UFO Challenge Check-in 4

I am pleased to say that I am still making great progress on my UFO challenge!  This week was another busy one, and the handwork was great for a long car ride.  I have to say that the English Paper Piecing is starting to grow on me!  Especially since I figured out how to print my templates instead of having to trace them all!

Between using EQ8 to make the templates and a Sewline Glue stick to speed up the basting, I could be a convert!  

I finished two more blocks this week - I really like both of them.  I've been working at trying to get a little more contrast in the fabrics than the ones in the book.

I did a lot of the stitching for both of these in the car - we drove to Eugene to drop off a friend at the airport and spend some time at a trampoline park for our granddaughter's 6th birthday.

Yesterday I spent a little time and got the templates set up for the next two blocks, so now I just have to cut them out - maybe tonight while we watch football.  I also got four more odd fellow star units pieced.

I also finished another Dogwood block.

Finally on Sunday afternoon I got the chance to sit down at my sewing machine and work on quilting the Prickly Pear quilt!  I started out by quilting the pear. Then I got to work on the background - I wanted to fill it with feathers.  I wasn't sure how good it would look but talked myself into just going for it as this isn't a super important quilt to me, and if it didn't look good at least it would be done. Turns out that I had a great time doing it, and it also looks pretty good if I don't say so myself!  

I even took a chance and tried out a different thread, and it worked perfectly. Turns out I remembered how to quilt feathers pretty well for not having done it for several years! These projects are perfect for experimentation, since most of them are just things that have been sitting for quite a while and I don't really have a purpose in mind for them!

If you would be interested in learning more about the design behind this quilt you can check out my blog post about it here.

I like having the combination of working on long term projects and handwork as well as the instant gratification of a finish!  This is 2 out of 20, so I'm feel like I'm doing pretty well right now! I need to finish a little more than two a month to get my whole list complete.  I don't know if I can do that, but I'm going to keep working toward that.  I have one project basted and another ready for basting, so will probably move those two on to the next step this week, as well as work on the three long term projects.

I also have a new project to complete this week, but it's just a table runner, so it will be refreshing to go from start to finish on something!

Oh, and the biggest UFO on my list is pretty much finished up now!  The front of our house is looking good!  That's pretty darn satisfying, too!

Hope you are checking things off your list, too!

UFO Challenge Check-in 3

Despite a busy week last week, I managed to make good progress on my UFO list!  I started out by sewing four blocks for the Odd Fellows Star project.  The process is going much quicker now that I have remembered how to do foundation paper piecing!

I finished the quilting on the Apple Table Runner, and had lots of fun with all the different designs!  Here is a picture before adding the binding, which I also accomplished!

Aren't the leaves on the outer border pretty?  I'm very happy with this!  Then I added some more quilting on the Advent Calendars.

I'm not sure if I'm done with these yet or not.  I might add a bit more quilting.  

I sewed the fan block to the background (this was supposed to be block 2 for last week, but it took me till this week to finish!)

Then I made the star block (block 1 for this week) and added the embroidery stitches. My running stitches are small - but I like how it looks!

I finished up a dogwood block - boy, those buttonhole stitches take a while to do! I usually do one flower an evening.

I also finished up another EPP for Alice's Wonderland - I discovered that I had a Sewline glue pen, which saved the day and cut the time spent basting the 13 pieces by a good amount!  I've also gone to using parchment paper for the foundations which is easier to fold and manipulate.  Learning better techniques really helps with these blocks!

I found a backing fabric for the Cityscape quilt.  I'm trying not to buy anything to finish these up, so that helps!  This was leftover backing from another project, I had to piece it, but the color will be great!

And last, but not least I got the Pear quilt basted.  This will be my next free motion quilting project.  I am not really that invested in it, so that frees me up to take a chance and try something different! 

I know this looks like I spent all week sewing, but really most of the projects I worked on didn't take much time at all.  I am enjoying having a variety of things to work on when I have some free time.  The hand sewing is taking the place of screen time in the evenings, so that's helping me with that goal as well! Hope you get inspired to get out some of those languishing projects and start making some progress, too!

UFO Challenge Check-in 2

 I'm a little late to check in this week because I was away over the weekend, and we've been working on painting the outside of the house - so I guess that's kind of a UFO, or more accurately a WIP (work in progress!)

I decided that I needed to complete two blocks of my Alice's Wonderland block a week in order to make the deadline.  I probably should do more because there's a pieced border, but maybe I'll add those in in a month or two!  This is a flower with hexagons and pentagons!  

This one is a Grandmothers fan - still need to finish the applique, but I plan to work on that tonight.

I finished another Dogwood block.  There are a few more that are ready to work on, then I'll have to start matching up fabrics for the rest.  I'm thinking maybe a total of 12 blocks would make a nice little quilt.  We'll see, I'm not ready to make a specific plan for this one yet.

I pulled out this advent calendar to work on.  I actually have two of the same, but I'm counting it as one project.  I did some outline quilting on this one, and got the numbers sewn on and put the backing on the second one.  I think I'll send one to my older grand-daughter, and one to my youngest.  Complete with treats, of course!

Another four blocks done for Odd Fellows Star.  I decided to go for four blocks a week on this one.  I have 29 left to do.

Since I was in the mood for some free motion quilting I started working on this apple table runner.  I'm having fun deciding on different free motion designs.  I was tempted to do an all over, but decided to stretch myself and try some other designs.  The leaves on the checkered border are so pretty!  I think I will really try to do some different designs on all the quilts I am finishing.  I've kind of got in a rut doing simple and fast patterns and it's a good opportunity to expand my abilities again.  The apples are attached with that old thick and hard to stitch wonder under.  Glad there are better options for fusible applique now that are softer and not as difficult to work with!

That's it for this week, good progress!  I am planning on participating in Devoted Quilter's challenge as well to help keep me accountable for the next two months. You can join in as well if you want to play along.  Let's get those projects finished up!  WIPS -B- Gone 2026.  She's got several cute trackers you can download as well to keep you on track!

Have a great week!