @ Elm Street Quilts

Melanie @ A Bit of Scrap Stuff Blog

Friday, March 16th

Myra @ Busy Hands Quilts

Izzy @ Dizzy Quilts

Ruth @ Charly and Ben's Crafty Corner

Christa @ Christa Quilts

Monday, March 19th

Jessica @ Quilty Habit

Cindy @ Hyacinth Quilt Designs

Jennifer @ The Inquiring Quilter

Julie @ The Crafty Quilter

Tuesday, March 20th

Tish @ Tish N Wonderland

Judy @ Sew Some Sunshine

Emily @ The Darling Dogwood

Wanda @ Wanda's Life Sampler

Karen @ Tu-Na Quilts, Travels, and Eats

Katherine @ Sew Me Something Good

Wednesday, March 21st

Anja @ Anja Quilts

Kate @ Smiles from Kate

Sue @ Sevenoaks Street Quilts

Carole @ From My Carolina Home

Alison @ Little Bunny Quilts

Thursday, March 22nd

Debbie @ Esch House Quilts

Laura @ Slice of Pi Quilts

Beth @ Cooking Up Quilts

Janice @ Color Creating and Quilting

Joanne @ Quilts by Joanne

Friday, March 23rd

Cheryl @ Meadow Mist Designs

Paige @ Quilted Blooms

If you would like to pick up a signed copy of the book hop on over to Cheryl or Paige's Etsy pages and grab yours today.

Another thing I was thinking about this week was Lynette at What a Hoot! and her Listen With Your Eyes progress.  She has me drooling with anticipation for her eventual quilt finish.

How can you look at this smiling (literally) quilt progress and not smile back at it??  This quilt will be full of personality.  I also think I smell a finish with my eyes almost around the corner for her, so if you missed all her hard work last week, make sure you check it out.

Now it's your turn, what have you been working on?  Do you ever get lost in your own thoughts while you are working away on a project?  Help me try to undirty(is that even a word) or clean up that little phrase UFO, maybe it's not such a bad label after all.  If you link up, feel free to grab my button in the side bar.

An InLinkz Link-up