I’ve been working on UFO quilts for most of the summer. Â I wanted to check my progress and see how I was doing. Â I’ve not concentrated on any one project so it’s really hard to see how far along I’ve actually come. Â I started to try to figure it out all in my head but then thought it might be easier to write a blog post instead. Â I copied my original post with pictures and then added an update.
Up first…Blue Skies.  This is from the String Fling book….  I have a bag of strings ready to go for this and it’s all cut out.  Not a stitch has been sewn.  UPDATE:  Nothing is sewn still.
Next up…Cheddar Bowties…This is from More Adventures with Leaders and Enders.  I have about 1/3 of the blocks sewn.  I have the border segments sewn too.  UPDATE:  Nothing has changed.
Fair and Square I fantasize about.  Kelli has her’s done and I love it.  It’s been a long time favorite of mine.  It’s in Scraps and Shirttails II.  I have the white strips cut and will just grab my 1 1/2″ bucket and start in sewing once the mood and time aligns.  I’m very excited about this one…Not a stitch is sewn.  UPDATE:  All the border segments are made but need to be sewn together.  The checkerboard blocks are almost finished.  No string piecing started.
On the rack to be quilted are Bricks and Stepping Stones for a Wedding quilt….Jingle Bell Square and Wonky Wishes….  I’m excited about them all.  I have backings prepped picked out for two of them.  I know I am keeping Jingle Bell Square and Wonky Wishes for myself so, you know how it goes if you long arm, your own stuff gets finished last.  UGH!  UPDATE:    Jingle Bell Square is not finished.  See it here. Bricks and Stepping Stones is finished.  See it here.
Here is Pfefferneuse.  It’s all cut out. This is in String Fling.  UPDATE:  I have all the hour glass blocks finished.
Let’s not forget Pineapple Crazy…Also in String Fling.  I have about 20 more center blocks to do and ALL of the outside border blocks to do. (That count was wrong…should have said 38)  UPDATE:  I have 9 blocks left for the center to do.
Here is Virginia Bound.  That one has been at a stand still.  I had run out of shirt strings…well I didn’t run out.  I did run out of variety.  Being I have LOTS more shirts cut up now, I could get back to this project.  It is in Scraps and Shirttails I.  I started this in Moline when we saw Bonnie.  UPDATE:  I have 10 more blocks done than I did before.  I’ve been sewing them leader and ender style.
Rectangle Wrangle.  I love this quilt.  I adore this quilt.  When I saw the book Scraps and Shirttails for the first time this is the quilt I most wanted to make.  The strips for the inside blocks are all cut out.  Not a stitch is sewn on it.  I want this quilt for me and only me….again, things for me get set aside.  UPDATE:  I have the center finished and sewn together.
This is Rick Rack Nines.  It is in Leaders and Enders.  This one got started by accident.  The 2″ bucket was overflowing and needed taming.  I have all of the segments sewn and cut but only a few blocks are together.  UPDATE:  This one is complete.  You can see it here.
Star Struck I started not to long ago.  I’ve made good progress on it.  It started as something I could work on over nap time.  In the mornings before child care I’d get up early and sew.  Then during nap time I’d cut the strips into segments.  The blocks are all finished.  I’m starting the sashing debate….it’s been stuck there.  I have the border pieces cut and will start leader and ender sewing them soon.  UPDATE:  No progress.
Here is Santa Fe Star.  I loved this quilt when I saw it in the book, String Fling, the first time and still do.  I have the flying geese next to my sewing machine and have been leader and ender sewing them over the past month or so.  I think this one stalled out because sewing those diamonds isn’t in my exact comfort zone.  I need to just start sewing them.  I am sure once I do, it will be no big deal…but then it’s the set in seams.  UGH.  I know…excuses-excuses.  I am doing a little debate on what color to do the red/orange background….print or solid??  I just need to do it.  I’ve given myself a reprieve on it until the flying geese are finished…then no excuses.  UPDATE:  The center star is finished.  The border flying geese are finished and sewn together.  I need to decide on a background print.
Talkin’ Turkey I started WAY back when that block was in Quiltmaker’s 100 blocks before the book even came out.  I almost have the red string pieces sewn but that’s it.  That’s in String Fling.  UPDATE:  I’ve cut out the flying geese.
Here is Texas Braid.  It’s in Leaders and Enders.  I haven’t sewn a stitch on it.  For a few years I had the pieces cut but not the red corner stones.  I never had enough of the same reds.  Then a couple month ago over nap time when I needed something to do, I cut them out.  I ended up just using whatever reds I had.  They don’t match and I’m actually happy that I came to that conclusion.  Still no stitching….  UPDATE:  The braids are all sewn.  I have to trim them and sew them together.  I am working up some bravery to trim them.
Here’s Winston Ways.  I’m not quite sure if some people would call this a UFO…I am though because I have ever intention of making it.  This has been set aside for quite awhile now.  It’s a box of red and white strips.  Any day, I’ll grab this and start sewing the red and white four patches….I don’t have any other part cut out.  UPDATE:  I am to the assembling process and even have about eight blocks sewn together.
Hmmm….That was 16 projects.
Most of them were in “only cut out stage”. Â I Â have three finished. Â I have three that are close to being tops.
I also added one to the fold….Bricks in the Barnyard. Â The half square triangles are all sewn for that….next up block assembly.
I might have done a little better had I concentrated on projects but that was hard with the cast on my foot…..either I couldn’t dig for a fabric or knew that even if I did complete a top, I wouldn’t be able to machine quilt it. Â Hopefully with the walking cast that can change a bit.
I didn’t do nearly as good as I was hoping with my UFO sewing. Â I guess I had hoped to finish at least half of them but alas…that didn’t happen. Â (I think wedding quilt sewing got in the way) My original goal was to work on the UFOs until Bonnie Hunter’s new book arrived at my house…well, it has. Â Now I’m making a new plan. Â I’m going to keep sewing on them until the new mystery comes out. Â I’ll be here every Wednesday morning showing you my progress. Â I’ll keep the linky party up and running for anyone who wants to continue to join me.
For my continued work on UFOs I am going to reward myself by letting myself pick a quilt from the new Bonnie Hunter book to start working on…hmmm. Â Now which one will that be? Â Any suggestions?
Great job on all the finished quilts! All the bits and pieces done on the other quilts probably add up to another finish. One comment, The”rolling ads” on your site make it hard to read it on my Samsung Galaxy S5. Any way to I can change that?
Jo, really……. you have 13 Bonnie quilts in the making…… and no finishes from this summer of working on UFOs. Why not finish 5 of those quilts….. finish not just work on. Bonnie quilts are a lot of work….. and you have so much work just sitting there as UFOs. I know you can do it as you are great at showing us what you work on. All it would take is a slight shift in your thinking to finish…… so I would suggest you not start a new Bonnie quilt until there are several finishes first. That was tough to write as you are so generous with your blog posts.
Well now, I need to amend what I just wrote. Went back to reread the post as I was a bit confused by all the different quilts. You have finished 3 and that is great. But the 13 left is a lot of work just sitting there. It takes time to keep track of that many UFOs in the working. I have at least that many UFOs but they are just on a shelf waiting for “some day”. They don’t take up any mental energy. They don’t get moved around, etc. I have worked this year on UFOs and have finished more quilts this year than the prior 5 years. Once I get really working they get finished and FINISHED is so good…. You said you were going to pick a quilt in the new book… and picking and starting are two different things… so pick away, just don’t start until you have more finishes out of your sewing space.
You have done a fantastic job with your UFOs especially considering your limitations in getting the supplies you need and that you are involved in child care all day! I can’t believe what you have accomplished! Congratulations! We all have lots of projects going on so if you want to start another I say go for it! YouhavedY finished three of the sixteen you started with. I havent even counted my UFOs ! You will get them done eventually. Give yourself a break and do what you want. I have learned a good tip from you and that is to pick a quilt I want to work on and then when I cut my leftovers I cut them into sizes for that one. Make lots of sense.
Jo, considering your foot surgery and everything else you do, having three finishes is fantastic! I love having projects waiting for me in the wings… even some old friends that haven’t been worked on in a while. I also love having a variety to choose from when I get some sewing time. My favorite pattern from Bonnie’s new book is Pinwheel Fancy — I plan to make it from Civil War fabrics. Idaho Square Dance looks right up your alley as well with all the red, white and blue! Whichever you choose, I’m sure it will be fabulous.
I am amazed at how much you were able to accomplish especially when you consider your foot surgery! You have been a great example to me of getting quilts cut out ahead of time so you always have something to work on. I need to get into that mindset. I have the center of Grand Illusions finally done and ironed and am now piecing the borders. Excited to finally finish the top but will need to get the guides on my long arm table stuck back on before I can start quilting anything. It’s been a little over a year since we moved and I still haven’t done that!
finishing is not nearly as important as loving the whole process. If I never finish, I have felt creative and alive and involved. I’ve seen visions of how they will look and had hope. I quilt the way I need to feel, hopeful -I start something, creative – I plan, productive – I sew, successful – I do the finishing, mindful – I do handwork, social – I do something with my small groups. We are very lucky to be quilters. If I have every quilt Bonnie has designed started and not finished – that would be just fine. love what you do and how you do it.
love it love it love ! Love the whole creative mess. Love so many unfinished projects. Most of all, love your enthusiasm. Just keep going on full tilt, dear. You only get one life – enjoy every minute of it – if that means starting a new quilt, do it ! do it , do it!!!
You’ve made a lot of progress on several different projects–congratulations! Because of your challenge, I’ve finished some projects, too–thanks for that. :)
You are just like the rest of us quilters. Someone made a fabric with all kinds of sayings.They must of new me. PhD projects half done. TGIF thank god it’s finished . WISP work in slow progress. And the one I like the best is WHIMM works hidden in my mind. This fabric makes you laugh .
You’ve done well considering your busy life and foot issues. I’m retired now, and no surgery, and still haven’t gotten nearly enough sewing done. I did finally press and count out the little spool blocks for Spoolin’ Around and discovered I needed 163 more so have been cutting those. The fabrics for Allietare are all selected and waiting to be cut. Scrappy Mountain Majesties is blocks now. Just need to get them pressed and find time when I’m not canning or freezing something to get them laid out and the top put together. My fellow Quilt Club members think I’m crazy for liking to sew all those little pieces and I always tell them you have to love the process. Those quick quilts in the bright fabrics can be beautiful, but they just don’t grab me the way scrappy quilts with tons of different fabrics do.
You do beautiful work – Just do what makes you happy!
When we were kids, my dad used to tell us about an old rancher he worked for on his first ‘job’ as a boy. The old fellow used to impart wisdom from time to time and a favorite was, “Every little bit you save/do, is a little bit more than before.” That seems like a good thought when you look at how much you’ve worked on your UFOs this summer. Maybe you didn’t finish quite as much as you hoped, but so many of them are at least “a little bit more than before”. Continuing to work on them until the Mystery feels like maybe a natural time to shift gears. As long as you continue to enjoy it, you’ll get there.
I have a simple comment, Jo….Congratulations on all the progress you made!! It is amazing!!
And, while you were making all that progress on your UFOs, you were inspiring all of us to push on with our own UFO projects….Thank You!!!
Can I give you a Whoop Whoop! Three finishes! Another NINE where the work has been moved forward! You cannot be disappointed considering that work on even ONE BH quilt is equivalent to the work on three regular quilts! As I’ve realized recently in my own work, tracking progress on a quilt project is like tracking exercise progress — it’s not just how far you walked but how many steps you took along the way. Looking forward to see which project from the new book gets the honor of being made!!
You have done so well with everything you have faced this year…You never give up…You actually have gotten a lot done….I know how it is when things aren’t “right” and I have never been as low as you were…
Wow! You are really inspiring me! I have been following your progress on the UFOs and despite your foot problem you have gotten lots done! This weekend I got 4 double shoebox sized plastic totes with lids, and I loaded 2 UFOs in 2 of them, and all of my English paper piecing projects in a 3rd, and some other not-quite-started projects in the 4th. My workroom table is completely cleared! Every day I work a little more on your
Stairs and Stepping Stones quilt, which I making pretty large. After I work on that for awhile, I play and experiment with trying to learn new-to-me techniques. Thanks for giving me the sense that we all can make lots of quilts, 15 minutes or an hour at a time!