UFO Challenge...Gulp!

First let me distract you with a pretty picture!

This is a pattern I've designed. I'm calling it Piet's Garden right now, but that might change. It is also the newest entry on my UFO list.

I'm writing this post to list out my UFOs and join Judy's challenge. Go here. She's having everyone list 12 and commit to finishing them this year. I've never done a challenge like this before, and I have a lot of projects, so I'm going to list all of them and pick one each month. This way I'll have enough variety and not feel constrained. I relied on an older list for the projects that are "in storage", but since I haven't touched most of them I'll assume they are still there. :) The elves never seem to come in the night and finish things for me. The list also includes a few non- or not-quite-quilting projects, like cross stitch and some silk ribbon things. OK...deep breath. Here goes:

1. Grandmother's Flower Garden
2. applique stars
3. Tennessee Waltz
4. Snowball/9-patch
5. Chez Moi quilt 1
6. Chez Moi quilt 2
7. Fabric roses
8. Subway quilt
9. Licorice quilt
10. Strippy quilt
11. Piet's garden
12. Elise's quilt
13. quilted pillow cover
14. Le Jardin BOM
15. squares quilt for LR
16. Portobello market runner
17. Glorified nine-patch hanging
18. Oz pinwheels
19. Fassett snowballs
20. squares table runner
21. tiny 4 patches
22. silk scarf
23. Cross-stitch alphabet sampler
24. Amy butler pinwheels
25. Vintage Valentine BOM
26. wool baskets pillow
27. Buzzin' along applique
28. Sunbonnet sue cheryl
29. small art quilt
30. stone lark quilt
31. Black and pink 4 patch
32. Black and orange runner
33. hummingbird applique
34. honeybee blocks
35. Rise and shine quilt
36. Canterbury bells applique
37. Floribunda hangings
38. Hawaiian appliques
39. peppermint pinwheels
40. Amish baskets
41. tangerine tropicale

My version of Carolina Christmas

Thanks for listening to me rant on my previous post. All the important stuff got done, even though my dining room looks like Santa's workshop exploded in it. Just my usual Christmas meltdown.

I finished the binding on the quilt from two posts ago. (note to self: go take a picture.)

I also finished my Carolina Fall quilt. I'm really happy with it, but those triangles nearly kicked my you-know-what. I had a few issues when I got done. I used a hand-dyed fabric on the border. It bled when I washed it. (yes, I pre-washed it) If you squint at the picture, some of the background fabric looks a little....dingy. If you're feeling less charitable it looks minty. My advice to you: If you're going to use hand-dyed fabrics, know your source. Wash them first and use a dye catcher or synthrapol when you wash the quilt. This is the second time I've used fabric from this dyer and the second quilt I've had very nearly ruined because of it. Despite, the....minty-ness, which I am still getting over, I'm pleased with how it turned out. I didn't clip off any points on the triangles, and I came up with a clever way to fix the border when I ran short of fabric. (note to self: don't measure when tired)

This is also the first quilt I have made for my husband and I to actually sleep under. And, no the one on the couch doesn't count.

I also finished this wool applique throw pillow which looks really great on the Fall quilt above. This was a really fun kit I got from Bits and Pieces by Joan at her booth at International Quilt Festival a couple of years ago. Go look at her site. She has tons of stinkin' cute stuff. www.bitsandpiecesbyjoan.com

Alright. back to work on my UFO list.

Ann

Highway to ....Christmas

Does anyone else out there think Christmas isn't any fun anymore? I feel like I've been run over by a big red and green semi-truck. I'm roadkill on the Christmas highway.

The final straw was last weekend. I went out into the world where, you know, there are people, and all of them were shopping. Yes, I knew what I was getting into. I had girded myself for the 3 stops I had to make, including driving out to one store almost an hour away. All of this in a miserable, cold rain. Store One went fine. The returns were fine. Not too crowded. Found what I needed and got out. Store number two. Sigh, didn't have half of what I needed which didn't surprise me, but did have the stuff I needed for Christmas specifically. Fine. That's what the internet was made for. Store number three. This is the one that did me in.

I was looking for ties. I am the only person on the planet (besides my sister) whose father actually asked for ties for Christmas. So while I'm shuffling through the display, this horde of children (is 3 a horde? whatever) goes tearing by playing keep away with a basketball from one of the toy displays. Gee, you must be very proud of your future NBA stars, lady. Rolls eyes. I dodge the basketball game and go back to the clearance section, where I find the lady with tuberculosis or the plague or something coughing all over everything and not covering her mouth. Sigh. Really? You couldn't at least bring cough drops? Better yet, stay home!

In order to protect myself from Ebola or the black death or whatever, I give up on clearance in disgust and go back to the seasonal displays because at this point I've given up on even wrapping gifts. They're all going in bags. And I find the basketball game has devolved into the World Wrestling Federation, right in the middle of the store. All the while I'm listening to, "It's the Most Wonderful time of the year! It's the Hap!-Happiest season of all!" over the loud speakers. Really, Bing? I'm pretty sure the only reason he could ever sing that song is that he never had to do any Christmas shopping himself. Right then, I forgave the woman for her children's behavior because I know she must feel as defeated as I do. This act, if you know me well at all, is enough to nominate me for sainthood.

And quilting? None to speak of. Which is probably part of the reason I'm so cranky. I finished making two items for Christmas, which for obvious reasons I'm not posting pictures of given that 2 of the 4 people who read this blog are on my gift-giving list. I will present you with a picture of the tie I'm NOT giving my dad for Christmas. Yes, I bought myself a tie, to cut up into little pieces. And yes, I realize it works out to like $80 a yard for the fabric. I don't care.

So, any suggestions on how to recover your Christmas mojo?

Ok, thanks for listening to me rant. Back to quilting next time. I promise. I'm thinking of doing Judy L's UFO challenge next year. We'll see how embarrassing the list is.

Ann