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Thursday, April 28, 2016

My UFO's are growing and I've been pouting a bit...

I'm not sure that a growing UFO list is a good thing. Many have surfaced the last couple of weeks. These little pinwheel blocks will finish at 4". This is going to be so cute!!!
 I'll put single pinwheels in the sashing corner blocks. I still have a few pinwheels to make and then I can find a sashing fabric and a border fabric.
 
 
I've been trying to sort my sewing room, not that it is particularly messy but because the way I quilt is going to have to change. It's a BIG deal to me (this is where the pouting come in to play). I know lots of people out there deal with arthritis every day and now I am one of them. Mine has struck my hands and thumbs. My hands hurt almost all the time now and it hurts to hold a needle (big huge pout here!). That is devastating for someone whose true passion is in handwork.
 
So the way I think about quilting is going to have to change.
 
I have to look at this as an opportunity to grow and learn new techniques so I can still create. 
 
And that is why I've been sorting...I have lots of handwork projects in my pile. Every single one of them I need to look at and decide - can I do this by machine? Do I want to do it by machine? I have a couple of handwork projects mostly done and I am going to struggle through at least one of them - the quilt I have been hand quilting. It is almost done though.
 
But here is my applique quilt... the sashing is on. I LOVE the colors. When this quilt is finished it will be hung in my sewing room for me to enjoy.
 
 
The borders are going to be a dark aqua. I am planning on adding appliques to it but I think it will end up being machine appliqued and machine quilted. I am going to have to get a lot better at both!
 
 
Here is another UFO finished -
 
 
 
At Christmas I made a Sew Together bag for a friend and I loved it so much I made 4 more. One has already found a new home, one is for me, one will soon find it's way to someone else. That leaves one left. I'm not sure yet where that one will go but I'll figure it out soon!
 
 
Got to get back to my sorting! I have to get ready for my new adventure in quilting!
 
Happy Stitching!
 
 
 
 
 

Thursday, April 7, 2016

Busier than I thought!

It has been a busy month...some of it wonderful (a visit with relatives and a quilt retreat) and some not ....a lingering nasty cold....so I didn't really think I had gotten  much done and then I started looking!
 
At the quilting retreat I made a couple of these bags but I only kept this one. The other one was gifted away! I worked on a few other ongoing things as well but no other finishes.
 
 
When I got home from my holiday and started putting things away I noticed that my UFO list has been growing and growing and growing. Not a good thing in my world.
 
So I pulled out a few things to finish -
 
I've continued to cut my 1" wide strips for my 'Nine' quilt - I really want my fabrics evenly random so I have figured out what I hope will be a good organization method!
 
 
 
Before Christmas I had made a 'Sew Together' bag for a friend and I liked it so much I started 4 more. All I had done was the front panels. It looks like most of the pieces are cut out so I am going to get those finished first. I love this pretty fabric!
 
 
 
And for a little handwork...I was almost finished my last block in the applique quilt I am working on. I finished it just this morning.
 
 
Here are all nine blocks. I love them. They are so whimsical. I am going to big stitch this quilt but with multiple colors of perle cotton and my plan is to keep it playful. And in the back of my head I am contemplating adding beads as well but that will be decided as I am quilting it.
 
 
I had bought all the fabric several years ago for the background, the sashing, the borders and the binding. I found a little diagram that told me nothing of my plans - no sashing width, no border width no anything, and yet I have the fabric???? Now I have to do a little working backwards to figure it out.
 
 
It is not a great picture of the colors but they are lovely together and I still like them as much as when I bought them.
 
To the drawing board!
 
Happy Stitching!