UFO Challenge Check-in 6

 This week was a good one for quilting time, and I used it to good advantage to make progress on my list!  No quilting this week, but I did break out a new project to make progress on.

I think it needs just one more solid border, then it will be done.  This project started out as a huge pile of half square triangles, some sewn and some just cut out.  I had in mind a basket quilt, but I have no clue why I just started cutting and sewing half square triangles with no specific count in mind!  Anyway, I still have enough half square triangles to make another project, but unless I get really inspired, I think I will just finish sewing them all, then package them up for a future project.  After all, I'll need more projects to finish next year, right?

This is about 1/4 of the triangles that I've been sewing!

And here is a pile of sewn ones ready to be pressed!  It was a fun project for the week and was almost as fun as starting something new!

I finished four more blocks for the Oddfellows Star project.  I think I have about 5 more weeks of sewing for this one, and then I can get the top laid out and sewn together.  I think it'll be pretty!

One more Dogwood block is finished.  I just have a few more blocks that are ready to sew, then I'll need to decide if I want to make more or finish it with what I have.  I'm really not sure, but I guess I will see how many blocks I have and go from there.  

Two more blocks done for Alice's Wonderland Sampler!  This one is number 71 - it was fun to fussy cut the peacock feathers for this one.  I did think several times that it would have been easier to piece this one than to use EPP, but it came out pretty well.

This one is number 70, so I am over halfway done with the EPP now!  Woohoo!  The last 20 blocks are machine applique, so should go quickly, but I'll have to figure out another hand-work project for evening television time.  Of course there is the paper removal from the Oddfellow's Star blocks.  Maybe I'll do some cross-stitch or embroidery.  With wetter and colder weather arriving it's a good time of year for stitching in the recliner!

That's a wrap for this week (I did finish a secret project, but I can't share that quite yet) Wishing you all a productive and enjoyable last week of October!

UFO CHallenge Check-in 5

 Another good week of progress on the UFO pile.  I actually got two quilts finished this week, and made progress on several other projects.

I made four more units for Odd Fellows Star.  I also counted the number of units left to be made, found I was short 9 foundations and was able to scan one and make the copies for the rest.  I have about 5 more weeks worth of units to sew before I can start putting together the top.  I'm happy with the slow progress on this one, so plan to keep up the pace.

I was in need of some instant gratification, so I finished up this mini quilt.  I made it with leftover units from a larger project, and it's been in the pile, basted and ready for quilting.  Now it's quilted and bound.  I just finished this with stitch in the ditch back and forth around the squares.  It looks good!

Then I decided that I needed to replenish my supply of basted quilts, so I took care of this one since I had got the backing all ready to go.  I think I am going to quilt this with flowers, but what color of thread?  Guess it's time to go through my stash and see what will look good with it!  Probably a pink, since the back is that bright fuschia color.

While I was at it, I basted this one, too.  Since it was a small one, I went ahead and quilted that as well!

My supervisor, making sure I did the job right!

Moving on to Alice's Wonderland - I got my two blocks prepped and pieced!

I was particularly pleased with the fussy cutting on this one!  It features the Liberty London store! They are also now appliqued onto the background.

And another dogwood block is button-hole stitched.  I think this week I'll have to go through the remaining blocks, and the pieces that are prepped.  Some of them are missing their mates, so I need to figure out how many blocks are ready to go, and see if I can't get more of them matched up and ready to stitch.

Last, but not least I decided to pull out this container and try to figure out what in the world I was thinking with all the purple half square triangles!  I seem to have way more than I really need for the project I have in mind.  Time to actually put the blocks together and determine what to do with all of this!  Next time I need to leave a note to my future self telling me what I was thinking, because at this point I have no clue.  I made all of the basket blocks I had in mind, and I have some ideas for what to do with the rest of the triangles, but I need to count them and see if it will work!  

Of course I had a block that ended up not quite as it should have!  I have fixed it now, glad I caught it before I sewed them together!  I'm kind of excited to work on this now, so I'm pretty sure I'll have more progress to report next week!

I think that's the fun part of working on UFOs - finding the excitement that I had when I first started the project.  Not every project sparks like that, but this one has. It's almost as fun as starting something new!  And we all know that feeling!

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!