Another UFO Challenge

I participated in Nancy’s UFO challenge last year but only managed to complete 4 3 of the 10 projects. This year I have decided to concentrate on tops that are ready for quilting. They even have the backing made and have been stacked in a couple of bins in the Longarm studio. Since I always have a customer quilt to quilt, I just don’t get around to quilting my own, unless it is due in the shop as a sample. This year I hope to fit some of mine into the schedule.

I am going to list all 14 quilt tops, even though only the first 10 will be on the UFO list.

1 – 2010 Mystery Quilt

2 – 2009 Allatoona BOM

3 – Watermelon Quilt

4 – Wake the Dead Magical Slice and Dice

5 – Thimbleberries Quilt

6 – 2009 Kaffe Mystery Quilt

7 – 1930’s Repro Quilt

8 – Bright Bullseye Quilt

9 – Christmas Quilt

10 – Table Runner

11 – Pink Log Cabin Heart Quilt

12 – Winter Scene

13 – Thimbleberries Tote Bag

14 – Bright Mexican Food Quilt

I am sure I have more that are ready to quilt but they haven’t made it down to the longarm studio.

Melinda

Beyond Beginners Class

Last night was the second class of the beyond beginners series.  This class focuses on putting a quilt on point.  There were three students and each got the corner of the quilt put together.  First here is Sue’s quilt.

Here is Lisa’s quilt.

Here is Joan’s quilt – look at her wonderful blocks.

These are stack and whack Dresden blocks – look at how nice they are.

Wonderful quilts and wonderful women.

Melinda

Design Wall Monday–December 27, 2010

On my design wall today are blocks for the Block Lotto.  I have been following the blog for several months but this is the first time that I actually joined in.  I made 5 sets of blocks for the lotto.  I made two more sets but they didn’t turn out the right size so I have more blocks to join my other orphan blocks.

I am going to work at the quilt shop today – one of the employees lives up in the North Georgia mountains and is snowed it.  There is still snow on the ground here but the streets appear clear – wish me luck.

For more design walls, go to Judy’s blog.

Melinda

Customer Quilt–Mary Jo

I delivered a quilt to Mary Jo on Christmas eve.  She made it for her sister.  It is beautiful.

I echo quilted around the applique.

The rest of the quilt was quilted with my freehand echoed swirls.

Here is the backing.

She was happy with it so I am happy.

Melinda

Still Snow in Atlanta

Here is the view from my front door.  There is so much snow and ice that we decided to not open the quilt shop this afternoon – at least I have time to sew and even make bread.

Here is the driveway – it is a couple of hours later and the snow has disappeared from the street and driveway but it looks like there is still some ice out there.

We live on a corner so here is the view from of the side yard – or perhaps I should say side ditch.

Here is Bill’s truck from the front porch.

Lastly, here is the view from the kitchen window of the deck and back yard.

During the summer, the trees are full and we can hardly see the neighbor in back but during the winter we can see their house.  I can see the lights from three Christmas trees in their back windows.

Hopefully the streets will clear up and life will be back to normal tomorrow.  In the meantime, I am baking bread – Yum!

Melinda

SSCS Gifts Received (and Sent)

I opened my SSCS gift yesterday and was pleased to see that it was from Fee.  You can find her here. This is what she sent.

Her stitching is wonderful and I love what it says.  She also included these -

Love the photo.  The needle case is beautiful and I will save the koala fabric for something special to remind me of Australia.

Thank you Fee!

Here is what I sent to Fiona.  I received a wonderful thank you note from her and she blogged about it here.

Here is what I sent her.

Here is the ornament I made for her.

and here is a little extra gift.  This was made by Ruth.  Ruth was a dear guild member who lost her battle with cancer this last year.  She loved to make these bags and I purchased this one from her shortly before she died.

Another wonderful swap – thank you Chookyblue!

Melinda

2011 UFO’s

I have decided to join Judy’s UFO Challenge for 2011.  I have lots and lots of UFO’s but finally decided on 12 to list for the challenge.  I tried to do a UFO a month during 2010 but only managed to finish three of the ten I listed.

I have repeated some of them for 2011 but others I decided to pass on.  I still want to get them finished someday but have decided that if I didn’t work on them in 2010, I apparently didn’t really want to finish them badly enough.

Here are the projects I want to finish this next year.

1 – Scrappy Bargello

This one is a scrappy bargello that I made in a class with Bonnie Hunter a couple of years ago.  The top is finished but needs borders before it can be quilted.

2 – Jelly Roll Quilt Along

I completed all the blocks, got them sewn together but still need the borders and quilting.  Can you start seeing a theme here?

3 – Three Sisters

This is a quilt I started many years ago and although all the blocks are made, they are not completely put together.  More than half is done and it would take very little time to finish this one.  Of course, that means borders and quilting.

4 – How Does My Garden Grow

I made this quilt during the Allatoona Retreat earlier this year.  It actually has the borders on it but needs more flowers cut and fused, then stitched down before it can be quilted.

5 – Log Cabin Stars

This one is actually finished – at least the top is.  I need to find a backing for it and get it quilted.

6 – Floral Log Cabins

This one has all the blocks made and put together.  I need to decide if it needs a border, find a backing and quilt it.

7 – Dear Jane Row by Row

This was a round robin from several years ago.  It has a slight problem since the bottom two rows were about 2 inches longer than the previous rows.  I took them off but I need to figure out how to fix it so it lays relativity flat.  Of course, it then needs border and quilting.

8 – Stack and Whack Fans

I took a class from Bethany Reynolds and made these fans.  The fabric is not great since I purchased it at Joann’s.  I was unemployed at the time and money was tight.  Only about 1/2 the blocks have the fan appliqued on the background but it looks like everything is there.

9 – Southern California Shop Hop Quilt

This is probably not technically an UFO since it isn’t started but I want to get it made.  I love this fabric that was unique to the Southern California Shop Hop two years ago.  The pattern is BQ2.

10 – Fall Border Round Robin

I found this quilt top earlier this year and could hardly remember it.  It is a fall quilt, with leaves and fall colors – not really my type of quilt but the top is done so I should get it finished.  I did buy fabric for the backing earlier this year.  After I purchased it, we decided to make kits for another quilt and needed the fabric I purchased.  I returned it and bought another leaf print which I then put somewhere safe – hopefully I can figure out where that is when it’s number comes up.

11 – Glorified Nine Patch

This is another class project from a class with Sharyn Craig several years ago.  I have several blocks completed, many other nine patches made and a hand drawn layout along with the bright print for the borders.

12 – Thimbleberries Flannel Quilt

This one needs a couple of borders added to it before it can be quilted.  I really don’t like it but it will be good for a charity quilt so I would like to finish it so I can donate it.

I really hope I can keep up with the UFO Challenge – I would love to have all these done by the end of 2011.

Melinda

White Christmas

We are having a White Christmas.  It started snowing a couple of hours ago and keeps on going.  According to the local weatherman, the last time it snowed on Christmas day in Atlanta was 1882 – over a hundred years ago.

I got up and made a pumpkin roll and since we had overripe bananas, I also made a loaf of banana nut bread.  I started the cheese sauce for cheesy potatoes.  While I was doing this, Bill was getting sicker and sicker.  I think it is just a bad cold but I finally called and cancelled our appearance at dinner with friends.  He would be miserable but more important, I didn’t want him to infect everyone else.

I had purchased a ham a couple of days ago because they were on sale so I got it out and stuck it in the oven.  We won’t go hungry.  I had planned on cooking it tomorrow but today will work.

Still snowing out – it is pretty but the doggies don’t like it.

Melinda

Merry Christmas to All

Merry Christmas to all from my house in Georgia to yours wherever you are!

Melinda

Fat Quarter Swap

I joined Aunt Pitty Pat’s Fat Quarter swap and finally got my package off to Carla.  Here is what she sent to me.

I love everything she sent.  The ornament is hanging on the tree and the fat quarters are joining their friends in the sewing room.  I think I sent her the same rickrack!  Love the little zipper bag with tea inside.

I don’t think she will receive my package until early next week but I hope she enjoys what I got for her.

Thank you Carla!

Melinda

Jack in the Box

Living in the south, we don’t have Jack in the Box restaurants – I wish we did.  Anyway, I have had an antenna Jack for the last couple of years on my little red car.  Here is poor, sad Jack.

He doesn’t look like much, does he?  At our Christmas dinner on Monday, Danielle gave me this.

My little red car looks quite spiffy with Jack on the antenna – also makes it much easier to find my car in parking lots.

When my children were teenagers, the Jack in the Box chain decided to give up having Jack as their mascot.  They actually blew up Jack (he was where you gave your order).  The kids couldn’t believe that Jack was gone and it turned out that he came back about 14 years later.  You can read about it here if you are not familiar with Jack’s story.

Thank you Danielle – Jack is happy to be in my garage at night and is enjoying his trips to new places.

Melinda