Happy 2020 List of UFOs!

Happy 2020!  We made it into another year.  My quilt group is doing a 2020 UFO Completion Challenge.  We have to submit a list, then have them all done by December 2020, to be in a drawing for cash.  I really believe I can do one a month, however, I have other projects that I will be doing in between these nine.  Following are the 9 UFO's I have submitted for the challenge:
#1 and #2 are Twisting Turning Twenty quilts
#3 Rocket Ships
#4 Poker Run by Buggy Barn
#5 Phyllis' Phorty
#6 Ohio Star quilt I started in 2001      #8 Spumoni Quilt
#7 16 Patch Bandana quilt                   #9 Flannel Frog quilt

There are two cut out quilts here; one is multicolored and the other is mainly purple and white.  I would say I started these about five years ago. What happened?

I started this rock ships quilt about four years ago, as a project I could do while visiting my mother.  Of course, when I took them with me she had put her sewing machine in the closet with her bed in front of it.  I thought I could spend more time with her if I had something to do, plus it would engage her a little more.  Oh well.

I bought a Buggy Barn quilt book, approximately 7 to 8 years ago, so I could do the Poker Run quilt. It all seemed so simple on the surface of it.  Fortunately, two years ago, one of the Buggy Barn people came to the Quilt Crossing, in Boise.  She had a class, where we could bring whatever Buggy Barn quilt we were working on and she would help us with the process.  It was invaluable, and I did get all the horse blocks completed and squared up. Then back it went, into the UFO pile!  This is the year, I finally get it done! Yes!  My backing, barns, fences, and sky fabrics are all in that pile. 

My friend, Phyllis, did some cleaning out of her stash and UFO's a couple years ago (coulda been four years ago?), and I happily took these wonderful blocks from her.  Guess what?  I am actually going to do something with them, finally.

I took a beginning quilt class at the Quilt Crossing, in 2001, with my friend, Elverta.  It was in the little strip mall on the corner of Liberty Street and Fairview, in Boise.  The classroom was upstairs; narrow steep stairs. Sewing machines up!  Elverta had a great big quilt top done by the end of the class.  She is an overachiever.  This is what I had at the end of the class. I was just not happy with getting these corner stones and sashing to work.  I threw up my hands and decided I would quilt other things until I could get back to this bit of frustration.  I know I will be ripping out a good bit of this, pressing it, and redoing it.  I want to start it soon, because one of our quilt group members is new to quilting and she is taking this same class in January/February.  I can't let her beat me!  But it will probably not happen, because I have my Aunt's florescent quilt to get finished first (one of those not on the list).

This one just needs a couple borders added then finished up.  I have lovely fabric for the back! I can hardly wait! 

This is the Spumoni Quilt. I started it with leftovers from the original Spumoni Quilt. I got the top finished, but never quilted it. I still have the backing fabric with it in my UFO pile.  It will be wonderful when completed.

#9 is the flannel frog quilt, I started in 2011.  I used the scraps that were left over from the quilt top to make a kitty quilt that my kitty has enjoyed for a very long time.  

As I said, I am excited about starting on these projects and getting them finished!  It is going to be an interesting year, as right now I am working on an art quilt.  I am determined to get it finished this month.  I guess I better get into the quilt room and get started!

How Did This Happen?

Four-patch Chain quilt from "Mini Charm Quilts" from Moda.

What? I was making a 'grow it' version of a Freddy and Gwen style quilt.  How did this happen?  It's a long story, beginning with the letter "S".  It is all Bonnie's fault.  At our February meeting, in Kuna, Bonnie showed some slides/videos about piecing letters of the alphabet.  I have pieced letters before, and I have always believed the letter "S" to be the most difficult to piece.  Bonnie left us with a challenge to piece your name, or some letters for the next meeting. As it happens, she was out of the country for the March meeting, and I was the only one who actually brought pieced letters to the meeting.  Is there something wrong with me?

 Well, I started with a grid and did piece the letter "S".  I used 1.5 inch squares, that when pieced became 1 inch squares.  Then, I had to piece something to go with the S to spell a word or something.  I decided to grow it into a Freddy Moran/Gwen Marston sort of creation, but limiting myself to red, white, and blue.  That did, indeed, take off, but then I wanted to do a pieced border with on-point four patches.  But first I needed an eye-resting border of very dark blue.  I had no very dark blue that would work, so I had to go to the Quilt Crossing and see if I could find some very dark blue fabric.  Well, I did.  I also found some wild animal fabric that was screaming out for the bright blue polka dot fabric to go with it.  So, I bought the fabulous wild animal fabric and bright blue polka dot fabric (which has nothing to do with my current project).  Then when I get home, I think, "This is blue! I could put it in my Freddy/Gwen style quilt.  My auditioning did not make me happy.  I also needed to know how to make the correct size of triangles to place my four-patches on point.  I checked the Four-patch Chain quilt in my (relatively new) book, and decided to do a dry-run to learn about the triangles and see how the bright blue polka dot fabric would look with other red, white, and blue fabrics.  I did the whole quilt top on Sunday.  I have figured out the triangle part (with no help from the pattern, as it did not address that part . . . and a few other parts), but decided the bright blue polka dots was probably not a good background fabric for the other four patch blocks.  I did accomplish my mission, with regards to the planning of my quilt growth.  Now back to growing my red, white, and blue quilt with the letter "S".  Bonnie . . .

Busy Bee in January and February!

It has been a very busy couple of weeks. I have managed to clean some items off my quilt table, so I could put my dining room chairs up there and give them the Murphy's Oil Soap treatment.  I am putting the whole set on consignment. After I get it all loaded into the pick-up, I can mop the dining room floor and put our new downsized dining room set in there.  Just removing that table extension board, that was in the broom closet, has allowed me to put the broom away and the folding step ladder!  Man! Space is finally finding it's way into our house!  But later today, my buddy and I are going to the Quilt Crossing to sign-up for a class in March and see what they have going on for "Souper Bowl Sunday"  -big sales!  I may have to break down and buy a yard of fabric!  I have a gift card!
     Also, this cleaning out/downsizing business is getting me more organized.  The Knotty Quilters have scheduled the last weekend in February for the Cindy Retreat in Eagle, so I decide to have a mini-retreat at our house for three of my quilting buddies.  Therefore, I have to get this dining set out of here by next weekend! So, on the 15th we will be clutter free in the quilting room!  The new dining set is in there with other dislodged household items!  Here is the old set, ready to go, with Merlinda's approval.

Don't you just love the 70's linoleum?!



Cherries Jubalee

 I first long-arm quilted last Columbus Day at the Blue Bird Quilt Studio in downtown Nampa, Idaho.  This is my Cherry's Jubalee Quilt. I purchased the pattern at the Quilt Crossing in Boise and took the class there, from Nancy Doan.  That was in October 2009.  You can be really creative with these circles.  I actually finished another quilt with circled between starting this one and getting it finished. I had to let it age or something. But it was good timing, because then I was ready to do the long-arm quilting. I noticed I was having a run of baby quilt photos on my blog, and thought I should include one of the larger ones I have done.  Pete's "Moose and Squirrel" quilt is the largest I have done this year. A photo of it is in the June postings. Good night!