Basics of a Successful UFO Assault Strategy

 It's that time of year again when I'm torn between reaching my annual goals and creating gifts.  This produces an element of self-inflicted stress so I was happy to run across a little handout I created perhaps 15 years ago as part of my curriculum for lectures and workshops helping quilters deal with UFO's.  I listed three points that made a difference in my personal quest and as I read through my handout, I realized that, thank goodness, these are now regular habits for me.  So I decided to review them with you in this month's post with some illustrations of how I am currently deploying these strategies.  

Perhaps one of them will strike a chord for you?

First, change your viewpoint about your UFO's -- think of them as a resource instead of a burden.  If you haven't already noticed in reading my posts, I know what UFO's I have and they are organized for easy access.  As I review my UFO stock regularly, I have found that the older something gets, the easier it is for me to redirect it!  So let's repurpose!!

Case in point -- that 5" charm pak of Christmas fabric that has been laying on the "reserved-for-something-wonderful" shelf (since 2019) has lost it's inspiration -- what was I going to do with it?

Since I had no clue, last week it became 5 potholders -- quick and easy project -- 4 squares for the backs, 4 more squares cut into 2 1/2" squares for the fronts.  They will be offered for sale at a little holiday boutique next week and if they don't sell -- they will become holiday gifts. (Or worse case scenario, they will refresh my kitchen's supply.)  And that charm pak can never trigger guilt again!!

Second, figure out why you stopped working on it!  Understanding that helps me get back to work on a project.  It has become an avenue for perfecting my skills and expanding my creativity, especially when I'm able to repurpose a UFO into something easier to finish while still being useful.

Case in point -- I'm currently tidying up flat surfaces all around the house and in the process of dealing with a small tabletop behind my sewing machine I found a few blocks of a forgotten teaching sample with a stack of matching fabric (to make a bigger quilt?).  

 Realizing how little progress I've made on that goal (the bigger quilt) in 15 years, I spent an afternoon piecing the blocks that were already cut and playing with them until I found an arrangement I like for a small quilt top that will be a quick finish.  And bonus!!  The stack of fabric is back on the stash shelves where it has a better chance of being used!!

Confession -- this is also a fine example of "productive procrastination" as I was suppose to be doing "something else"? . . . . but gosh, it's going to be cute and those blocks have moved OUT of the UFO stash.

Third, work at your craft every day!  20 minutes a day equals 2 hours a week and 30 minutes a day equals 3 1/2 hours a week!  Daily bursts of work were critical when I was working full time and that habit continues to move me forward faster than trying to find big blocks of time.

  (Plus now that I'm retired, 20 minutes usually stretches into 45 minutes.)

How do you think I get so many quilts finished in the course of a year?  Not by spending long hours at the machine.  Currently, I'm trying to knock-off a few tops I've pieced this year so they don't become UFO's!    Most mornings, I begin with 30 minutes of machine quilting.  That's about 15 minutes less time than it takes for my shoulders or neck to start aching.  

The Dresden Stars quilt top I made this summer for the sew-along is my current project and coming along nicely.  Tomorrow I'll start quilting the borders and it should be ready to bind in three or four days.   That means it is time to revisit the "to be quilted" stack and layer up a couple more tops so I don't lose momentum!?! 

Since my current focus is on finishing (no new piecing projects until I get caught up with the quilting!) I did let myself whip up a few little gift items just so my sewing machine didn't forget who I was?!?  Mug cozies (that used up some crazy scrap piecing blocks), little change purses, and some tea wallets for my club sale next week!!

Post script -- diving into my UFO's also seems to be a way to energize myself.  Not only do I "accomplish" something but I reduce the burden of "so much to do".  Taking a break from the excited frenzy of starting new projects and clearing out a few old projects has become a good cleansing activity for me.  But don't worry, a couple new projects are in the wings as I write this!!

I must do something fabulous with these two fabrics!!  Are they one project or two??

Now back to the sewing machine!!

Mary

 

Redeeming a Dreary Day

 I'm not sure what triggered such a positive approach to today but I'm grateful for it.  Willie (my faithful black cat) and I were rudely awakened this morning by a monster clap of thunder right outside our bedroom window!?!  A quick look at the local weather radar made it clear that this was the leading edge of a huge thunderstorm that would last the rest of the morning.  

My plan for the day was to work in the garden but . . . . . .  well, at least the rain barrels are full again and I won't have to water all my patio pots or the last few days transplants.

It was obvious I'd get too wet and too dirty even doing some deadheading or starting the end of summer clean-up of the borders.

The morning glories tried to bloom but it's mid-afternoon now and today's blooms should have waited until tomorrow.  I guess they just couldn't avoid their destiny?!? Today was their day to bloom!

Happily, I had the inspiration to change my plan to an activity that would lift my spirits and cross a few things off my never ending list -- I would dedicate this dreary day to finishing!  Finishing something always gives my spirits a big lift!! 

 But first sourdough pancakes with fresh peaches and maple syrup to get the day off to a special start!

Nourished and armed with my first cup of tea for the day, I tackled the onerous task of weaving in yarn ends on a pair of socks I finished knitting yesterday.  Oh, my goodness?!?

It seems to be a universally despised task among knitters but you can't get cute socks like this without doing it!?!

These were designed by Wendy who I follow on Instagram @warmstripes and it's a free pattern she shared for her birthday in August.  You can make your own version!  Click HERE for her pattern.

I made a little modification to customize it for my librarian daughter.

There now, that wasn't so bad!

Time for another cup of tea.

The plan was to have a cup of all my favorites over the course of the day -- good thing I drink mostly decaf!!

Time to address the almost finished charity quilt clogging up my quilting machine.  I just needed to quilt the border but it's been sitting for over a week while I wait for "inspiration".  

Just do it, Mary!!

Oh, and there were threads to bury -- a lot like weaving in yarn ends!?!

Fortunately there weren't many as I've been disciplining myself to bury them as they are created for the past couple years.

After lunch, I adjourned to the studio to bind the quilt and listen to another chapter of A People's History of the United States.  What an interesting book -- its giving me a new perspective on many aspects of  our American history leading me to an improved understanding of the source of some of our society's problems.

+

My final finishing goal for today is six masks -- I don't enjoy making these so decided instead of letting it drag out all week, I'd just power through them.

My neck and shoulders were screaming for a break so I'm here writing to you but once I finish and figure out a supper plan (what are you having?), I'll head back up and finish them.

So three finishes today -- wahoo!!!

It's doesn't shorten the list too much but I'm feeling good about my day in spite of  the gray brooding weather.  This week, I have plans to layer up a couple more quilts from the "ready shelf" -- one to be machine quilted and one to be hand quilted.

I also wanted to share a series I'm streaming via my PBS station -- Africa's Great Civilizations.

The six episodes are hosted by Henry Louis Gates, Jr. and explore the rich cultural history of Africa of which I was completely unaware.  I think one of the keys to eliminating racism in this country is developing an appreciation for the history of Africa and it's people.  They might teach some of this in world history classes these days, but they didn't 50 years ago so I am grateful that PBS is making this series from 2017 available.  If you are interested and your local station isn't streaming it right now, check out your library or better yet, click HERE and buy it from PBS, watch it and gift it to spread the awareness!

Finally, I went out to dinner Saturday night!!

A good time was had by all and they are better veg eaters than their grandmother!

I hope this lingering period of isolation is helping you understand yourself better -- what would you do on a dreary day to lift your spirits?

Mary

To Repurpose or To Pitch?

 That is the question!!

I unearthed this bland collection of blocks early last week.  They have been a UFO since 2000 or so -- I was very hot about the Blended Quilts books and companion fabric lines -- bought all of it for the shop -- stashed some of every bolt for my stash -- think I led a workshop for my students?

But something didn't mesh with my creative drive about the low contrast and print scale and it got shelved.  Sometimes we start things we love, but can't seem to finish because we don't have the intuitive understanding to achieve the same results -- we can do it, it's just going to take longer and if we don't want to spend "longer", it's goes on the shelf!

So I'm taking you along with me as I decide what to do with these blocks and how I do it.

First question -- make it into a quilt or pitch the blocks?

My first consideration these days is "if I finish it, will any of my children want it?"

I'm pretty sure they would all take a pass on this palette and so while I don't mind finishing it into a usable quilt top, I'm no longer willing to put much energy into the process.

So a charity quilt it will be.

Now I have learned it's pretty frustrating to make "more blocks" to match something I made twenty years ago -- my construction skills have improved so much that I almost can't make blocks that match to size without lots of fiddling.

So I'm not making any more blocks to add to this assortment.

If I use one of my "fall-back" strategies, I can turn most of these blocks into a lap size quilt top.

Frequently, I set what I have to start into a central unit and add patchwork borders above and below to get a rectangular shape quickly.  

It was easy with this group of blocks as I already had those basic elements. 

 I busted out the reproduction fabric stash and dug out a handful of prints that would blend into the scheme -- it's important to stay spontaneous at this stage -- everything blue and brown came out of the box for auditioning as that's the quickest way to narrow choices down.

These are some of the prints that made the next cut!

The key is to keep it simple and go fast -- hold the fabric up against the blocks -- looks bad, put it away -- looks okay, keep it out! 

I added a light print between the stars so the points would not touch -- easier to piece!

To liven it up a bit, I added the blue sashing.

That made the bands of stars wider than the central motif, so I made a band of squares for each side of the center square starting by deconstructing the 4-patch blocks and pulling in a bit of yellow because I liked the "pop" it gave to the stars.

At this point, it was a bit "long and skinny" so I added something down each side -- quickest answer is a simple border -- so the auditioning began.

I had used all the blue of the horizontal sashing fabric so I looked for a print that was close in value.

While searching for that, I found this little floral which captures the essence of the blocks perfectly!

Unfortunately, there wasn't enough of the floral to do an outer border but I found a length of fabric left from the backing of another quilt that might work! 

Until I found the blue border print which has been in the stash for maybe 30 years -- it really cheers up the entire quilt!   

All of these decisions and setting was the work of a pleasant afternoon.

Of course, there wasn't quite enough of the blue border print -- I was short about 6".  

No worries, I decided to make four simple blocks for the corners!

Aren't they charming?

I love the yellow and brown one!

I forgot to take a picture with them on the design wall -- but they were not "charming" with the quilt.

It took me 24 hours to recover from that disappointment and in the end, a busy medium scale floral became the border corners. 

Now it's ready to find a backing and add to the charity stack for quilting.

I still have three of the star blocks left over from the original group plus the four little blocks made for the border corners (sigh) -- so into the orphan block stash they go for the time being.

Last evening, I spent an hour getting these blocks up on the design wall and arranged correctly and pleasingly.  I'll work this week at setting them together.  Might put a price on this one and offer it at a retreat I'm attending later this month -- if it doesn't sell, it will become a charity quilt.

Since this one is all y-seam piecing, I'll need some sew-offs to keep my chain piecing going -- these teaching-sample stars will be just the thing and getting them finished will set me up with more finished blocks to eliminate from the piles which is easier than piles of cut pieces!

So as of the 13th of January, I have eliminated six UFO's!!

Four more to go to reach my January goal!

Are you staging a UFO Assault this month??

Mary

Linking up with Oh, Scrap!!

My #The100DayProject Plan

Spring is arriving in spite of all the confusing weather many of us are experiencing. 

  This morning we had snow and this afternoon we had sunshine.

I do enjoy a slow spring though -- the flowers last longer!!

After lots of mental waffling, I decided to join the #The100DayProject which began on April 3 -- it's a global movement to promote building a daily creative habit by "doing every day".

There are lots of artists and writers participating and a fair number of quilters.

Anyone can participate and most of it happens on Instagam.

Because my studio continues to be clogged with lots of UFO's, at the last minute I decided to focus a bit harder on finishing or eliminating or repurposing as many UFO's as possible during the 100 days.

(I might even try not to start anything new, but that's going to be tricky.)

There's a pile of projects down there at the lower right corner of the design wall, so on Day 1, I pulled out this set of eight 6" blocks that I made in 2014 (during QCQAL led by Alison at Little Bunny Quilts) with the plan to finish them into a child size quilt to be donated once it's finished.

6" blocks and only eight -- so the first step was to frame all of them up with triangles (square in a square style) bringing them up to 9 1/2" blocks! 

Sashing will also grow the size of the quilt quickly.  I always start a sashed setting by adding the two sashing stripes and one cornerstone to each block.

(HERE is an older post I wrote about how I do this.)

End of Day 1!

On Day 2, I laid them out on the floor (design wall is busy) and added some setting triangles of this cute black and white cat print (it's old).  I made quilt a few cutting errors -- directional fabric!?!

And then when I finally got everything cut, I realized I had cut them "too small" -- arghhh.

Not enough fabric to recut, of course.

No worries -- just another opportunity to be creative!

Black polka dot to the rescue!!

I added a strip of the polka dot to the outside of each setting triangle!

Clever, huh -- it will make a border and no one will know I made a cutting mistake!!

(You, of course, are sworn to discreet secrecy by virtue of reading it.)

End of Day 2!

Eager to get back at it, I planned to assemble the blocks and setting triangles on day 3.

I started with the lower left corner block and the three setting triangles -- do you see what I saw?

The corner setting triangle units are too small . . . or are the side units too large?

Either way, it's not going to work without a fix of some sort!!

No more cat fabric, no more black polka dot!?!

I decided the side units could be trimmed down a bit without effecting the finished setting (whew!!).

And no math brain was required, thanks to my Marti Michell Diagonal Setting ruler!!

Here's where I made the mistake -- I measured the size of my blocks with sashing on one side and used that to choose the cutting size for the side units, but I forgot to add the second sashing when choosing the cutting size for the corner units, so they technically were too small.

Study the picture above for a minute -- does that make sense?

Marti's tool eliminates the "math" and only requires one to measure the blocks (preferably correctly).

Once I figured all this out and trimmed the side units, the next challenge was to determine the most sensible order of assembly -- here's how I organized the sections of the quilt.

(View from the sewing machine of my design floor area.)

Opposite corner sections went together first -- notice there are more sashing pieces included on the upper left corner unit than the lower right one.

Then I added the center rows to the finished corner sections.

Once that long seam was sewn, the final two corner units can be added. 

End of Day 3 -- a completely assembled quilt center -- time to pause and think about a border.

Before I left the studio, I did some #stashdiving (love this hashtag!!) and found three possible fabrics to pin up along the quilt top hoping that when I returned the next morning my intuition would quickly choose one to use. 

Happily, my intuition never lets me down!

Borders!!

End of Day 4 -- ready for a backing and some quilting!! 

I love this diagonal setting with sashing but given all the goofs I made during the assembly process and because this is the second time I've floundered through it in the past month, I created a cheat sheet with some notations for future use.  I'm sharing it here -- partially for your benefit and partially so I don't lose it!!

I laid out the setting in Electric Quilt and printed it out.

Then I trimmed it and cut off the corners so I'll know in the future to put those on last!

Finally I cut it into rows with the setting triangles included.

Notice that the sashing is on both sides of just one row -- that eliminates potential "partial seam" situations that can occur when adding the setting triangles -- you don't need to test that theory, I already have and believe me, it happens! 

Now I never have to figure out "how to proceed" -- I can just proceed!!

I pasted all the sections on a fresh sheet, added notes to the back to remind me to measure the edge setting triangles with one sashing piece included and to measure the corner setting triangles with both sashings pieces included.  It's in a protective sleeve and will live with my Diagonal Setting rulers!

I still need to organize a backing and then it goes into the quilting queue for a week while I finish the quilting of another UFO!  It's been an energizing four days and I hope I can maintain my momentum.  With over 80 UFO's, I need it!!

Enjoy a stitchy weekend!!

Mary

TEN Down!! - Ninety-ish To Go . . . . .

Do you have stitching goals for 2018?

Are you making progress?

 January is always the easiest month to stay focused on new goals -- at least here in Northeast Ohio.  The weather is a huge help -- we've had some extremely cold days and quite a bit of snow -- so it's easy to stay home and keep at it. 

I've made good progress on my first goal of "executing 10% of my UFO's" in January!! 

I finished the little cherry block into a small wallhanging.

Hard to see the dozens and dozens of bubbles -- what a lot of work!!

And I finished a needlepoint given to me (because you love birds) by a lovely woman many years ago.  For some reason, I don't enjoy making pillow covers but since I couldn't bear to look at it and feel guilty, I bit the bullet and finished it for my couch.

Of course, it didn't take any time at all when I got to it.

Everything I needed -- perfect back fabric, cording, pillow form -- were right there in my studio.

The stripe was left over from a past something and it is uncanny how perfect the colors are with the needlepoint and the vintage fabric bordering it.

How when I see it, I can smile and remember her instead of feeling guilty!

The quilting of the blue and yellow quilt is temporarily stalled.  The center blocks are finished and I'm experimenting with designs for the setting triangles and the border.  I'm confident that I'll figure it out soon and be back at it next week!

I believe this was the last mystery quilt I designed for my local followers -- it brought all of us to our knees.  The cutting and sewing was straightforward -- but the color placement was ridiculous.  I have always intended to quilt it in sections myself but I've decided to hand it off to be long-armed. since I want pretty quilting designs and I'm not confident about my ability to do that.

I'll get the borders onto it and organize the backing this week!

So that's four UFO's sorted!

As I was sorting stacks in the studio earlier this month, I put projects I felt ready to let go into this tub!

Tomorrow, six of them are headed with me for the first sewing get together of my gang

There that's ten projects -- 10% executed!

And since I made such good progress on the UFO assault, I allowed myself to take on two (small) challenges!!

I made this 13" square piece for Curated Quilts minimalist themed challenge.  I won a copy of the current issue of this new publication so I was inspired to participate in the challenge for the next issue. They set up the colors and I applied the Set-In Piecing Simplified technique and lots of matchstick quilting.

Haven't heard about Curated Quilts?  You can check it out HERE.

There were 65 submissions for the challenge and they are all on display at this LINKY.

UPDATE - 1/17/2018 

 I've just learned that the piece has been selected for the next issue of Curated Quilts -- very exciting!!

How about Project Quilting, now in it's 9th "season"? 

I stumbled across it last winter -- it's the brain child of Kim Lapacek.

The first challenge theme was "hometown proud" and my initial reaction was a blank stare.

When I finally left the house last week for a long walk at the closest park, I came home inspired to share this iconic tree. 

It stands along the trail head overlooking the creek and one of my naturalist friends estimates that the tree is between 200 and 250 years old.  In spite of that massive hole (small children fit inside of it), this red oak is still living. 

The valley has a rich natural and local history and the fact that this tree was already growing when white settlement began evokes all sorts of questions about how it has survived.  

It is so much larger that all the other trees, it seems likely that it lived in a meadow for a while and then as people lost interest in farming the valley, it re-planted the forest around it.

Anyone who has ever visited the park has stopped to look at this tree!

While it is not my typical work it is a hybrid of techniques I've learned over the years -- free form cutting to create the landscape, slashing and inserting strips to create the ghost tree in the background, free motion stitching to highlight the trees in the prints, and fusible applique to create the oak itself.

(Don't I have an impressive hoard of "landscape" fabrics?)

There were an impressive 113 submissions for the challenge and you can look them over and vote for your favorites -- up to 10!!  Click HERE to visit the link-up.

The next challenge theme will be revealed on Sunday, January 21 -- you should at least read it -- who knows there might be an inspiration lurking just around the corner for you?!?

 I'm loving all this energy and hope it stays with me all year!!

Mary