First UFO ...

Why does the energy and drive take us to start things and work feverishly to complete already started ones as well as promises to ones self in the new year? That blank page needs to be filled maybe?!!!

I started off with good intentions as we always do. Unfortunately life got in the way: We traveled with our granddaughter to New York City and when you travel, there is no sewing machine to work on. So I took some hand sewing to finish up the first of the UFOs for the year. (3.4 yds busted)
 a table topper for fall.

While sewing it on the plane, I also realized that it would make a good lap quilt if outside - not too heavy, not too light, just right.

This was the only thing that I took with me. A good thing really as we ended up with very little time in the evenings as we filled each day to overflowing, playing tourist and seeing everything that we could to the max.

I also finished up a knitted toque which turned out to be too small for DHs head. Oh well, now I will have to make a set of it and donate it to my mother's senior's initiative. (inner city children that often have no winter coverage)

Now on to making all the lists and excel spreadsheets for the year: UFOs, JOTs, FAB4s, To do's, and NEW projects that I want to do.

And so it goes ......... Happy "busy hands"  

Quilted UFO #1...

A couple of days ago I read emails and discovered that I was in position #3 of the Ladies in Waiting for the Queen position in the Stashbuster's UFO Challenge, and I haven't even made it to the quilt shop to get my application "fees" yet. So, heeding the thumping of the heart - do I want to don the regal wardrobe while riding the TransWorld Express (train)? I think not. So as soon as we got the RV out of storage and parked, out came Miss Betsy and a review of what I had to accomplish in the way of UFO's and "want to do's" and what would take the least amount of time. "Winter", a 2013 Christmas present left behind during our travels, received the winning vote. I started with this ...

 The fabric chosen and started, getting to this point  The colours seen in direct winter sunlight did not have the effect and value that I had hoped for when choosing them. If I remember correctly the lighting in the store was incandescent but I had thought daylight. So the first dilemma: Do I want to change the fabrics and start over by ripping put what has been done. NO! So I persevered. I didn't dislike the colours but rather they were a little off for the reason I was doing this - a 2013 Christmas present (not taken with me on our travels). Their Christmas dishes are blues and silver yet the fabrics, in direct sunlight, have a distinct purplish hue to the blues. So we will see how it goes over, and if necessary, I can remake it. 

A marathon day of sewing and binding sewn as I traveled to the doctor appointment, I completed tonight and this is what I have ...  20 x 60" table runner.

Completed. Done. Move me down out of the Ladies in Waiting list.

On to another subject: Knitting. During conversations with my granddaughter and me knitting a scarf for myself out of lacy silk fiber, she hinted, albeit indirectly, that she would love to have a cowl. All the kids in school were wearing them. So off I headed, ended with a white synthetic with a slight sparkle (probably way too much, maybe enough for two), needles and a downloaded pattern from the internet. 

 A good travel project for sure: 15" wide and 54" long, then connected end to end through provisional casting on. By the time I had gotten to our parking spot for this week, I had already knit quite a bit and also realized that this particular pattern, cute as it is, draws the width in to about 12", not quite as big as I wanted it. With re-evaluation I realized two things: need bigger needles and more stitches.  Still, it will be quite nice when finished, and, quite warm. Of course, now that I am making her one, the temperatures will remain high here in Texas, :) and I have another UFO on my hands.

So now, what UFO project will be next? I am thinking, the "Monkeys Jumping on the Bed as it will be a stitch in the ditch finish and then binding for completion. During this process I will also get started on DGD's new one for her newly redone bedroom. I am hoping to alternate new with a UFO for more progress. For travel I will take the appliqué Merry Merry Snowmen.

'til later ....

Another bites the dust ...

As I continued to regard the pile of flimsies that I have in my UFO pile, I hoped to finish at least one, if not two more before leaving on our epic saga on the Appalachian Trail. Going to the stash cupboard as I so fondly call it, I pulled out the next one on the pile - no pawing through it, just right off the top. Aaaah it was Danny's nappie quilt flimsy, Stairway to Dreams. Started in Colombia, it has remained in the same condition since returning stateside, altho the backing had been bought late last summer - black fleece.

I decided to not sandwich it with batting, just the flimsy and the fleece as it is to be used while napping on the chesterfield inside. Pinning every 4 inches to hold them together, I had forgotten about the inherent quality of fleece sticking to anything. I "stitched in the ditch" around the stairs giving an even checkered appearance on the back. In the border I random FM'd including my label and some cutesie love notes within the random FM'ing. I had wanted to try machine sewing the binding on and thought that I had built in enough fabric when cutting the binding. I hadn't allowed for the fact that my accu-feed 1/4" foot isn't an accurate 1/4",  rather almost 1/3". Normally I have to adjust the needle position to get it. I plumb forgot to do this so I didn't have enough to go over the seam line, just too it. Ended up hand-sewing it after all. But now it is done, and done is done. It is used and enjoyed which to me is the very best compliment anyone can give the giver of a gift like that.

Here it is:

Now on to the wall hanger which is next in line. This one needs to be finished trapunto-ed and then pieced. But wait, what about Miss Chrissy? Yes I need to work on her as well.

Continue to work sporadically on the Craftsy BOM2012. Late is the word as they have already published one for 2013. Not sure if I will even look at it as I have so much to do and so little time left before leaving again. I plan on quilting as I go with the BOM blocks while attempting my hand at FM quilting, learning new motifs and maneuvers.

April BOM blocks:

A Wild Wacky Wonderful Woman

Danny hikes. Danny cycles. I cycle but not nearly as far nor as long. Simply too hot for me. So I have spent the last couple of days working on projects interspersed with housework, cooking, and ....

I completed my Wild Wacky Wonderful Woman wall hanger this afternoon. I had to add an outside border fabric as the wild stuff I had was too overpowering. Found this ecru faintly mottled fabric in another project that needs to be finished. It even has faint purple mottling in it that is more prominent because of the binding.What a thrill to hang her up. No wall space to put it in but I found that a couple of quilting pins through the stitch in the ditch and I could attach it to the valance over the window. Looks awesome and vitalizes me when I look at her.

I don't often keep my work, in fact, they are usually started as a gift in mind. My WWWWoman was just that. Started in 2002 as a Christmas gift, never finished, gift not needed, I love her, she is mine!

Now on to the original UFO Challenge project - Stairway to Dreams. It still sits on the chesterfield looking forlorn and dejected. Never mind, you will come out of the bag tonight and be aired for a tomorrow start.

I have also finished up my special project that can't be shown yet as it is a gift for a dear friend. It goes to the finishers next week. Received notice that my Enchanted Sleigh is finished as well. Now to get it mailed to me so that I can finally see it. The shop people are raving about it and how it looks. I can hardly wait. Will have it sent to the park where we are going to the Rally so will have it by the beginning of Monday week.

As for Cleo's Cat, nothing new to report.

UFO/Stashbusters

Sometime ago I joined a Yahoo! group called Stashbusters. I wanted to join their UFO group but discovered that I couldn't amount for my stash - most of it is in storage in Nacogdoches and all I have with me are the UFOs that I had decided to finish while on the road. I can add up the yardage with those but it certainly won't be indicative of the reality of my stash. So I change focus -

I signed up to finish a UFO on bother group instead. I have decided that I will finish Danny's nappie quilt for him. He has mentioned it a couple of times. So I pull it out and the aargh, black fleece that he chose for the backing. At least I won't have to use any batting in it.  This is how it looked when I pulled it out of the stash cupboard.

 This is how it looks full out.

"Stairway to Dreams"

I signed up, uploaded the required photos, pulled out the equipment from the basement, set up the machine, gathered the supplies and ... found another UFO that I decided to finish first.

 

These are the front and back panels for a tote to carry my various supplies for quilting classes that I had made let summer while waiting for my Peace Corps assignment to start. I will need the bag the middle of the month at a RV rally that I am almost positive they will have at least one quilting class at. I had received the squares in a stash exchange that I had participated in while in Panama. So I re-measured, planned, cut, sewed, lined, and finished the bag in a marathon sewing day yesterday while my DH was out exploring various hiking trails. The finished product, lined with a deep pocket to hold rulers in:

I tried to be somewhat liberated with this but found that even when I tried I was rigid and regimented. I have to work on that concept harder and more persistently. 

And then I came across another UFO in the closet. This is for a small wall hanger for the kitchen area of the RV and I just had to finish it. (I wonder if all these finishes will count for the UFO Challenge?)

 This is what I started with: a cross stitched worked in floss and Kreinik blending filament to give it a shiny appearance. The wild print was originally planned for the border but I am thinking it will overpower the motif. So I am planning on making only a 1/2" border and then finding an off-white piece for the rest of the border. I will back and bind with the purple. As of tonight, I am ready to bind it, but that will have to wait until tomorrow as a headache is brewing.

As for my original idea, well, it still sits beside the machine on the chesterfield, looking forlorn and dejected as it waits in line. "Next, I promise." I say but it has a hard time believing me. ha ha

Tiny Trinkets

Back in February I talked about a project that I had finished stitching but as I hadn't finished it, I could not claim it as a finished UFO. "Tiny Trinkets" (http://2busyhands.blogspot.com/2012/02/tiny-trinkets.html) was an online project of CyberPointers, an Yahoo group that I belong to. This project finally spoke to me in the form of a wonderful gift for Mother's Day. Truly a garden for a gardener!

 I quilted the inner borders and made it puffy with batting.

I finished it up and sent it on it's way to arrive in Canada while we were on the road. What a hassle - now the shipping company has to have Power of Attorney to take things like that across the frontier into Canada. What a hoot! But it arrived safely, without duty, and now holds the place of honor on the TV in the living room for all to see, enjoy and comment on.