Just a Few More..........It was a Great Sewing Day!!

Well, since I can't seem to do this all at once, here are two more quilts that I finished up and are ready to be quilted today:

The first one is my "Spring in January" or "How I Fought the January Blahs" quilt--made with some gorgeous fabric samples that I got from my friend Peg Gorman:

The next quilt has been in the works for quite some time.  It's made with Civil War Reproduction fabrics, done in an old pattern called "Churn Dash" or "Hole in the Barn Door" or "Monkey Wrench."  It's made of indigos and cheddars, and the stripes in the sashing gave me fits.  (Note to friends:  please do not let me start working with stripes; having to cut out 84-inch sashing without deviating from the pattern is a pain in the "you-know-where.":

Here are four of the quilts I finished the tops on today:  My red/black/taupe star; my Dazzling Red and Green Dresden (still have two more borders to add); a contemporary quilt top I'm naming "Argyle" 'cause it reminds me of an argyle sweater pattern, and a Delectable Mountains table-topper.  There's two more to show, but I'm still struggling with getting everything into one post.  I have more work to do learning how to "blog"--at least I sort of know how to quilt.....

The "Border Wars"

Time to get back into "blog" mode, I think.  Where have the last few weeks gone---oh, I remember, I was mesmerized by snow for several weeks.  That prompted a continuous round of cooking, and then BK took over my life for a few days doing grant proposals.  But I've kept on working on my quilt projects, and have made a lot of progress.

My green and red dresden has evolved from unfinished blocks to an entire quilt set on point, with an alternating block of diamonds and focus fabric, and setting squares of diamonds and background fabric.  One border is one, and I finally broke down and ordered 3 yards of a beautiful tone on tone green to finish the bordering. (I had vowed I was going to only use fabric I had here, but artistic necessity overtook frugality on this one.)

I have made an interesting discovery in this process over the last few days--many of my quilts are languishing in a state of "disinterest" because I had no idea what I was going to do for either borders or sashing.  I really like to piece quilts.  I tend to find fabric I like, buy it, then find or think of a design, and then start creating the block.  Some people find a design, and then get the fabric to go with it, but I think I almost always am caught by the fabric.  However, since I start with fabric, and not a design, I often have no idea if I have enough of anything to finish what I start.  Or, I have to take it in stages.  Sometimes, just finding the right fabric can be a real battle.  However, today was "border wars" day.  I spent a lot of time with my friends over the last week or so discussing options; then decided it was now or never. I've shown some of my results below.  You can look over my following post and see how far I've come.

However, now I have to go make chili...........

Progress Is Being Made.....

Okay; it's February 3rd and time to report on the progress I've made with my UFOs. I have actually taken this whole thing to heart, and am determined to improve my "finish rate." Not that I'm lazy, actually, but my quilting is sort of like having an endless array of great snacks in front of you when you're watching the Super Bowl. First you try some onion dip, then the wings look pretty good, oh, how about some chili con queso, gosh, who made this guacamole? You get the picture. A little bit of everything, and then you wonder why you're hungry when the whole thing is over....but now, who wants dinner?

First off, here's what I've done.
1. I opened just about every drawer and container that had a partial project in it. I got a big, clean Sterlite container from the basement (they used to hold the grapes after we pressed them, but that's a whole other story). Into that container I put every project I could find that had some real chance of being finished (by me!). I found the matching fabric for borders, or backs, or took note of what I needed so I could shop for it.
2. I put the blocks, partially finished wallhanging, you name it, on the wall, and took a picture of it. Since just about everything I've actually started had some hope of seeing the light of day at some time (I loved the pattern, I loved the fabric, I liked the challenge, or I liked how easy it was), these are the ones I decided to start with to try to complete.
3. Meanwhile, I kept organizing my fabric shelves so that I could more easily find things that I wanted; I put all my scissors together, all my color pens and paints together, all my rulers together, and reorganized my sewing threads. I really do operate better when I know where everything is and I have a clean surface to work with.
4. So, as of today I have done the following:
----I found the perfect sashing for the indigo and cheddar churn dash blocks on my road trip to Pennsylvania with Margaret. That is what had kept me from finishing the top. Plus, I got enough for the borders, too. The blocks are completely finished with the sashing in place, and I just need to cut and sew on the borders. I've had the backing fabric forever, so this will be RTQ (ready to quilt) in no time.
----I unearthed my Dazzling Dresden green/red blocks, cut out the fabric for the circles, MADE the circles, and appliqued all of them on ('cept one, 'cause it's some weird size, how did I do that?). I sat down with my pencil, my graph paper, and my brain engaged and drew out the alternate blocks that I had been thinking about for 8 months or so. I put a sample together, liked it, and have all the fabric cut out for these 12 blocks. Still a lot to do, but I'm enthusiastic again because I passed another milestone.
-----The contemporary fabric top that is only half-finished startled me; when I took a photo of it, I realized I like it just the way it is. It's getting some borders, and that will be a lap quilt in no time.
-----So far, my only disappointment has been my black/brown and red wallhanging. I finally forced myself to cut the borders, sewed two sides on, and realized "I Hate these borders!" Maybe now I know why I couldn't get this done. They overwhelmed the center, didn't have a good "finish" or join point at the corners, and just looked double-ugly. So, today, I did the "frog" stitch - rip it, rip it, rip it (say it fast three times and you'll see why it's the frog stitch!) Anyway, back to the drawing board, this looks pretty good so far, but it's incomplete. I know it; just don't quite know what to do with it.

Anyway, I've been having a great time; feeling good about myself (smug, actually), and then today I opened three drawers where I keep some of my "scraps to big to throw away" but what to do with them. Oh, goodness; I just unearthed a whole new series of "what do I do with these." We'll decide on that in the next "issue."

Got to go; my last series of explorations have left me with a fine mess on my cutting table........I'll post some new pix so we can do the "before" and "after" comparison.

UFO Sightings and How to Deal with Them

There are so many UFOs in my sewing room that I've decided to take a structured approach to dealing with them. These are NOT Unidentified Flying Objects, but Un-Finished Objects--quilt projects that for one reason or another have languished, hidden or in plain sight, for far too long.

Some projects got started because I wanted to learn a new technique, some got started because I loved the fabric and just had to "make" something. Some fabric was bought with enthusiasm for a quilt class, and one or two blocks got made, and then the reality of the project just got a little overwhelming. A few are just hanging around waiting for the "right" fabric for sashing, backing, or the like. Despite the reason, I have decided to quit messing around and either finish them up, or donate them to someone else, or actually Throw Them Away!!!

So, this is the beginning (it's January, right, New Year, right), for my use it or lose it approach to my UFOs. I'm making a "deal" with myself--I can't start anything new until I finish or deal with something already begun. It's a one-to-one ratio. If I can't muster the enthusiasm to finish something, stashing it in a drawer is probably NOT going to change my attitude. Besides, new projects sometimes have a tendency to become UFOs, too.

OK- here's the list of things I need to finish or send on to some other quilter's safe haven:

1. Green and Red Dazzling Dresden. I have to applique the centers, make the setting squares, and put the thing together. I have all the fabric; I just need to start cutting out circles.

2. Cheddar and Indigo Monkey Wrench Blocks. I finally have the sashing/setting fabric I like. Cut it out, sew it up, and move on.

3. Russian Sage - this was started with all the funky, retro decorative fabrics about two years ago. It's easy to piece, and will look great finished. Make a decision on final square colors, finish the cutting, and just do it.

4. Tracey's Bed Quilt. These plaids are just what she wants. I just don't like the pattern I was using. Need to find a similar pattern that's not so "fussy" and get going on this. Try to finish by April for her birthday.

5. 1930's Reproduction Sampler. This is really a "pick up and do a few squares" project. Try to plan on two to four squares per month and it will be finished by June.

6. Black Toile Medallion Wall hanging. I let this languish because I just couldn't decide on the borders. Really, who cares. Cut the borders out, sew them on, and put it away for quilting.

7. Vegetable Garden Applique. I started this to have a "garden" in the winter. Get the next block pieces ready to sew and put everything in a bag for a take-along applique project.

OK - breathe deeply and start attacking these things. Believe it or not, sometimes I avoid going into my sewing room because I feel "guilty" about what I haven't finished. Spinning my wheels and submitting to the "inaction is better than any action" is stifling my creativity. I'll report back in two weeks on my progress.

Why I Love "Dancing With the Stars"

I know, I know, it's really tacky; my girlfriends laugh at me. I have proudly never watched an episode of "The Amazing Race" and have only watched one episode of "Survivor" during how many, 6 years or so. But I am terribly, fondly, ridiculously attached to "Dancing With the Stars." I know it has some really cheesy, goofy, clumsy moments, but at heart, it celebrates several things that are very dear to my heart.

Confession: I LOVE to dance! I'm too short, I weigh too much, I'm too "old", but when the music starts up at a party, or at a wedding, I can hardly sit still. And DWTS celebrates dancing--and it celebrates it despite age, body type, musical ability, conventional good looks, and all the things many people seem to crave in a celebrity these days. One of my regrets in life (sorry, honey) is that I didn't marry a man who could whisk me across the floor in a flurry of graceful turns and dips, just like Fred Astaire.

Did anybody expect Steve Wozniack to win DWTS? Of course not--and of course, he went out at the very beginning! Did anybody expect him to be so goofily charming?--I know I didn't. Could anyone predict that Kelly Osbourne would turn out to be so light on her feet--she has rather thick ankles, heavy calves, and short legs, but she worked so hard to become a graceful partner, and succeeded in so many ways.

I LOVE to watch people work hard; I don't think we celebrate it enough. Learning to dance, really dance, the type of ballroom and latin dances that are on DWTS is incredibly tough. It takes a great deal of strength, but it also takes the ability to work over and over to learn routines, steps, transfers of balance, body language, and audience communication. You have to be in good shape to do this stuff, but you also have to be able to think! Maybe this comes naturally to a lot of people, but I believe not. There's a reason all those professionals look so good, and it comes from practice, practice, practice. Think about how many kids gave up piano because they wouldn't practice their scales. Artistry requires plain hard work and repetition, until it becomes so natural that we forget how hard it is to accomplish and only admire the artistic result.

I guess that's why I love this show; despite all the glitz, and silly costumes, and sometimes mindless repartee, at its heart, it celebrates hard work and passion. It recognizes precision and accomplishment, it recognizes that moving from point A to point B to point C is just as important as the end result. The judges praise people when they work hard, and never ridicule them when their hard work is not as successful as it could be. They just encourage them to go back and try again. And when it all falls into place, there is no happier look than the one on the face of a contestant who knows he or she has "nailed it."

And of course, when the orchestra starts to play, I just want to get up and DANCE!

Waiting for Thanksgiving....

Well, it seemed time for me to start a blog. You can only make so many Facebook entries, and I hope that keeping a journal of my activities will help keep me focused.

I have lot's of things I am doing now--taking a class in food writing, doing a lot more experimentation with my quilting, forcing myself to cook more adventuresome and diverse foods. Things I need to keep doing--exercise more, finish things I start (read quilt activities), and quit allowing small things to distract me from the bigger picture.

So today, here's what I've done so far: downloaded and read my next writing assignment, and started thinking about what to write; downloaded and resized lot's of Chinese characters that will become the second part of my son's wedding wallhanging. I began to compose some articles for the next newsletter for the Chorus I participate in. It's a rainy day in the Valley and I could just curl up with a good book, but I think I'll try to get some more sewing in.