I am on a roll with UFOs right now. Â I want to keep rolling. Â I always struggle with a balance between feeling guilty that I’m not working on Charity Quilt tops and wanting to do some of my own things. If anyone has insight on that, please share.
Anyway..I’m trying to keep my UFO momentum going.
Last week I asked you if I should add a border to my Santa Fe String Star. Â (This is from Bonnie Hunter’s book String Fling) Â The majority said yes and in my heart I felt that I should, so I did. Â What do you think?
Me, I like it lots. Â I think the batik was perfect for the background. Â PERFECT. Â It was long ago suppose to be a backing for a different project but it didn’t happen. Â I’m so happy it worked out this way instead.
If you look at the picture above, you can see that the quilt isn’t completely flat. Â Try as I might, it was not perfect. Â I was a little frustrated with that but thought that it wasn’t bad. Â If I could be careful when quilting, I think it would all work out. Â I did know that if I put the quilt top aside I would fret about how it didn’t lay completely flat and then likely it would sit in the pile and I’d never do it. Â So I took it straight to the quilt machine.
Time to pick thread color…what do you think?
I ended up with the dark charcoal on top. Â Right or wrong, it’s what I did.
It’s on the frame and I have about a third of it done. Â So far, everything is working out perfectly. Â Once it got on the frame and was able to be adjusted most of the problems that were keeping if from lying completely flat. Â I think it’s going to work out just great. Â I’m going for a big push and my fingers are crossed that I might have this done by Friday….dare I hope?
While I’ve been working on this I pulled my Star Struck quilt from the UFO pile. Â Remember I am working on keeping my momentum. Â Well I figured being I have the blocks all finished and only need the sashing that it might be a good candidate to work on.
Well I miss judged the amount of fabric that I’d need by six inches. Â I sent out an SOS to the blog readers and WOW. Â I got the best responses. Â I so appreciate it. Â I ended up buying 1 1/8 yards. Â That’s more than I need but that’s completely ok. Â I might end up using it for binding, we’ll see.
For curious minds, this is what it ended up being.
Now I wait for it come….and finish up Santa Fe String Star.
You can find me right back here next week. I’m hoping that Star Struck fabric is in and that I’m going again…or I can always pull another UFO. Goodness knows I have plenty!!
I’m going to finish a BOM today! It’s been about a year since I started this and putting it together I liken to a jigsaw puzzle as its not just zipping across the different blocks..I’m afraid there’s going to be several y seams..not my favorite but it’s going to get done today!!
I had a big push for my guild quilt show last weekend, then I caught a miserable cold. I’m in the coughing phase right now, so I thought I’d spare hubby and play on the interwebs so he could get a bit more sleep. My quilting momentum came to screeching halt with the cold. Should get it back in the next day or two.
Jo, balance your quilting time and do half charity and half “me” if you are really struggling. You should NEVER feel like you must work on others and not your own. The joy of quilting is a treasure and your own work is as important as anything else.
Love that quilt with the border. Nice job! I haven’t sat down to the sewing machine in about a month now. I have spent almost every waking spare minute transcribing minutes from the 1920s Women’s Christian Temperance Union for our local library. While it was a fun project to do, it was labor intensive and had a deadline…the end of the month. I made it! So now hopefully I can get back to my machine. I’m still working on my last clue for En Provence. :-)
I have no advice on the charity vs. UFO work. My mother taught me to feel guilty too. LOL Right now I am finishing a charity project and vowing to NOT take on charity work where it isn’t just me donating a quilt I wanted to make to the charity. Like you do for the women’s shelter in FL. :) The problem is I have limited time (full time job, long commute, small children) so I need to use my sewing time to relax and NOT feel like it is another job!! I am buying String Flings because every quilt you make from the book is wonderful. I am loving your star! the batik is beautiful.
The quilt looks great with your border choice and I hope you show us all when its finished. Your UFO pile must be getting smaller by now since you are making strides threw the list.
Beautiful job on the String Star! I’m sure that by the time you have quilted and laundered it no one will ever know it wasn’t completely flat.
As far as feeling guilty, don’t! You have a full time job and a family so there aren’t a lot of idle hours. One way you could deal with charity quilts is set aside a certain day to be charity quilt day. Another way you could handle it is to alternate projects. Whatever you decide to do don’t let your self feel guilty when you work on yurt own projects! They are the ones that feed your soul and creativity. If you let yourself feel guilty then you may begin to resent working on charity quilts and that doesn’t help anyone.
This quilt just gets better and better! I would use the grey thread, but look forward to your choice.
As for your sewing vs charity? I was taught there should always be a spark of joy in our service to others and the Lord. There are times a job just needs to be done, but then the knowledge we are filling an immediate need usually spurs us on. That is balanced by your contribution to your family’s workload & economy by creating beautiful gifts and keeping your loved ones warm and loved in those quilts. I think those ratios of time shift from time to time but our joy should be reasonably constant. I know, not that helpful. Ha!
I don’t do as many charity quilts as you do. What is working for me right now on UFOs is I plan an hour a day for them, but I actually mean is 7 hours a week. I have a goal of bringing at least one thing every month to show and tell. I often get caught up in working on a UFO and do more hours once I get started, but if I am meeting my goal then I feel free to play on something new. So on Sun I sewed 40 mins on a UFO, then Monday I took the quilt off the frame, put binding on, and hand sewed the binding for a total of 4.5 more hrs – so today I know I am on track to complete my 7 hrs by Saturday so I can sew on something new, if I wish.
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I’m like a little hamster right now, running from one thing to another and along the way starting new ideas. Help!
It looks fabulous! I hope to see it in person someday, if you are doing a talk at a Quilt Show, or a trunk show.
I’m so glad that you choose the blue background. It really shines. As for the guilt feelings, I really understand. I’ve been spending my quilting time working on quilt tops for
a children’s camp, for the last 15 months. I want to work on something different. I had to remind myself that I’m not the only one working on those quilt tops and I shouldn’t think that they wouldn’t make their quota without me. So after finishing the tops that I have already started, I’m going to work on something for me. Thanks for sharing. Again, you
have made a beautiful quilt.
Love the blue border and the charcoal thread! I think it is important to take the time to do your own quilts. If I don’t do that, the joy of quilting kind of drains away. There will always be a need for charity quilts, so fit them where you can or decide to do a certain number each month.
I think that blue batik is perfect! Not much sewing this week for me, but I’m here to cheer you on. Go Jo!
Your star is Gorgeous! Nice work.
No progress for me. Sick. No energy. Hope I can sew some this weekend.