May goals and UFQ ASSUALT TACTICS winner!!

Thanks to all the quilters who have visited my blog during the past 4 days from The Inbox Jaunt!!  I was going to tally up how many UFQ's all 76 of you (between my blog and Lori's) have accumulated but I lost count?!?  I had some nice comments and as a result, I'm planning to blog more often about productive strategies to encourage all of you to keep assaulting the piles.  I personally find it comforting to know I'm in such good company.

 

The winner of a FREE UFQ ASSAULT TACTICS "home study course" -- that's what we used to call sewing courses when I worked for the Ohio Cooperative Extension Service -- is CJ.  She has about as many as I do and has had quite a few life interruptions so I hope the course will help her feel more organized and confident.  Give me a shout, CJ, at maryhueyquilts@hotmail.com and I'll get you started on your adventure!

 

Coincidentally, I was with the Bloomington Quilt Guild in Indiana on Tuesday evening and Wednesday this week lecturing and teaching on the very same topic.  We had a lot of laughs and on Wednesday we had a productive day contemplating some of our UFQ's and brainstorming possible solutions.  Everyone left smiling!!

 

The most frequent comments between mine and Lori's blog posts were about working some everyday and being hesitant about one's machine quilting skills.  Working some everyday at machine quilting could just be the solution -- but you'll never know unless you try it and it won't happen in a couple weeks -- it might take several months, but it will happen!!  And Lori's designs are a great resource -- I find the way she breaks them down very helpful and I am beginning to use the same tactic when planning for my quilting!

 

And on a more personal note, I feel I'm on track with my goals for May.  The charity quilt is quilted and one of the other gals in the group is binding it!! 

And the quilt for my kid sister is up next.  I'm auditioning thread colors and sketching quilting designs -- I hope to actually start stitching this weekend. 

Isn't the backing fabric gorgeous?!

And I got some hand work done on the second hexie QAL block while I was traveling this week -- now I need to leave it sit quietly in the corner while I work on the hand quilting project.  The hexie stitching is confined to my traveling days this month!!  I've cracked open my bin of "blended" fabrics for this project -- they haven't seen the light of day for more years than I want to admit.

The other QAL is a machine piecing project and I'm applying Marti Michell's templates to each block -- everything is waiting for me at the cutting table -- might get to that this weekend.  I'm enjoying using some of my polka dot stash for this project.

This weekend I'll also find backings for the two teaching samples and try to get those layered up so they will be ready and waiting when the "sister" quilt is done.

 

What will you do today for 20 minutes to get closer to the state of FINISHED!!!!

 

Mary Huey

www.maryhueyquilts.com