2020 UFO Challenge
03-18-2020, 06:39 PM
#551
Super Member
Join Date: Dec 2017
Location: Southwest Idaho
Posts: 5,999
Originally Posted by sewbizgirl
Teen, here is the first outfit for my grandbaby, Ivy. It doesn't have the buttons on yet. It has matching bloomers that didn't make it into the picture.
03-18-2020, 07:01 PM
#552
Super Member
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Portage, Michigan
Posts: 7,400
I am staying close to home too. I rummaged through my sewing room last night and today. Mostly made a mess. Sorted my UFOs and decided to donate two or was it three tops that I just did not like and have no motivation to finish. I also have a bag of orphan blocks that were given to me that now I am passing them on to other quilters. I have two large tins of little mini orphans that will go away too. I really have been trying to focus on making quilts for my family members and those that I want to gift to using fabric from my stash. The orphans and unloved tops are just clutter and a distraction. So, I am going to turn back the calendar to January 1, I have four UFO's to finish and 12 promised or planned quilts for this year, 2020. That's my story and I am sticking to it. 
Picking up one UFO from the "longarmer" tomorrow. Binding and sleeve, then done. That will be my March finish.
Picking up one UFO from the "longarmer" tomorrow. Binding and sleeve, then done. That will be my March finish.
Last edited by WMUTeach; 03-18-2020 at 07:06 PM.
03-19-2020, 03:13 AM
#553
Junior Member
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: The Great State of Texas
Posts: 164
My latest finish!
The Quilt: The label on this one reads "The 'What Was I Thinking' Quilt...with Saner Modifications." As you can imagine, this one has a Story.
A long while ago, I had a quilter friend who was looking to sell this multi-part, very elaborate, very fancy and complicated quilt kit. It was one of those month-by-month deals, but no, not a "buck a block," more like a "thirty bucks a kit" thing, with each kit containing fabric, sturdy plastic templates for the fussy-cut pieces, and detailed instructions.
This was not my thing. Not even the colors appealed to me. But my friend was in a financial pinch at the time, I was kind of a softie, told myself that working with templates might be a fun learning experience...I ended up buying the kit and all its parts from her.
So I did set about putting this thing together. Sure enough, I was not wild about the template method. Each part had very specific ways and order to lay down the templates on the pieces of fabric, with no room for error. Then you had to draw around the templates and cut out the shapes (or use a small rotary cutter around the tiny edges), then sew them together with bias edges galore...it was not fun for my scrappy, strip-piecing, thangles-loving self. The blocks you see on the finished quilt are the "easy" ones...at some point I gave up on the more difficult blocks, cannibalized the remaining kits for their fabric, and finished however I could.
Why it became a UFO: I have no idea. All I know is that there was a box on my shelf with this quilt in it, and when I was listing my UFOs I listed it. When I opened the box in March, I found a completed top, a completed back, a completed label (which had the date 2011 on it!!!), and even a completed bias binding strip, cut, sewn, and ironed. With all that done, why didn't I go ahead and finish the quilt back in 2011? I have no idea.
Why I finished: I knew this one was "close to done," I was feeling like free motion quilting, and its recipient's birthday was coming up, so it was chosen! I added "finished in 2020" to its label, basted it, and finished quilting it within a few days. When I put on the binding, I found that it was about 8" too short. What the--?!? Did younger me not know how to properly measure binding? Did the kit's skimpy fabric quantities fail me? Sheeze.
The Quilt's Fate: This is meant for my mom. The colors are her aesthetic, and it will go perfectly in her bedroom. She'll receive this for her birthday. Funny, I seem to remember hiding it once when it was a work in progress in my quilting room when my mom came over. Who knows, maybe that's why it became a UFO--stuffed in its box because its intended recipient visited, only to be forgotten until nine years later...
I usually show the back of my quilts, too, but this one is rare for me: No pieced back, just a pretty floral. What Was I Thinking, indeed!
Stay safe and healthy, everyone!
The Quilt: The label on this one reads "The 'What Was I Thinking' Quilt...with Saner Modifications." As you can imagine, this one has a Story.
A long while ago, I had a quilter friend who was looking to sell this multi-part, very elaborate, very fancy and complicated quilt kit. It was one of those month-by-month deals, but no, not a "buck a block," more like a "thirty bucks a kit" thing, with each kit containing fabric, sturdy plastic templates for the fussy-cut pieces, and detailed instructions.
This was not my thing. Not even the colors appealed to me. But my friend was in a financial pinch at the time, I was kind of a softie, told myself that working with templates might be a fun learning experience...I ended up buying the kit and all its parts from her.
So I did set about putting this thing together. Sure enough, I was not wild about the template method. Each part had very specific ways and order to lay down the templates on the pieces of fabric, with no room for error. Then you had to draw around the templates and cut out the shapes (or use a small rotary cutter around the tiny edges), then sew them together with bias edges galore...it was not fun for my scrappy, strip-piecing, thangles-loving self. The blocks you see on the finished quilt are the "easy" ones...at some point I gave up on the more difficult blocks, cannibalized the remaining kits for their fabric, and finished however I could.
Why it became a UFO: I have no idea. All I know is that there was a box on my shelf with this quilt in it, and when I was listing my UFOs I listed it. When I opened the box in March, I found a completed top, a completed back, a completed label (which had the date 2011 on it!!!), and even a completed bias binding strip, cut, sewn, and ironed. With all that done, why didn't I go ahead and finish the quilt back in 2011? I have no idea.
Why I finished: I knew this one was "close to done," I was feeling like free motion quilting, and its recipient's birthday was coming up, so it was chosen! I added "finished in 2020" to its label, basted it, and finished quilting it within a few days. When I put on the binding, I found that it was about 8" too short. What the--?!? Did younger me not know how to properly measure binding? Did the kit's skimpy fabric quantities fail me? Sheeze.
The Quilt's Fate: This is meant for my mom. The colors are her aesthetic, and it will go perfectly in her bedroom. She'll receive this for her birthday. Funny, I seem to remember hiding it once when it was a work in progress in my quilting room when my mom came over. Who knows, maybe that's why it became a UFO--stuffed in its box because its intended recipient visited, only to be forgotten until nine years later...
I usually show the back of my quilts, too, but this one is rare for me: No pieced back, just a pretty floral. What Was I Thinking, indeed!
Stay safe and healthy, everyone!
Last edited by QuiltnNan; 03-19-2020 at 05:45 AM. Reason: shouting/all caps
03-19-2020, 03:53 AM
#554
Super Member
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Portage, Michigan
Posts: 7,400
What at story, Quossum! UFOs are such strange creatures. Your not alone in discovering a box with the "why didn't I just finish this?" comment attached to the discovery. After looking at the photo, I can see why this was a challenge. But be proud of yourself. You did it! Bask in your success and lessons learned with each template element of this intricate pattern.
03-19-2020, 11:04 AM
#558
Super Member
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Asheville, previously Lake Vermilion, Tarpon Springs, Duluth, St Paul, Soudan
Posts: 1,651
Progress Report
This is what I have so far. If I missed any, please let me know.
1 —Teen’s Free Birds for her sister’s one year survival anniversary.
2-6–Sewbizgirl’s impressive collection of five finishes
7 —Bugaroo’s windmill quilt
8 & 9–Dedemac’s pillows
10,11,12–Connie’s charity quilt and two placements
13–rff1010’s Norwegian Wood quilt for her nephew. Sure he will ❤️.
14&15–Quossum’s ScrappyBargello and What was I Thinking. Her UFO stories are wonderful,
1 —Teen’s Free Birds for her sister’s one year survival anniversary.
2-6–Sewbizgirl’s impressive collection of five finishes
7 —Bugaroo’s windmill quilt
8 & 9–Dedemac’s pillows
10,11,12–Connie’s charity quilt and two placements
13–rff1010’s Norwegian Wood quilt for her nephew. Sure he will ❤️.
14&15–Quossum’s ScrappyBargello and What was I Thinking. Her UFO stories are wonderful,
03-19-2020, 02:22 PM
#560
Junior Member
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: The Great State of Texas
Posts: 164
Thank you for all the kind words, you guys--they make my day!
And @Krisb, in the interest of upping our UFO numbers for March, I had one more: Civil Sampler, the quilt that is presently in my avatar. I finished it officially on Mar. 1, think I posted it a couple of days after that.
And @Krisb, in the interest of upping our UFO numbers for March, I had one more: Civil Sampler, the quilt that is presently in my avatar. I finished it officially on Mar. 1, think I posted it a couple of days after that.
