UFOs and NSYs

I've been listening to Annie Smith's Quilting Stash podcast over the past few weeks, and recently listened to a programme she did back in February 2008 about UFOs, referencing Nadine Ruggles' Driven to Quilt podcast on the same subject.

Both programmes were really interesting, and got me thinking about my stacks of UFOs, and what Annie mentioned in her podcast from another blog she read, NSYs = Not Started Yets. Got plenty of those, too - both projects for which I have acquired fabric, but not started, and also projects I have planned, or just ideas, but not any further than that.

In fact, for someone who now co-owns a quilt-store, I have pathetically few finished projects to show for myself - only 6 completely finished quilts, OK, 7 if I count Mum's mystery quilt I finished for AC, and a few cushions and bags. In 5 years. Plus now a couple of joint efforts with Birgit. UFOs in double figures, though. Plus all the UFOs I inherited from Mum.

So, here, publicly, my list of UFOs to-date, with the commitment to finish at least one a month, starting next month. Not this month, because what little there is left of this month is dedicated to an NSY which has exactly three more days to transform from a stack of flannel and a wool batting to a rag quilt for my DH, who just happens to have a birthday on Sunday (and the quilt is not going to be finished by then, because I discovered in cutting that I'd miscalculated and don't have enough background fabric, so had to order more...) There are also a couple of NSYs and UFOs with a deadline for the end of May, which is the date of the next exhibition by the Lichteneck Quilters, the quilting group Birgit and I belong to. And this is just personal projects, not anything for the shop. That's a whole other kettle of fish...

Inherited from Mum

6 Piece o' Cake "Thru Grandmother's Window" Applique Blocks - to be turned into wallhangings or cushions for me, my brother, aunt and uncle. It was the rash promise to finish these that got me started patchworking. And 6 years later, they're still waiting... partly, if I'm honest, because I'm scared of ruining them - they're so beautiful and well made.

The quilt which became known as "that bloody star quilt" - irregular five-pointed stars in rectangular blocks, all the blocks are made, a large chunk is all pieced together, but at some point things got muddled, and Mum could never figure out how to get all the blocks together, no matter how hard she and Mandy tried.

Another star quilt, this one with hexagonal stars, this just needs the outside border attaching, and quilting. I'd like to finish this for the exhibition in May.

Foundation pieced Santas, one Santa complete, can't remember off-hand how many there were supposed to be. This may just end up being a new small door-hanging with just the one Santa.

My own UFOs, oldest first

Cathedral Star block from a course in April 2005. This one keeps hanging up on the hand sewing.

North Carolina Lily - one of my first projects, it needs the quilting removed (bad thread choice, I used a multicoloured polyester thread meant for machine quilting, not hand, and the quilting is boring, and also certain tabby-and-white cats ripped half of the batting out...), re-basting and re-quilting, this time on the longarm.

Trip to New England by Kathleen Starr Designs - needs quilting and binding, I'd like to get this in the exhibition in May.

Stars over Bali Skies, by Charlotte Humphrey - purchased as a BOM from a German quilt store in 2007, slightly less than a quarter done, I stopped part way in order to have all the fabrics for the 2" background patches to be more flexible in arranging. This is one I really need a design wall for. Laying it out on the floor is difficult - nosy dogs and cats want to help :-)

Advent, Advent BOM by Sulky - also started in 2007, all the patterns saved, and the blocks from the first three months completed

Quiltfriends Ohio Star swap - no idea yet what I'm going to do with these blocks. I might sew them together for a practice quilt for the longarm.


A wall hanging in brown batiks, from a design by Jessamy Thompson. About 1/4 quilted, I can't shift this to the longarm.

Another small wallhanging in rainbow batiks, needs the top right corner block adding, borders and quilting.

Flicflac cushions for a friend, like most of the UFOs, they *just* need quilting... :-)

Frostie's bed - in a fit of temporary insanity, I decided that the dog should have a patchwork cover for his bed at the quilt store. The outside is supposed to be made of 8 blocks, four are finished, plus his name embroidered on the front. If I continue the temporary insanity then the top edge will be Flying Geese, paper pieced because of the oval shape. The inside will be plain black, freehand quilted with a loop-and-bone pattern, if I manage it.

4 irregular log cabin table mats for our group exhibit for the Lichteneck exhibition. Blocks for three are made, this has to be finished by May.

Miniature Storm at Sea, paper-pieced, the finished quilt is 16" x 16". I'm making it with beautiful hand-dyed cotton satteen. The pattern is from an age-old copy of the magazine "Miniature Quilts". Another one I'd like to put in the exhibition, but I'm not sure I'll make it in time.

3D Flying Geese wall hanging. This has to go in the exhibition, as the fabric is from a rectangle-exchange we did within the group. I made it last weekend, it needs to be quilted and finished.


NSYs (only projects for which fabric has been bought specifically or with a deadline this year)

Rag quilt for DH
Rag quilt for me

Les Teinturires de Sophie et Maria - Kit bought at the European Patchwork Festival in Ste-Marie-aux-Mines 3 years ago. The Wild Geese blocks are 2 1/2" finished size, and there are 36 of them... I was seduced by the hand-dyed fabrics...

At least 10 tombola prizes for the Lichteneck exhibition. I have two pieces started, and they all have to be completed by March 17.

Then there's the enormous stack of Makower Fancy Cats fabrics (the first series) waiting to be turned into several somethings...

And the dog-bone fabrics I got especially to make bum-bags for carrying around dog treats and necessary accessories when walking the dog.

And all that fabric I bought just because it was so pretty...

And now I'm going to publish this before this post also turns into a UFO - I've been writing it since Sunday!