Retreat Report #2

While packing for retreat I told myself that I just HAD to make some progress on UFOs and Friday night would be dedicated to such a task.

I finished my Easy Street center (which I'll show tomorrow) and then I worked on Sister's Choice . Not sure how many years ago I started this quilt but I only needed four more blocks. I had cut the pieces at home so it was easy to bang them out. 

The sashing was even already on the other 26 blocks so it was also easy to get the rows put together. Of course by that time it was 2am and I had been working alone for almost 2 hours (didn't these people get the point of working in to the "wee wee" hours?) and said that was enough until I got home. Sunday evening I pressed the rows and got them sewn together. Wootwoot!!

Now on to my nemesis...borders! I have enough of the purple cornerstone fabric to either do an inner border or maybe binding. I was thinking of doing all 9-patches for an outer border but I wasn't sure if that would then be too many colors. I suppose I could do a colored inner border and then all neutrals for the 9-patches. Why can I only think of these things as I post to the blog? What do y'all think cuz I am really liking this idea!!??

NewFOs and UFOs

Somehow I never started the NewFO I thought I would in January...not to worry tho as I did start 5 other projects! One is done, I hope another is done this weekend and one is probably long term altho a little addictive.

This is the NewFO I finished already. A mug rug that was donated to my local library for their V-Day fundraiser. I had planned to also make one with hexies instead of the hearts but forgot until I was typing this post. I haven't picked colors for the hexie version yet.

This is the NewFO that I hope is finished this weekend. I haven't specified what it is but several people have made some very close guesses.

This is my addictive NewFO. I had thought it would be long term but it's too easy to grab for a few minutes here and there. This could be a good thing so that I don't have parts sitting around forever. Maybe I should aim for the end of the year? I'll still collect selvages but I'm not sure what the next project will be and I need to see how many I have left when this quilt is done anyway.

This NewFO would probably be pretty easy to get finished and since I hope to keep up with the doll-quilt-a-month-a-long at http://sentimentalquilter.blogspot.com/2012/02/february-small-quilt-challenge.html (this is the link for the next doll quilt) I better get caught up and keep the quilting simple. I had thought about fans but we shall see when I get the red backing on what strikes me.

The last NewFO isn't done yet because I wasn't sure how I wanted to proceed. This is a cover for my Kindle and my original idea was to make the hexies go all the way around without any seams but I wasn't sure how to make that work along with the tutorial that I working from. I've now decided that the best way to proceed will be to make the hexies a little bit bigger, quilt this to the batting and then do the seams as on the tutorial. I think it will be safer for the Kindle. Now if I could just figure out what's wrong with my wifi connection all will be honky dorey.

My January UFO was my Blooming 9-Patch, probably started 4 or 5 years ago. I had hoped to finish the top (which turned out I just needed borders) and get her quilted this month. I purchased the border fabrics and got part of it on but had to stop when I was just a little short on the light purple fabric. I did buy another quarter yard but I still need to finish the borders. I bought batting (on sale!) and I should have enough scraps to piece the back. I would like to think this doesn't now go to the bottom of the UFO pile but who knows.

My February UFO is RollRollCottonBoll which was Bonnie's 2010 mystery project. I've actually listed RRCB for 2 months in this year's UFO Challenge so I don't have specific goals this month other than to make progress. I have 4 steps left: neutral string blocks (and y'all know how much I love them!), assembling the 600 HSTs from those 2 skinny bins into sashing and attaching them to the blocks which are under the red and neutral fabrics, assembling the center of the top and then the borders (parts are in that black dish to the left). OK - no real pressure this month and I like that!

UFO Thursday - 1/26/12

Remember how I had hoped to get both borders on my Blooming 9-Patch last weekend?

I was tootling right along, drawing out the borders in EQ to see if I liked the widths and finally decided yep, these are the measurements I'm gonna go with. I got the dark purple on. I got the four sides of the light purple and then realized I only had enough to get 2 corners on. That last piece of the yardage was 1/4" too narrow. Phooey. No worries, tomorrow I can go buy a little more. Purples are still on sale so it's all good :)

I'll have to measure much more closely before cutting the outer green border...it's so old I can't get any more.

You can also see I laid out one of the lime green binding strips.

My goal for the month was to complete the top, sandwhich and quilt it. Doesn't look like we'll get quite that far but I can at least finish the borders this weekend and piece the backing. Any extra fabric will be trimmed right into the strip bins. One of my LQS has their end of month sale on Monday - I'll go get some batting.

UFO Friday

After being up since 1:51am and not getting home until 9am for a rescue call (FYI-Water Rescue equipment is owned by my/Castile FD and Silver Springs FD also works with us, it's not a County-wide team), I decided to take advantage of all that accumulated sick time and called in sick so I could get some sleep. I figured I would never get to sleep after the adrenaline but I briefly woke to the noon whistle and finally got up at 1pm for another rescue call. Getting home just before 3pm I figured it was finally shower time instead of another nap or I would never sleep through the night. After that I thought I would have hours to sew!!! Except... I dragged my feet and barely got much done. Phooey. I am pretty sure it's because I woke up sick again today :(

I worked on my red strings another 20 minutes and they almost all have the strings on them. I just need to cut 2 more strips and I should be done with the sewing. Just need to trim them and remove the papers.

Then I worked on my January UFO (finally, I know, we are getting to the title of this post). I had to trim each side to straighten it before I added the first border, cut out the borders and sew them on. Good grief - it felt like it took 2 hours to get that much done. I am maintaining the angled corners which takes a little more effort but I think I am going to enjoy the look. Only 2 more borders to go! I am hoping to get 1 if not both borders done this weekend.

UFO Thursday - 1/12/12

I'm afraid there aren't going to be too many pictures today. You see when I went to grab the fabric I bought for this project it was no where to be found and I mean no where cuz I searched every "where" I could think of. Until... on the drive to work this morning, I think I remember putting the new fabric back in the drawer where the leftovers to this project were found. Humph...who puts stuff away where it belongs? Must have been the cats!

As you may recall from last week, my UFO for the month is my Blooming 9-Patch. When I went to take pictures last week I found the top was together and threatened to make you guys pick border fabric for me. Unfortunately, for you guys, when I layed out the scraps from making the center it was rather obvious to me where I should go with the borders. Yup - I went to the LQS!

The orange fabrics were both used in the quilt but I just felt there was already enough orange and eliminated them quickly. The fabric on the left is a pinky-purple that matched the pinky purple in the orange fabric on the far side  (I had bought it in case I wanted another round on the center) but it just doesn't match the purple in the center. I think there is plenty of the green in the foreground and I'm happy with that.

I purchased a half yard each of light and dark mottled purples to use for inner borders. Should I go simple and get it done or do something pieced? Unless someone has a simple pieced idea it's going to be something simple. I also bought a lime green for the binding. I think there will be enough scraps to piece the back, which I've never done but there's a first for everything...

UFO Thursday - 1/5/12

For the month of January we are supposed to work on UFO #5 and for me that's my Blooming 9-Patch. You can see the rest of my UFO list on the tab at the top of this blog.

When writing UFO list I pulled some of the leftovers from my 2011 list and added in some "new" things I had run across recently, including the Blooming 9-patch found when I opened the drawer with the left over fabrics and pattern.

I finally unfolded the top this morning and discovered it's already done...didn't remember that! Anyways, I think it needs a border only because it's just not that big - I guess I would currently consider it a lap quilt. I prefer a couch quilt - meaning a quilt that will cover me from shoulders to feet while laying down on the couch with at least one cat and this won't cut it so far.

I do have some leftovers of the outermost fabric altho I have to measure it before I decide if there is enough for a border. I started with the purple/lime fabric that is the second row and now it reads as very reddish-orange so I'm not sure this is were I want to go with the quilt. There is also a pinky purple I had purchased in case I wanted to add that as the next row. Maybe that has enough for a border but again it's far from the colors I had envisioned. I will have to lay out all the possibles this weekend and see how they actually look. Hah! Maybe I can post that for next week's UFO Thursday and make y'all decide for me ;)

Ketchup

Didja think I got lost? Nah…it’s just been a whirlwind of activities. Shall we go in reverse order? Thought so!

Last night I made Caribbean Peach Chutney. Not such a feat in and of itself but there’s this little heat wave going on so while I questioned my timing and mopped my brow, the peaches had to be used or tossed. It smells divine but didn’t make very much, hence too much headspace in the jars that I did get. You can also see the rest of my garden in the background – my 5 (!) tomatoes just ripened while the cherry tomatoes continue to produce. Any ideas on what I can do with them? The eggplants are tomato size and the next wave of purple peppers is starting to arrive. The sunflowers opened last week – I bet the tallest is close to 9 or 10 feet tall! The Glads are spent and I am determined to plant more of them next year.

Not much sewing has happened in the last two weeks. Working half days at my day job and then working the rest of the day at the fair left little time for anything else. It was easier to bring my tatting with me. Then I spent all of my “free time” last week pulling escrows (I’m the school tax collector) and we had internet viruses so I couldn’t have posted if I wanted to.

I did buy a FQ bundle of ‘Sew Chick’ by Bernatex from the Quilter’s Daughter booth at the Fair. We’ve all been greatly anticipating this store as it’s a couple miles from my office and supposed to open September 25th! Claudia says I’ll be working for fabric on opening day which is ok because I need border fabric. This is a disappearing 9-patch variation that will end up about 4 x 5 blocks plus the borders. That makes 2 blocks of each of the colors shown. I’ll still have some “parts” from the FQs for table runners and such…

And last but not least – the pictures that I did take during the fair document this:

I chopped 13 inches off and will send the pony tail to Locks of Love or Wigs for Kids. The stylist showed me how to style it straight but I admit it’s much easier to let it go curly!