Finding my way back

The trip was excellent, and I'll be posting more photos in the coming days, but now it's time to get back to the sewing room.

I spent my first day back in the studio catching up on all of my April bee blocks — and redoing the one I had actually put together before the road trip.

Friends + Fabric [AMSB]
April is Karen's month, and she wrote a stellar tutorial for making up a variation on a quilt she made previously, seen here.

My first try... at a glance looks good, but I put the rectangles together backwards. That'll teach me to follow a tutorial after only printing out the first 2 pages, preparing for sewing without access to my computer, but wanting to save paper!

So, I began my work today picking out stitches while re-watching an episode of Greek through Netflix.

Hopefully with the right orientation this time!

Block #2

Seeing the two side by side gives a great view of the value contrasts (which is something Karen was looking for in these blocks and will make a stunning, stunning finished quilt!)

Design Camp [think outside the block]
This is an improv swap with a relatively loose format, but this month Mary gave us some guidelines within which to work. She sent out packets with strips of yummy autumnal Kaffe Fassett and Philip Jacobs prints along with some Kona Butter solid and a strip of one other solid. She shared a tutorial for making up chevrons (or french braids) to be encorporated into the blocks, but left the overall layout up to each of us.

do. Good Stitches - Bliss Circle
This year seems to be starting off with the representational blocks for this group! Marian pointed a tutorial by Heather of Olive and Ollie for these sweet little house blocks.

I was going for a little mid-century masonry and an ivy covered roof on this one!

I love how the pattern on this Joel Dewberry fabric looks like we're peering through a beautiful ironwork fence!
Unfortunately, these blocks didn't end up exactly the target size, but thankfully Marian is being super flexible about it! And on these guys my problems with pressing all of these seam allowances open is much more evident than in the other bee blocks for the month. I can certainly understand the benefit of that technique in bee blocks, but it's not always the most efficient method.

All in all I think today went pretty well, and as an added bonus, I got to finish it off by meeting a friend for dinner at Ya Hala, a spectacular Lebanese restaurant in SE. And now I am {enjoying?} a pretty intense film that keeps drawing my attention away from this post, "The Bang Bang Club," about a group of photojournalists in South Africa in the mid-'90s. Holy _ _ _ _! Worth watching, to be sure!

A Change of Scenery

Takin' a little time away. Y'all know how that goes!

J and I are spending the better part of the week outside Missoula, Montana visiting with his folks and other family.

We headed out of Portland Tuesday morning, amidst slightly grey skies and moderate temperatures. After several hours along the Columbia River Gorge and on through eastern Washington we hit the Idaho panhandle and crossed into Montana. The weather was on our side, let me tell you! Though the pass looked something like this:

we were driving with the windows open, short-sleeved shirts, and the on-board thermometer wavered between 61° and 75°! I think I even got some sun on my ankles while J was taking us through! Ah, sunshine!

Our first day was a mellow one, where the big activities were a long walk with the Swofford dogs, followed by a big family dinner (I think there were 13 or 14 of us in all). I took some photos on the walk (tried to use the Hassleblad but there's always so much time between uses it takes me too long to reacquaint myself, so I stuck with the little point-and-shoot digi).

Scout, Muttly and Obie

Muttly found a treat along the way!

the sheep down the road

Making new friends

a little dubious

gettin' a little closer

Moving up from Muttly's Little Lamb to the big guys!

From there it was a little jaunt in the creek before heading back to the homestead.

Liebster What??

No photos to share today :-(

This post is kind of a combination / culmination of an honor that was handed to me earlier this week and a really nice day spent with the Portland Modern Quilt Guild members sewing away at Fabric Depot.

A new Flickr friend, Karen, whose work I've admired over the past year or so since becoming more active on that site recently started her own blog: CapitolaQuilter. We've been members of the same online bee since the beginning of the year (Friends+Fabric=A Modern Stash Bee) and it's been such a pleasure so far! And inspiring. Very, very inspiring, which is also a word I would use to describe Karen's energy and gusto in getting her blog off the ground. Apparently I was not alone in that assessment, as another of her friends bestowed upon her something called "The Liebster Blog Award," something I had not heard of before Karen passed this on to me.

But according to what she posted in her blog, here's the scoop:
“The origins of the Liebster Blog Award are somewhat unclear but the general consensus is that it means favourite or dearest to showcase bloggers with fewer than 200 followers.”

And here are the rules:
1. Thank my Liebster Blog Award presenters.
2. Link back to my presenters' blogs.
3. Copy & paste the blog award on my blog.
4. Present the Liebster Blog Award to five blogs with 200 or fewer followers that I feel deserve to be noticed and post links to their blogs on my blog.
5. Let the recipients know they have been given the Liebster Blog Award by posting a comment on their blog.

For some reason this caused me some stress. I can't say why. I'm weird like that.
And then today I spent the better part of the day hanging out with other members of PMQG, working on our respective sewing projects, chatting about all sorts of things, and I was reminded that this is a pretty cool group of ladies and I'm fortunate to have found a place among them (though I still feel kind of like a wallflower much of the time!). And I was reminded of Karen's generous compliments. It's time to pass that on, though I might be changing course ever-so-slightly. So, here is my list of artists and creators to keep your eye open for, and maybe check out what they have to share, because I know that I get something from each of these folks!

Connie at Oui Chef: a Journal. I'm going in a different direction to begin with. Connie is not a quilter, in fact she doesn't sew at all. She's a talented chef and just as talented a photographer, as can be seen on her blog or her flickr page. Unfortunately she's slowed down on the blogging this year as I believe her professional life has been taking up the majority of her time and energy, but all it takes is reading a few sentences and you KNOW how passionate she is about the dishes she makes and the tools that she uses (illustrated so well in one of my favorite posts, found here).

Jenn at jenn of all trades. I first came across her drawing and illustration work on flickr before I even realized that she is a quilter and seamstress too. And as I came across more of her work, the more intrigued and inspired I became. She seems to have an amazing outlook on life and I so appreciate many of the general encouragements I come across while reading her blog. Just check it out and you'll see what I mean!

Gail at I Think Sew. Gail has become like a beacon of sunshine and light in grey ol' Portland. She's been a welcoming presence both at local guild meetings and events as well as in the flickrverse and blogland. She has a vision that seems to be truly and uniquely her own (which I find so refreshing!) and always kind words for other's work. Think: positive karma.

Rebecca at Sew Festive Handmade. It isn't hard to get a sense of just how interesting, well-rounded and humble this young woman is by reading her blog posts. She seems to be someone who takes things as they come, sees the beauty in all sorts of things and enjoys creating more. I admittedly am not the most frequent blog-browser, but usually when I see that Rebecca has a new post, I'm interested to see what her day has brought her.

Michelle at Design Camp. Another PMQG member, I've enjoyed not only seeing her dedication to quilting develop over the last year or so, but love her innate ability for instruction and aid. My understanding is that she's been sewing and in textiles for years, and set up the blog moniker for teaching sewing to youths, but I feel that in almost every conversation I have with her regarding sewing I learn something new, or at the very least see a perspective I might not otherwise have seen. That's awesome. I think she has a lot of great ideas and experience to share as well as a sense of adventure and curiosity to try new things that I admire greatly.

I hope you all will give these ladies a nod, and get a little something from your visits.

WIP Wed - Some recaps

This is getting to be an "every other week" thing for me (I guess one could say fortnightly, as opposed to weekly). But I was still over at Lee's blog Freshly Pieced last week checking out what other people had posted, and I suggest anyone here do the same! And today I will be linking up with the goings on.


New Projects
PMQG improv quilt
Well, new to me anyhow.

Blogged a bit more in this post.

PMQG-MM cotton couture block challenge

I'm still thinking about other possibilities, but have come to a bit more peace with this block than I maybe showed in this post (in no small part thanks to the lovely comments folks have made over on Flickr).

custom napkins

Working with someone to hopefully supply her wedding reception... fingers crossed it pans out!

more potholders

up on etsy!

Completed
table runner

I just don't have a table in my house clean enough to properly photograph! Going to try and do it while at work today at the quilt shop... Marie has those gorgeous wood cutting tables over at Cool Cottons!!

Almost Completed

Finished quilting my yellow scrappy yesterday, just have to select and apply binding. Thinking this might travel with me to Montana next week. (Can you see I've been craving sunshine lately??)

Some Progress
Nothing really new or exciting to write about.
backing for my Nubees sampler

Still haven't basted this puppy... heading into the studio after spending the previous afternoon weeding does not inspire one to spend another hour or two squatting on the ground. At least my back and legs felt that way!

borders on curved-piecing top

Both of these projects are blogged about a bit more here.

No Progress
Flannel Throw
Medallion quilt
Could be a Quilt...
Purple/Green Asian sampler
Seams Perfect Sampler
Batik Warm/Cool QAL
Lee & Glenn's quilt
red/brown/green I-Spy
girly hourglass
Judy Neimeyer double wedding ring
broken dishes
Trip Around the 9-Patch
Halloween Stack 'n Whack
leftover I-spys from Hopman quilt
tote bags
blue/green place mats

So, where does that leave me?
New - 4
Completed - 2
In Progress - 21 (yikes!)
Unquilted tops - I think about 14 (added one and took one off the pile since last post)

Friends + Fabric Bee = Something Stunning!

This is what has arrived so far from the very talented ladies in the Friends + Fabric (A Modern Stash Bee). In late February I posted a tutorial for these wonky diamond blocks, and not only have my bee-mates taken a running leap with it, but their selections of fabrics blow me away! ISN'T THIS LOOKING FABULOUS??

There are a few more blocks that have popped up on the group pool in Flickr which are yet to arrive, but I think that once they are all accounted for, I will be super eager to jump right in and start putting them together!! If all goes well, and the various creators have no objection, I might even try and get this in our guild's portion of the Sister's Outdoor Quilt Show this summer... Oh the possibilities!

Plugging Away

First of all, I have to say that we got lucky with the weather today. It is a beautiful, dry, mostly sunny day here in Portland, and my boyfriend and I had the day off, so after a morning errand (which included a filling breakfast out), we returned to the house to do some yard prep. He took the hoe to the veggie garden area while I was working on weeding around the flower beds, so we should be ready for a trip to the nursery in the next couple of weeks!

That said, it's supposed to return to the usual rain by tonight, so back to the sewing studio tomorrow. The week to come is going to be one of those "just get things done" sort of weeks. No surprises (hopefully!), no special projects, just finishing tops and working on quilting.

Last week I basted and started quilting another of my "monochromatic" (or more accurately "analogous color") quilts.

Planning to finish this guy up in the next couple of days, hopefully... I'm so confident of that, I'm about to baste another quilt:

I don't know if this will be next in the quilting queue, but I also managed to get borders on the green and aqua curved-piecing quilt this Sunday. I didn't expect to put borders on it, but after adding sashing

it just felt unfinished. I definitely feel this brings it more completion:

Next week I'll be heading out to Montana with J to visit with his family... which means staying in the room just next to his mom's long-arm! Trying to decide which quilt to take with me just in case I get some practice time in. I'll keep y'all posted!

PMQG-Michael Miller Block Challenge

After a thoroughly informative and inspiring visit from Kathy Miller, co-founder of Michael Miller Fabrics, during our February Portland Modern Quilt Guild meeting each of the guild members was generously supplied with 8 fat eighths of their new line of Cotton Couture Solids. Now, one could treat this as a lovely gift, no strings attached, but the real gift in it is actually a design challenge. Any member who chooses (and there have already been a few, uploading photos to the PMQG flickr page) is invited to design a 15"x18" pieced block using the cotton couture fabrics with which we were supplied and Kathy Miller will select about 16 blocks to be included in a quilt that Michael Miller will feature in their booth at Spring Quilt Market in May 2012.

I should have prefaced this post by saying that I found out this week that I did not have a quilt chosen to be part of the MQG Showcase at Fall Market in Houston this year. And so it goes. However, this information was a bit disheartening (although not at all surprising!) and at the same time is forcing me to endeavor that much more to make an impact. But I don't know quite how to do that.

So, I've been sketching in the ol' sketchbook, and translated a few of the more promising designs into EQ7 so that I could play with the colors. The ones I keep going back to so far are these:

(a variation on my "dorm room cots" pattern that I've been drafting)

(a new design)

(a mock-up of an improv block)

I went ahead and pieced a block, which I think turned out well, but not sure that it's a "challenge winner" (especially after seeing the blocks showing up in the group pool).

so, being the person I am, I'll be making one or two or four more blocks, over-thinking all the way, and have NO IDEA what they're actually looking for, and likely miss the mark.

Is this what it's all about??

impromptu improv

At our last PMQG meeting, Michelle of Design Camp PDX gave a fabulous talk and demonstration on improv piecing, inspired by a class she attended with Denyse Schmidt and projects she's pursued since then.

One of the visual examples she brought to the meeting were blocks constructed by members of the guild at a sew-in exercise a month or two prior.

Not having been at the sew-in when these guys were originally made, at the end of the meeting I volunteered to "inherit" the blocks in order to piece them together into a quilt top that will then be quilted by Nancy of Just Quilting, and donated to the guild's chosen March charity organization, Quilts of Valor.

They have now been up on my design wall for the better part of the week, and I still have not approached them. For various reasons, mind you, but I KNOW that when I take them down and set my scrap baskets by me it will be hours of madness! I think the good kind of madness, not angry or frustrated, but madness nonetheless. I've been needing some clean finishes first, I think. And thankfully, I currently have 3 small binding projects at home with me for the next few days, then I might be ready to dive into the scraps!

WIP Wednesday - it's been a whirlwind!

I seem to have missed last week's check-in and link up over at Lee's blog, Freshly Pieced... which means this entry might be a bit on the long side of things. That's good, right?? So, after checking out my doings, head on over there and see what everyone else is up to on this WIP Wed!


So, let's start with:
New
Bee Blocks
do. Good Stitches - Bliss Circle

fun pinks and oranges in Drunk Love log cabin blocks were Amanda's choice.

Design Camp [think outside the block] swap

Can't help but LOVE the fabrics that Yolanda is using for her quilt! Gorgeous, rich tans and taupes, even a linen and crossweave thrown in there for depth and texture.

Flannel throw quilt

I still have some fabric substitutions to work in, but might start snuggling under this thing right around May or June, just in time for temps in the 70s!

New block designs for PMQG/Michael Miller challenge AND MQG Quiltcon block challenges

The colors AND rules for these challenges are surprisingly similar, though I have been playing with a few different designs, thanks to EQ7!

one consideration...

Completed
do. Good Stitches November Bliss quilt.
Finally!

One more quilt top off the pile of "unquilted"

Okay, so it's just a little wall hanging, and it still needs the binding on it, but it's been quilted and will be finished by tomorrow evening - that's a PROMISE!

Some Progress
Finished piecing the cream/blue/mustard/tan 60/30° quilt top (I'm REALLY going to have to come up with a better name for that! Any suggestions??)

Curved-piecing aqua/green

I decided to sash these blocks (obviously)... which I made using the same technique that I used in my Tangerine & Wine quilt. But now I think it also needs a border... so stay tuned! I have two possibilities just waiting for the next load of laundry to run!

"Black Beauty" Medallion quilt

another project from the UFO vault!

And now for the No Progress list:
Purple/Green Asian sampler
Seams Perfect Sampler
Batik Warm/Cool QAL
Lee & Glenn's quilt
red/brown/green I-Spy
girly hourglass
Judy Neimeyer double wedding ring
broken dishes
Trip Around the 9-Patch
Halloween Stack 'n Whack
leftover I-spys from Hopman quilt
tote bags
blue/green place mats

This week's tally:
New - 4 or 5 (depending on how one views the quilt block design projects)
Completed - 4 (2 are bee blocks)
In Progress - 15
Unquilted Tops - 14(?) (I'm never actually at my studio when I write this list... also, it's occurred to me that I don't include the quilts that I started HAND quilting but have set aside indefinitely. Oof)

Winner of My First Giveaway Announced!

After a visit (and long perusal of the website) to Random.org we have an official winner! According to the Random Number Generator, out of a whopping 44 entries (thank you all!!) the winner is Lucky #13!

Quilter in the Gap: Mar 13, 2012 08:59 AM
My spring ritual is to redo the flowers, prepare the garden and to clean the house. I don't love all the stuff but when it is done it so worth it. Thanks for a great giveaway!

Congratulations Rhonda, and be looking for a texty jelly roll headed your way soon! And I want to thank everyone who left comments for me! I was so thrilled to hear everyone's plans. It looks like there will be a lot of gardening and window cleaning going on in the next couple of months for us northern-hemispherers!

Have a wonderful week and keep looking for more fun stuff going on in the weeks to come!
All the best,
Linda

do. Good FINALLY finished!

The journey started over 4 months ago. A request went out last fall for a substitute quilter in the Bliss circle of do. Good Stitches. I volunteered. I posted a tutorial with my inspiration, and blocks filtered in over the following 2 months.

until I could see where I needed to fill in...

But, it being me... well, I procrastinated on quilting it.

And took my own... sweet... time.

But, once the quilting happened, the rest was in the bag! (Okay, I still have yet to deal with a label for it!)

I'll certainly be happy to send this little guy in his way to the proper recipient, through Wrap Them in Love.

A Flannel Quilt - in time for Spring!

Okay, so my seasonal appropriateness might be a little off, but I just had to get started on that lovely stack of flannels!

Just going for a simple brick pattern throw, so I started by cutting the bricks.

And though they look gorgeous lined up like this, once I started playing with them on my design wall, I found that there was just WAY TOO MUCH going on. And for me to say that is something! I decided to edit out the blues, but then I was left with a pink quilt with accents of grey - and I am NOT a pink sort of gal. So then I took out the pink, and was left with, well, not much. And I feel like I've pretty much exhausted my flannel buying options in town (I refuse to go into the well-known large chain fabric store unless I'm looking for notions or something that my local quilt and sewing stores just don't carry). So I spent a bit more time arranging and rearranging the different combinations until I came up with something that made me happy:

As you can see there are still a few holes in there. I did manage to find something online that MIGHT work, so we'll have to wait until those 2 half-yards arrive to go further, but I think I'm onto something. Plus, I now have the start of another simple flannel quilt in the cooler tones to play with! Goody, this will be ready just in time for the season when I wish I had A/C in my house!

My First Giveaway! Happy Spring!

Part of the reorganizing and cleaning frenzy is the purge (or at least it should be, though I often have to remind myself of that separately!). When I went through my sewing studio the other week, I didn't actually purge anything (okay, maybe a paper template or sketch here and there), but I found quite a few lovely things that have been hanging around for a while, things for which I may never find a proper use, so perhaps they should go to someone who can appreciate and use them.

And it may sound trite, but it does seem that "spring cleaning" is one of my usual rituals. Those who know me in person can attest to the fact that I am not the neatest of people. I surround myself with stuff, and am one of those who will fill up any horizontal surface available (and sadly, sometimes this includes the floor!). Therefore, it is crucial that I hit an overload point and dedicate some serious energy to straightening things up after the winter months of clutter!

So, it being March and with St. Patrick's Day around the corner, plus all of the fun photos I've been seeing of folks participating in the Sew Out Loud project and other text-based sewing projects, I thought I would start with this "Authentic" jelly roll from Sweetwater.

Just leave a comment below - and I would love it if you would share one of your spring rituals as well. The giveaway will be open until the end of the day Saturday March 17th (midnight Pacific Daylight Time). I'll announce the winner on Monday March 19th. I look forward to hearing what y'all have to say!!

Happy spring from Portland, Oregon!

THE COMMENT THREAD IS NO LONGER OPEN FOR THE DRAWING. DRAWING WILL OCCUR SOME TIME SUNDAY MARCH 18TH WITH THE HELP OF RANDOM.ORG (once I figure it all out!) AND WINNER WILL BE ANNOUNCED AND CONTACTED BY MONDAY MARCH 19TH. GOOD LUCK AND THANK YOU ALL FOR PARTICIPATING!
(And please remember, if you are a no-reply blogger, check back here on Monday for the announcement)

A Month of Drunk Love?

I think that most of us in the current Modern quilting world hear the phrase "drunk love" and rather than picturing a torrid bar scene or even a romantic dinner at a fancy white table cloth restaurant will automatically conjure images of bright, improv-style wonky log cabin blocks, inspired by modern quilting icon Denyse Schmidt.

And sure enough, that is what I'm talking about. This month not one, but TWO of the bees in which I'm participating have selected the DS drunk love block. No complaints here!

For Design Camp [think outside the block] Swap, Yolanda sent us a beautiful selection of tan and taupe neutrals with a snippet of a red and cream fabric to use. She did invite us to add bits from our own stashes, if they blended, and I couldn't resist taking her up on that. I hope she's not off-put by the bits of Rouenneries by French General.

(Oh, and that little bit of Lush woodgrain I found hiding in my scraps!)

This really is such a classy, beautiful palette, don't you think?? And she included some gorgeous fabrics, including a linen and a crossweave - I do love that crossweave!

And then for our circle of do. Good Stitches Amanda requested the same block design, but a completely different palette, and therefore look. Pinks and oranges. A color combination my stash is not currently lacking! And I loved the opportunity to pull almost entirely from the scrap baskets!!

So, though I don't see any more of these blocks in my immediate future, it's always fun to play in an intuitive way and see such effective results so quickly.

FTLOS2 - complete!

The turnaround for this swap seems to have worked out perfectly in my world! I am just hitting the overlap between international and domestic shipping... keeping the pool of possible recipients open until the very last minute!

I had completed the main project a couple of weeks ago, which felt great, but had been waffling about what to include as the smaller item. I made these coasters, which was fun and I hope will be enjoyed, but wanted to make a little something that would be just for my swap partner, not necessarily her whole family. I decided to try my first pin cushion! I found this tutorial on Sew Craftalicious' blog, which seemed right up my alley! Relatively easy design and construction, but super cute! I went ahead and made one little amendment, using HSTs in the 4-patch blocks on both sides, which allowed me to throw in a couple more colors.

Thankfully, I happened to have a nearly full bag of polyfil hanging around from a short lived idea to try making little stuffed animals - yeah, that never came to much.

AND I don't have many buttons, but knew I'd enjoy using these guys when I found the right project for them! I am hoping that they make my partner smile, too!

So, this little pin cushion will be joined by the coasters and wall hanging, which I'm not sure if I've shown in its entirety since I quilted and bound it, so here are a few full shots and details with quilting.

(and I couldn't resist throwing in some shot cotton! Love how this stuff quilts up!!)

WIP Wednesday - starting from scratch

I'm taking a new approach, after my cataloging of UFOs earlier this week, which I wrote about here. I came up with 17 already begun UFOs (spanning the last 5 or 6 years), not to mention 6 projects in the idea stage only (perhaps the fabric gathering stage, but not further than that).

Since one of my goals for this year is to chip away at that list of UFOs, I've decided to start my count there. I'll cut myself a *little* slack and not include the stacks of fabric waiting for action as WIPs!

Some Progress
So, the UFO I was able to strike off the list this past week (or rather, move to another list of completed quilt tops yet to be quilted) is the one mentioned in my previous post, resurrected from the pieces of a set of place mats that was just not to be!

I'm also finally making some headway with another project that's been lying in a basket off and on for the last couple of years...

I'm hoping to finish this top within the next week or so.

Now, I must admit I AM guilty of one new project! I've been lusting after one of the luscious AMH louLouthi flannels that Marie has at Cool Cottons, but since I rarely if ever work with flannel, I couldn't justify buying any. But sitting on my couch one evening, just dreaming up possible projects for this fabric, I figured why not make myself a flannel throw quilt?? Really, Lin, there's no reason you shouldn't treat yourself to a little gift, right?? So, today I picked up a lovely stack of flannels, which also happen to work with a few FQs I picked up a couple of years ago for burp cloths that never got made.

Can't wait to get started on these guys!! Y'all will probably see something soon!

Now, the bitter truth of starting my count where I am...
No Progress
(get ready for quite a list!)
Bliss November quilt
Purple/Green Asian sampler
Seams Perfect Sampler
Curved Piecing Aqua/Green
Batik Warm/Cool QAL
Lee & Glenn's quilt
red/brown/green I-Spy
girly hourglass
Medallion quilt
Judy Neimeyer double wedding ring
broken dishes
Trip Around the 9-Patch
Halloween Stack 'n Whack
leftover I-spys from Hopman quilt
tote bags
blue/green place mats

Tally:
New - 1
Completed - 0
In progress - 18
Unquilted tops - I'm guessing at 15

Thank you, Lee, for providing us all a place to link up and share our endeavors! Please go visit the others at

Metamorphosis

To go from this

to this

is a step in the right direction, I hope.

The technique that I use for cutting fabrics for the reversible place mats leaves me with pieces for 2 full sets of place mats from the start. I made up the original set of these guys a few months ago, and they have just been sitting around, not getting much attention on my etsy page, nor in person.

So, it seemed silly to make up a second set of the same mats just to have them sit around as well. But I love this fabric combination and believe that it works well, just perhaps not in that format. Plus, I already had the pieces cut out!

Well, DUH! Didn't I first fall in love with the quilt part of quilting? And aren't quilted place mats basically just a coordinating set of mini quilts? So I just had to change perspective and coordinate a little differently, right? And that's one less stack of fabric pieces sitting on a shelf. And wouldn't it have been a shame to fetter away the fabulous Joel Dewberry and Momo prints brought together??

actual UFO count (oh my!!)

Okay, do any of you get a certain amount of motivation and inspiration from sitting down (figuratively) and cleaning up, sorting through and reorganizing your sewing space? I find it so strange that I can actually enjoy doing this at my sewing studio, but to clean and straighten at my house?? Hardly ever happens like this.

Thursday I went into the studio and was kind of in a funk. I'd been struggling with getting quality photos of the quilts I was hoping to submit for the MQG showcase at the Houston International Quilt Festival, which was seriously stressing me out. At least I had plans with J for him to bring his studio photo equipment to help me out - in the 11th hour, mind you. To say that I was distracted seems like an understatement, but we'll stick with it.

So, to help me focus and to get my mind off of the stressful photos, I decided to clean out the drawers and shelves and bags that held projects in progress, collections of fabric that I had selected at some point I can't remember to put together in an impending project, those sorts of things.

The count --- a whopping 17 UFOs! This does not include the 6 stacks of fabric simply set aside for specific projects, but not yet begun. Nor does this include the 15 or so quilt tops I have completed just hanging out waiting to be quilted.

A modest sampling of what I came across:

a starburst block that perhaps one day I'll try again

the semi-girly hourglass toddler quilt I began a few years ago for a friend's daughter, but decided to change course.

A quilt I drafted in early 2011, using the Kaffe Fassett print as the focus, but after piecing a few of the blocks, something fell short...

...so I auditioned another focus fabric for the pieced blocks

a set of reversible QAYG place mats

my personal sampler from the members' block selections for the Seams Perfect Scrap Bee.

a work in progress, with a particular recipient in mind

intended for my brother and his partner, using a Gail Kessler line from a couple of years ago.

another 60/30 diamond quilt started a while back that I've been meaning to finish up...

...and am one step closer to that goal as of this afternoon!

One of my goals in the coming months is to decrease this list considerably. And I mean to take an active approach, I tell you! So I am hoping that y'all will keep me on task if I seem to stray.... and would love to hear about any projects that you consider ready to come off your UFO list, so whadya got??

WIP Wed - a little catch-up

As I sit here after a lovely dinner of mac 'n' cheese from a box, watching the last disc of Project Runway Season 1, I am trying to take stock of the activity of the last week or two. And then I'll be linking up with Lee at her blog Freshly Pieced.

I managed to get my tutorial up for the March round of the Friends + Fabric Stash Bee, a wonky diamond log cabin block

Also, along with finishing the quilting on the wall hanging I'm making for the For the Love of Solids swap on Flickr, I whipped up a small set of coasters from some of the scraps

And it has occurred to me that I have somewhat neglected my Etsy shop in the last few weeks. At the small craft bazaar that Saskia (the lovely and creative environmental chemist behind Base Natural) and I attended in December, I was asked if I had a wider selection of pot holders, and since then I've sold a couple of sets, so it's about time I replenish.

And as for continuing projects...
I finally basted and have started quilting the November quilt for the Bliss circle of do. Good Stitches

I've also added another quilt top to my growing pile of quilt tops awaiting quilting (though I suppose we can call it even with the previous project coming off of that pile!) - the Encapsulated quilt that I had started several years ago in a class with Portland quilt artist and teacher Lee Fowler.

And now there's the big sigh of relief. Coming in JUST under the wire is the already too often mentioned Tangerine and Wine quilt! Complete! However, not quite finished... I have it posted to the Flickr group for the Tangerine Tango Challenge but have been struggling with the photos for the MQG call for entries for the 2012 Fall Quilt Festival in Houston. Their photo requirements are strict! And I'm sure I'm overthinking it, but that's my nature. So, I have Wednesday and Thursday to get a couple of good photos of this quilt, with the perfect lighting and not needing any color correction (I've already taken dozens of photos, both full shots and details) in order to make that deadline.

So the final tally (and this actually spans a bit more than a week, since I missed last week...)
New - 3
Completed - 3
In Progress - 4 or 5
Unquilted tops - 14

Thanks again for showing interest! And if you haven't already, it's time to check out the other bloggers linking up for WIP Wednesday!

Over a hurdle

This past Thursday I cleared a hurdle. It was one of those that you see for miles down the track, and upon approach you stumble, bump you shins, psych yourself out until you are SO CLOSE to giving up and walking around it in the hopes of just moving on, but for some reason that's not an option. And then it happens, you clear your mind and concentrate on each individual step as opposed to the whole picture, and the next thing you know you're on the other side.

That is what quilting the Tangerine and Wine quilt has been for me. I think I was putting undue pressure on myself, for various reasons, which only results in a worse performance. And on top of that, because I am working on a very tight deadline, I found it difficult to concentrate on any OTHER projects in the mean time. It was like having a hangnail... no matter what else you're doing, all you can think about is this little annoyance! However, I took a couple of days away from the studio, away from my broken machine (which I still need to take in for repair!), and came back with a more open mind.

I came into the studio Thursday morning, set up and just went for it. I still did a fair amount of ripping stitches, but nothing like the previous week and weekend! And before I knew it, I only saw one more line of quilting that needed to be added!

A detail:

I was so happy to be at this stage (and with a whole 5 days to spare before the submissions are due) that I almost even enjoyed cutting and stitching the binding strips to the front of the quilt (my 3rd least favorite part in the quilting process, behind basting and the actual quilting!) But now I have the weekend to sit and enjoy the hand stitching of the binding, which I DO very much enjoy! Call me crazy.

So, that one being mostly out of the way, I am finally able to work on things that have been on the back burner for the past month.

I've pieced the backing for and basted last November's quilt for the Bliss circle of do. Good Stitches

And completed my second long-standing UFO quilt top of the year, Encapsulated - from a class with Lee Fowler here in Portland MANY, MANY years ago!

I'm looking forward to ticking off many more UFOs throughout this year! Have you all got any UFOs that have been hanging around that you're hoping to finish up in the near future??