Saturday, December 15, 2012

Accountablity, Insight, WIP's progress, Resolutions w/flashbacks,

It's the weekend and it's time to sew!  Yeah!!

I'm know I'm still a little slow with the whole blogging and sewing thing right now,  but I'm feel like it's slowly coming back to me. Some of the problem is the time of year for me and the other part is we are still dealing with the family issues from the end of Oct.

But I have been making myself do something "quilty" every day as I still try to hold myself accountable in my sewing journals.  At the beginning of the year I have started my "quilt journal writing" process and I think I have only missed one,  maybe 2 days thought out the whole year.  I have made it part of my routine to write in it just before bed as to what I did for the day.  I even came up with an UFO list in it and managed to knock 10 out of 14 items off the list so far and number 11 is the hoop being hand quilted as we speak.  Now I know that for the most part they were smaller items and not full size quilts but I figure it was a start.  I have only really been truly quilting for about 3 years since I moved back to Michigan, but even I managed to acquire quite the UFO list. 

Ever since I started this, I'm really amazed on just how much time I have found for my "self-preservation therapy" as I like to refer to it.  I have discovered that I really enjoy doing several forms of hand work in the evenings as I "listen" to the TV.  I have found that it has had some other positive effects as well.  It has helped me to quit smoking for the last 20 months, help build my confidence in my skills, it has allowed me to get some instant gratification as I finish something even as simple as some mug rugs or wall hangings, it keeps me busy and in the last couple months, I have been going to the library to be a part of the little quilter's circle. By doing that, it has me out & about seeing people at least once a week. Which in a way has broken some of my reclusive and introverted behaviors. I was, at one point; only going out of the house once month on grocery day. I now spend quite a bit of time on the computer actually taking part in groups, heading up a few swaps, taking part in challenges ... basically being a part of the Computer society as I refer to it.  I'm not just lurking unseen, I have become a part of something. I'm making friends, chatting online and I even have one friend that I have been talking to on the phone close to once a week.  Talk about Progress!!! 

This week I'm proud to announce the I finally finished the Bright Baby quilt for Sue (you might remember it from my postings in May). Any hows.... it's currently winging it's way over to Scotland as we speak.  I did argue with myself about the binding as I looked at it again during the packing process, but with my OCD, I has to force myself to let it go!  I am quite happy to have meet my self imposed deadline that the grand baby it was made for would receive it in time for Christmas.  I did take some pictures of it but will wait to post them once it has been received as it sort of a surprise.  So please hang in there a little longer to see the end results.

What I'm a working on right now you might be wondering?  While it's quite the list and things are in a variety of stages.  I got an apron done for Steve.  I have it wrapped with a can of cashews and it sits under the tree waiting for him.  I been working on a extra long lap quilt for him on Wednesdays when I go to the library. I have it all tied, the binding fabric has been soaking to let loose any extra dye before I start cutting it and I just need to cut off the extra batting.  I should have that ready to under the tree just in time. 

I am currently in a holding pattern on my boy's "Boo" quilt that I was making. It needs some batting, but I have a pillowcase ready to be rocked out for him.  I have a couple extra days since he won't be here 'til the 28th.  I also have two wall hangings in the works and a table runner that I'm hand appliqueing the snowflakes on. Along with these swap items, I have a couple of mug rugs and a few pincushions to make.  But those shouldn't take too long as I'm pulling from my scrappy squares that I have really cut out for some 9-patch blocks. 

I'm also working on hand quilting an UFO (#11) that I started about this time last year.  I thought the piece that I designed up would have been a gift, but it ended up being much larger than I had anticipated so it was put aside and placed on my UFO list.  Well since I finished the baby quilt, I wanted to have something in the hoop and this piece really fit the bill as it was already sandwiched with a little of the cross hatch quilted.  This piece is a bit of everything with it's machine piecing, hand applique. It has cotton and crafter's felt on it, with a bit of primitive running stitch along with tiny blanket stitches on it's applique work.  There is nice bright prints combined with a version of my tea dyed muslin.  It seems to be a piece that I have mashed quite a few techniques on and I let them fall where they may. 

Lately I have been thinking about what I wanted to do in the New Year seeing how the commissioned piece has falling through.  I think I'm going to trying a work on some of my larger pieces this next year. I still have a couple "Slooooowwwww WIP's" (as I fondly refer to them) that I want to work on finishing up and maybe one or two of my Kits that I have.  I'm setting a goal of 3 with a possible 4th WIP's and a New Project with a pobbile 2nd.  I'm going to list them here so that everyone will know what I'm working on.

             My 2013 Resolution  List

The SLOOOWWW WIP's -- in no particular order:
  1. Feedsack Commons by Windham Fabrics  This was pattern for the top that I made for the Q & N Challenge.  I had pulled this one back out and have been making some additional progress on it. I have been trading this one off with 2 other applique projects that are in the works.  I have started to applique the vines/stems onto this sashing to begin the process of adding the period appliqued flowers.  This was the one where me & my partner Debbieann had decided to push that challenge even further by adding on to it.  Here is what my top looked like at the end of the challenge and how we planned to add on to it.  (http://tricia-ramblingsofaquilter.blogspot.com/2012_04_01_archive.html) I believe this one might be queen/king once I complete the added sashings & borders.
  2. "Tulips from a Friend"  as it's referred to for now. This was the tulip pre-cut kit that was gifted to me by my friend in Wisconsin.  Progress is slow but there's progress none the less.  This one of the Hand Applique projects that I have going on right now. I think this one will be queen/king size when finished.
  3. "Sunflowers & Crows"  This is the one currently in the floor hoop and I talked about earlier. This is one of my "Frankenstein" designs. It just needs it's hand quilting done and binding put on. This one is a lap quilt size.
If I get the above done, I'm adding this one to the list:
  1. "Summertime Nine"  This is coming from a swap that I took part in on my homesteading group and need to make additional nine-patches to bring it up to twin size for the guest/son's bed. This is one of the those projects that I can do to tame some of my scraps as I turn them into "workable" squares.
The New Kits On the Broad:
  1. "Hearts Are All Around" This is a BOM from the UK Magazine "Popular Patchwork"  that my friend from Scotland  sent to me last year for Christmas.  I have most of the fabrics picked out. I will be starting the Red work/ Embroidery as soon I find my chosen flosses as I have decided on a different color way that will challenge me to reach beyond on my "normal" palette.
If I get all of the above quilts completed I'm going to get this one started once those are all done.
  1. "Quilt Barn Quilts" (by Wellington House Designs) This was just given to me a couple of weeks ago for my birthday from one my library quilty friends.  She was generous that day and introduced me to a LQS named Elm Creek Ltd.  (no .. not related to the books lol). We was out for the day and was in awe in this little shop. It is one of those has a bit of everything but the quilting section was to die for.  My was walking around it with my jaw hanging and resembled a kid let loose in the candy shop with a unlimited budget!!! It was a site to see  I'm sure.  So not only did I get the pattern, I got all the fixings to make this wonderful top.  Here is what the pattern looks like if you're wondering ... http://www.riversedgefabric.com/pop.php?f=/item_images/redbarn_wallhang 1613.gif
So that is my list of goals.  I'm sure I will still take part in some swaps but this next year I'm going for more of  the "me & mine" projects.  I found that I get so wrapped up in the swapping that I tend to forget that I have my own personal projects that I want to work on. I know that I have several other WIP's/UFO projects that are mentally on this list and if I actually get to those that's GREAT!! But this is my "okay now I've made it public I HAVE to work on these" list.  It should prove interesting to see if I can get theses done.  Some are  bigger than others and there will be lots of hand stitching in one form or another but it's more of making the commitment more then anything else.

So what you think?  Are you looking for ways to hold yourself accountable to yourself with your quilting?  Have you started to think about what you want to accomplish in this next year? Feel free to share your goals with me & others.

I highly recommend starting that Quilt Journal Keeping process. It's been very helpful to me.  I have worked out a way that I work on my sewing machine during the day but I really do most of my work in the evenings after supper and settling in for that TV Time and feel quite productive.

As always, I love comments, hearing your thoughts on things that I write about. So come share with me. I do read them all and try to respond to them.  But for now I'll leave you thinking about next weeks topic of "Pay it Forward"  I have touched on this before and want to revisit the subject. It's time to put this edition to bed as they use to say in the printed newspaper days.

Toodles,
Tricia 

2 comments:

  1. Thanks for sharing! My sister and I are challenging each other to finish one project a month starting in January. I want to tame my stash, I have several tops I want to quilt. I will put one in the frame to start hand quilting in January. I want to do some charity quilts for our guild. And I am sure other things will make the list.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks for sharing! My sister and I are challenging each other to finish one project a month starting in January. I want to tame my stash, I have several tops I want to quilt. I will put one in the frame to start hand quilting in January. I want to do some charity quilts for our guild. And I am sure other things will make the list.

    ReplyDelete