Sunday, January 20, 2013

Sunday Snippet - The Moral of my UFO Story

We call those unfinished sewing projects, many things.
Some of which I cannot print here!  (wink)

I call them UFO's (unfinished objects)
Some call them WIPs (works in progress)  
I have even heard them referred to as 
PIGS (Projects in grocery sacks).

Well I "might" hold a record here for the time 
(5 years)
it took to finish a UFO.  
This quilt was made from 
Louisa Smith's "Strips and Curves" book
and templates.


The first delay was my fear to 
 "sew" the curves.  We were shown "how to"
in the class but by the time I got to it..well...
you know how that goes.

But I finally said more "unprintable words" 
jumped in and made the blocks in Fall of 2011
then finished the top in Jan 2012.


Then came the dilemma...how to machine quilt it? 
I don't want any traditional quilting design
and I want to quilt it myself.

So, I drug my feet for another year. 
Then I was introduced to MODERN quilting designs
and I found my way across the top of the quilt 

Concentric Circles took a lot of time
but were oh so worth it!

Free motion design between the circles

A view of the backing



The soft inner border gives the eyes a place to rest.
I sewed one straight line vertically down that border.
A keyboard border is made form all the strata scraps.
I quilted one vertical line down that border.
The outside border was a sold batik and 
I quilted organic vertical lines using the edge of 
my walking foot as the guide.


and views of the finished quilt.






The moral of my UFO story is...
don't fret over your UFOs.  
When you are ready to finish your project 
you will know it.  
 Don't worry about it...
just wait til you feel the creativity.  
Sometimes that can take years. 


I can't come up with a name for this one,
any suggestions?

"Once in a Blue Moon" 
winning title


18 comments:

  1. Your quilt is stunning! The colours are gorgeous and your quilting is a perfect compliment to the design. :)

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  2. What a pretty quilt! It looks like a gorgeous splash in the pool. I'm with you - I have more than enough work to keep me busy for a good 7 years, so I don't fret about every ufo getting completely finished start-to-stop. If I reach a design or quilting block, put it away to marinate while working on something else. Unless there's a deadline involved, like a gift or a contest, I think it's far better to let the ideas emerge or the skills to catch up than to whip together a finish with a compromised design (construction or quilting) or shoddy results. Of course, if it's a practice piece - I've finally learned to throw perfectionism out the window and just enjoy the process and accept the resulting level of expertise (or not >wink<). :D

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  3. I don't have a brilliant name to offer but I think your quilt is just beautiful! Sometimes a project waits for inspiration and yours proves that.

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  4. Ooooh easy ... Around 2 it! .. When you are ready.. you get around to it!

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  5. no matter how long it took you, it turned out beautiful!

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  6. Thanks for reminding us that not everything has to be forced and finished right away! It turned out great!

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  7. Once in a Blue Moon! Or Around to It. It is beautiful...are you going to make another one????? Or is once enough?

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  8. Beautiful quilt...and a lovely quilt story!

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  9. Your quilting looks great. The quilt was definitely worth the wait. It`s beautiful! Five years, I`d say that`s a record.

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  10. Beautiful quilt. Love the circles, and the circle quilting. Reminds me of ripples on a pond. Great Finish!

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  11. I love the colors...it's beautiful!

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  12. I saw this in person and it was beautiful!

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  13. What a beautiful Strips and Curves. I made one when the book first came out, and now I'm wondering if I still have my templates. Seeing your quilt makes me want to do another. Your quilting is perfect for that quilt. I have you beat for UFO time....I started my Dear Jane quilt in 2001 or 2 and it is finally basted ready for quilting.

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  14. Moose says keep up the fiiiiine work! nice!

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  15. LOL. It took me 24 years to finally finish a quilt.....and it wasn't even a bed size quilt. It happens:)

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