petthefabric: Great finish! I like your colors.

Rob: Wow! Amazing design.

thepolyparrot: Great save. I know it was a lot of work but it will be loved for a very long time.

cherrybsixty: Have fun in Kansas!

It started out as a fmq doodle on a piece of an old white sheet. I used the sheet for both front and back and sandwiched it with two layers of fusible fleece. Then I doodle-quilted all the organic shapes ( ferny things, etc.) using some vintage star cotton dark brown thread. I left the central part and the border un-quilted as I couldn’t decide what to do with either. Then I began coloring it in with Inktense pencils and fabric medium. It started reminding me of those ancient maps that show coastlines and sea monsters so I toyed with the idea of creating a sailing ship and some dragons to go in it, but wasn't happy with that idea. Plus, it was getting really tiring coloring it with the pencils and I discovered that they were bleeding all the way through to the back. At that point I put it into the UFO pile because I'd already done the fun part (the doodle quilting). It sat for three or four years while I tried to think of a way to handle the central part and the border and also salvage the back.

Then this past Jan. it occurred to me that Storm at Sea would be perfect in the center, so I drew that on using a pencil and quilted over the pencil lines. Then I used sun dyes to dye paint the colors on the storm at sea part of the quilt and finished the Inktense painting around it. The Sun dyes also bled through to the back and created quite a mess there. I had hoped to get it finished by the end of Feb, but still couldn’t decide what to do with the hideously messy back. I finally decided the only way to salvage the back was to add a new black backing over the old one and re-quilt the central storm at sea parts as well as all the large wavy doodled parts using black Isacord thread. It still needed something and I couldn’t decide on a border, so it sat for most of March while I tried do decide what to do with it. Then I pulled out my Lumiere paints and painted the white and some of the lighter blue over the storm at sea central area. It was looking better, so I decided to quilt a border design that would sort of refer back to the central area. Then I painted that with the Lumiere paints. Then I decided that I needed to re-quilt the border to make the black thread color stand out a little more. That was all done by mid March, but I couldn’t decide how I wanted to bind it, so it sat and sat and sat. Finally I decided to go through my stash of large scraps and fortunately, there was a large enough piece of dark batik that was close to the color of the dark parts in the storm at sea center and mimicked the spotted pattern I’d gotten using the Sun dyes. Finished March 31.

Salvaging this UFO quilt was at times a frustrating experience, since solving one problem led to another that when solved created yet another problem to be solved, which created another, etc. However, I ended up with lots of ideas for using all those techniques in other art quilts. I also gained enough technical knowledge and skills in using those materials to be more efficient when I make the next one. Probably.https://cdn.quiltingboard.com/images...es/biggrin.png

Rob

Thank you so much for describing your process - I just love learning how people do some of these things! And to think it all started with doodling!

I will keep your experience in mind if I ever use dyes on a quilted top.

I love your result - sorry you ran into such challenges, but "no pain, no gain," right? ;) I think that challenges overcome are some of my best moments - apparently, yours are too. :)

Thanks, again!

Field of stars. Posted earlier when I finished the top. Now back from the longarm lady, labeled and bound. Ready to be gifted to recipient.

It's beautiful! I love the colors you used, the quilting, everything!

Those LeMoyne stars would have been a challenge for me, but it looks like they gave you no trouble at all - so flat and even. Just lovely! :)

Wow, rf1010- your field of stars is beautiful! Well done!

Rob

sitting at my quilting machine with no plan and just doodle quilting whatever occurs to me is one of my favorite things to do. actually turning the doodles into a finished quilt is a different story LOL. I actually didn’t mind the challenges so much, but I had wanted to get this one finished earlier because I was hoping to start a new painted wholecloth quilt project in March. So it took a lot of willpower to force myself to finish this one firsthttps://cdn.quiltingboard.com/images...es/biggrin.png and yes, I agree with you on overcoming challenges.

March UFO finish
 

Here's a pic of one finished in march. Found a place to stage it.
Attachment 632633

Sorry for my absence. I counted finishes for March-28!
Rryder-2
OKsewglad-5
Conchalea-1
Dedemac-2
Petthefabric-6
Vasilia-2
ckcowl-3
Polyparrot-2
QuiltBaer-1
MonaG-1
Retired Teacher-1
Rff1010-1
Cherryb60-1 (I counted your apron)

Cheers for all the completions! please let me know if I missed anyone's UFO finish for March.

We're also off to a good start for April!

Rob: That was a great explanation! Definitely a deep thought process too.

Rff1010: Beauriful finish!

petthefabric: Another great finish! Interesting pattern.

Conchalea: I hope you have been well. I missed you. Thanks for the March count.

Wahoo to 28 finishes!

I love this! I like the kaleidoscope effect even more when they are stars - this is beautiful and so is the quilting.

Petthefabric- love the kaleidoscope effect in this one, esp. with the colors you chose for background and sashing. Great finish, congratulatuons!

conchalea- thanks for keeping count!

Rob

Conchalea, thanks for counting me in, but I have been missing you around the UFO train, pray that all is well with you. Thanks for the count for March.

Everyone's finishes are Great!!!

Stay safe--cherryb

My absence wasn't due to llness, really. Unless you count fatigue! I've been riding a lot, plus all the sewing! I did take an out of town trip on the Harley, so that took me away from the board. I have a 6 day, 1000 mile motorcycle trip planned next week, and a 2000 miles trip we call our Waltz Across Texas event the 1st of May. That one will be fast & furious! That one is only 7 or 8 days, so lots of miles per day. I hope my body holds up!

Conchalea: I was wondering if you were off riding your motorcycle. Enjoy your upcoming trips.

Conchalea, glad to hear that you are enjoying your rides and the good fresh air, stay safe

Stay safe

cherryb

Another finish of forest fire quilts. this is fall colors. The layout looks like it's spinning

Attachment 632717

That's beautiful! https://cdn.quiltingboard.com/images/smilies/heart.gif What a great mix of fabrics and ohmigosh, you can really crank 'em out! https://cdn.quiltingboard.com/images/smilies/shock.png When do you sleep? :)

I'm still muddling along on Mocha Stars and wanting to be done with it! I've got lotsa other stuff waiting! :D

forest fire quilts
 

One more. I have insomnia and have learned I can stay awake to LA. So after finishing one, I load the machine. Takes about an hour of quilting time + 1 hour of loading time, since I'm using the same quilting pattern over and over. Yes this is off center. After several of the same layout, I got creative.
This will be the last for a while, my schedule is filled for the next month.

Attachment 632722

petthefabric: Congratulations on 2 more finishes. Such interesting designs.

I always click on the thumbnail so that I can look at your fabrics - you have a good eye for putting different colors and prints together.

I had no idea you could quilt that fast on a longarm - that's awesome! The insomnia, though... not so great. :(

Another two beauties for a great cause!

petthefabric, congratulations on your two finishes, hope that you get some rest when you decide to slow down. I hope that your other time is not as busy. But, all of your finishes are gorgeous.

I can't do anything but lurk while I spend my time in Kansas, but plan to go to 'my longarm cousin' and spend a little time while I'm here. She may have something for me to work on

The weather is a little different today in Kansas, like the ole saying goes: " wait around a while it will change"

Stay safe all and enjoy whatever comes your way

cherryb

I ( finally) finished quilting/ binding this baby quilt- it’s 48” x 46”.
don’t know why it took me forever to get it finished- but glad it’s over. Also loaded up another ufo to get done. Progress might slow down again though, I just agreed to taking on another ( Private care job) that will last through the summer. I was just getting used to my full time schedule when I received the request and really couldn’t say no.
anyway. Will get done what I can, when I can.
glad this one is over
the cross stitch one is the one that’s finished- the blue ( Round about) is the one I have loaded to be next

Beautiful, both of them! I used to do cross stitch, but never anything as big as a crib quilt - wow! It came out so pretty! That's going to turn into a family heirloom. :)

A new tighter schedule - yikes! https://cdn.quiltingboard.com/images/smilies/shock.png Good luck - hope you just glide right through it.

Those are two beauties, ckcowl! The swirls in the border of the cross-stitch are gorgeous.

ckcowl: Lovely baby quilt. Congratulations on getting it finished! I look forward to seeing your other quilt finishes also. Enjoy your private care job.

Congrats on your finishes, they look wonderful.

CKcowl- great baby quilt! Congratulations on getting it finished.

Rob

ckcowl, both quilts are just studding and good luck with your client

Stay safe everyone

cherryb

This is my finish for April. This little quilt was started before 2013. I quilted it with a stipple stitch.

So pretty! I love the clear colors and the cheerfulness. https://cdn.quiltingboard.com/images/smilies/heart.gif

Very pretty, QuiltBaer. I like your multi-colored sashing.

Gorgeous finish!

Love the baby quilt. So worth finishing....both are beautiful...

Quiltbaer what a happy quilt. Loving the colors!

Loving those colors, Quiltbaer- congratulations on getting it finished!

Rob

I finally finished the basket blocks for my oldest UFO! Now to work on the setting. It's a diagonal set and I need to decide which fabric to frame them with.

QuiltBaer: Very pretty! Congratulations on the finish.

kristijoy: Congratulations on getting the basket blocks finished! I look forward to seeing them in your diagonal setting.

I have a finish! Wahoo! It is Go!Northwoods Medley pillow covering from AccuQuilt. I started it in a class in the summer of 2019. I stalled because I didn’t want to take the time to figure out how to download the embroidery for the bear and trees. Yesterday, I took a deep breath and said it was time. I was able to do the bears but then my hooping wouldn’t stay together. The pattern called for sandwiching and quilting the top before I did the embroidery and I should have just used a stabilizer first and then sandwiched/quilted it. Oh, well. Chalk it up to a learning moment. I appliqued the trees. The pillow form is 24” square.