The number for this months UFO has been posted, and it is.....drumroll.....#5. The Green Ripples Crocheted Afghan. Hmmm. I know I need to finish this thing, since it's been taking up space for so long, and I know it will make a great Christmas gift for someone this year...but I really don't want to work on it. That's probably why more than 10 years later, it's still unfinished. I really can't remember why I started it, or why I quit working on it, but I know I was working on it when I was volunteering at the hospital as a candy striper delivering the flowers and other gifts people send. I would work on it between runs. I think I was 15 or 16. I guess, though, that finishing it will be a good thing, I'm just going to have to dig deep to find the motivation.....um....1)early Christmas gift .......2)regain use of the bag it is stored in......3)can I make it count to DH as one of the finished projects required to begin on BFs baby quilt and other sundries?.......4)won't cost anything but time to complete, which is good since we just set a to-the-penny budget in order to be debt free by March!! Feeling a bit more motivated now...
Go forth and CREATE!! (or finish, as the case may be ;)
Showing posts with label UFO challenge. Show all posts
Showing posts with label UFO challenge. Show all posts
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
June UFO Challenge
The June number has been released! And once again, it is just what I wanted to be working on (so much so that I was going to go renegade and swap my numbers around if it wasn't!) The chosen project number is #9!!! My Teapot Quilt, the very first quilt I ever made. 
Now for those of you who remember that wasn't originally the project, very good! Yes, it's true. But remember, I promised dh I would finish two (2) quilts before I bought the supplies to begin another quilt. And now my bf is pregnant, and I want to make her a quilt. The Teapot quilt is actually almost finished, so I can definitely finish it this month, then go back to working on the 4th of July quilt. And when I finish it, I can go shopping!!!
Now for those of you who remember that wasn't originally the project, very good! Yes, it's true. But remember, I promised dh I would finish two (2) quilts before I bought the supplies to begin another quilt. And now my bf is pregnant, and I want to make her a quilt. The Teapot quilt is actually almost finished, so I can definitely finish it this month, then go back to working on the 4th of July quilt. And when I finish it, I can go shopping!!!
The other reason I was going to swap my numbers around is because I took my car into the shop a few weeks ago, and had to spend over $1,000 to get her fixed. Ouch! So I needed a project I could finish without having to buy any supplies for. Okay, I bought marking pencils, but that doesn't really count, because those are necessary for the quilting process! (which, by the way, the best quilt marking pencils out there are Roxanne's Quilter's Choice) I think the original plan with this quilt was to use the remaining yardage to make bias binding, so I have all I need. Except for a border hoop. Which I really would like, but think I have come up with a way to make it work with my regular hoop.
On another note, with the mini-storm we had last night, we now have fried outlets. Over half of the outlets in the house do not work, even after searching out all three (yes, 3) breaker boxes in the house. We have flipped every circuit, tried to match them all up to lights and outlets in the house, and failed miserably. Less than 1/3 of them were labeled to begin with, and as I flipped them, we discovered that 1 in 4 were mislabeled. Imagine that. And we never did figure out which ones were to the outlets that are dead, probably because it's not a circuit breaker issue, but a wiring issue (did I mention this house was built in 1940 and has "crazy" wiring all over?) There are places where you can see new, grounded outlets have been installed, but that doesn't necessarily mean the wiring was updated. So, who knows what's really going on behind the walls! Ergh! At least it's not all outlets, and at least the computer was plugged into a different set of outlets. And now I'm beginning to wonder about our surge protectors.........This probably means they're shot too.
ARGHHHHHHH!!!!
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Fourth of July Quilt
I know I haven't posted lately, but that is due more to the fact that I am still entirely wiped after spending 3 days cleaning out and moving the rest of the junk from the old apartment. And when I say I cleaned, I mean I was down on my knees Cinderella-style scrubbing at carpet stains and removing mildewy grout. I. Am. Tired.
So most of my evenings have consisted of me flopping dramatically onto the couch when I get home, moving only for bathroom breaks and to finally slink off to bead. Thankfully, I have my day job, which includes a sleeping angel for at least 3 hours a day. The work from this week shall give me posts enough to last me several days if I split the stories! Which I will. Therefore, today, I will tell you about the UFO Challenge quilt I am ready to begin hand-quilting as of tonight!
This quilt is pictured and described in my UFO History page. As I pulled it out to begin working with it, I was trying to remember how and when exactly it got started. I was part of a quilting class at my church in Chattanooga, and for Christmas, we had a fat quarter "naughty santa". The fabrics I received were patriotic, and I can't remember how many exactly I got. I think it was 5. That spring, our fearless leader brought in directions for a Yellow Brick Road quilt. Since I already had the 5 patriotic fabrics, I chose the full size option and headed to the LQS for 10 more fat quarters. Now, the time period here I'm still fuzzy on, but it was less than two years after September 11, so patriotic fabrics were all the rage then, and soon, I had enough to work. Blocks made, sewn into strips, three strips sewn together, and I put it away to begin on another project. (see the UFO pattern?)
Fast forward five-plus years later. I have never forgotten about the quilt, knowing I needed a backing fabric whenever I chose to complete it, and always looked at fabrics during the summer. Nothing ever really jumped out at me, plus I never really had the $$ to splurge on it anyway. BTW, I also never really went into a good quilt shop here in town to look for fabrics, so I never had a chance. Once the challenge announced the # for the month was 3, I was estatic. I had so hoped to get to work on that quilt! So off I went to Mammaws Thimble. Massive selection of fabric. Choir of angels sing when you walk in, I swear! One hour and 30 minutes later, I emerge with a border fabric, and a backing fabric. (It took longer than planned, but mostly because the #1 pick for backing DID NOT HAVE ENOUGH material for me!!) Luckily, #2 did, and it is just as good a choice.
What I have always planned for this quilt was to hand-quilt "fireworks" as my design, and so wanted to find a good template and hopefully iridescent thread to use. Ix-nay on both. Never could find a fireworks template. And the lovely woman at the quilt shop suggested that I not use the iridescent thread, as it creates more tension in the stitch, more puckers, and more thread breakage. Thankfully, there are templates for sale online, and I found several that with the right thread, will look like fireworks exploding, anyway. And Mammaws had a beautiful spool of variegated thread in oranges, purples and yellows to complement the quilting templates. See?
And, so, after what must be at least 7 years, the quilt is ready for the hoop!
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Ah...Internet...
is a wonderful thing. How in the world I lived for three years without internet conncetivity I have no idea! I just spent the last 3 days (4 really) chafing that i couldn't check facebook, ihasahotdog, or any of my blogs. Or update my own blog with info about what I have done. And you would think that I could satisfy myself with working on crafts, but no...I can't live with all these boxes lying around whispering "unpack me...unpack me..." Maybe I should have my head examined to check out the "voices", they may be a bad thing!
The sad thing is, I really haven't been able to work on any projects. Unless you call ordering a new mattress and setting up the guest bed a project. Or rearranging the bedroom layout because my head said the bed was in the wrong place, therefore I was sleeping on the wrong side. I have unpacked so many boxes, and arranged so many cabinets and shelves it's sad to realize I'm less than halfway done. But everything has a place this time around! Those spaces are filling up quickly, but they are looking more and more beautiful by the day. When the boxes are gone, and the vacuum has run through, I will post pics of MY HOUSE!!!!
I did finish the last two coats of paint on the baker's rack (yes, it actually needed 3 coats to cover up all the yucky white), but now I'm not sure if I don't need to seal it so the paint doesn't scratch off over time. Its beautiful. I also go the final coat on the chalkboard wall, and have begun sketching out how I want to decorate it for daily use. On graph paper. I'm hopeless. I have drawn it out on the board in chalk as well, just to get an idea of what it would look like.
In regards to the UFO Challenge I joined last month: 1) I did not complete April's project. But that was because the last two weeks of April were spent frantically throwing things into baoxes before carting them to the new house. That will continue to be a project to work on slowly. 2) The project number for May is...3! Which is awesome, because I was hoping to begin work on the 4th of July quilt! Which I can now! So, I have to sew the rows together to complete the top, choose a border fabric to add, and select a backing fabric. I have 5 blocks left from the pattern to set as corners for the border (maybe make a pillow out of the extra? That will become a new UFO if I choose that project). I spent a few hours online looking at quilting stencils, and ordered a few that could look like fireworks if stitched with a pretty variegated or shimmery thread. So, a trip to the LQS is on the schedule for the weekend. Stay tuned to see the selected fabrics!
The sad thing is, I really haven't been able to work on any projects. Unless you call ordering a new mattress and setting up the guest bed a project. Or rearranging the bedroom layout because my head said the bed was in the wrong place, therefore I was sleeping on the wrong side. I have unpacked so many boxes, and arranged so many cabinets and shelves it's sad to realize I'm less than halfway done. But everything has a place this time around! Those spaces are filling up quickly, but they are looking more and more beautiful by the day. When the boxes are gone, and the vacuum has run through, I will post pics of MY HOUSE!!!!
I did finish the last two coats of paint on the baker's rack (yes, it actually needed 3 coats to cover up all the yucky white), but now I'm not sure if I don't need to seal it so the paint doesn't scratch off over time. Its beautiful. I also go the final coat on the chalkboard wall, and have begun sketching out how I want to decorate it for daily use. On graph paper. I'm hopeless. I have drawn it out on the board in chalk as well, just to get an idea of what it would look like.
In regards to the UFO Challenge I joined last month: 1) I did not complete April's project. But that was because the last two weeks of April were spent frantically throwing things into baoxes before carting them to the new house. That will continue to be a project to work on slowly. 2) The project number for May is...3! Which is awesome, because I was hoping to begin work on the 4th of July quilt! Which I can now! So, I have to sew the rows together to complete the top, choose a border fabric to add, and select a backing fabric. I have 5 blocks left from the pattern to set as corners for the border (maybe make a pillow out of the extra? That will become a new UFO if I choose that project). I spent a few hours online looking at quilting stencils, and ordered a few that could look like fireworks if stitched with a pretty variegated or shimmery thread. So, a trip to the LQS is on the schedule for the weekend. Stay tuned to see the selected fabrics!
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Laser-cut tank Recreation
In my last post I mentioned that I would be participating in a UFO challenge for the next few months as I attempt to complete projects, and that the number drawn for this month had me working on Clothing Refashion. The basic idea here is taking clothes that you already have, whether too small, too big, out of fashion, tacky, great fabric but would never actually wear in present form, or any of these purchased at Goodwill, and turn it into something new. Working at a retail store gives me great ideas, and clothes that I can't quite fit to change.
The tank in question that I want has a laser cut design out of a cooridinatin
g fabric as the back of the shirt. Retails for $19.50. I got the tank at a resale shop for $3, and the fabric from a Goodwill skirt for $3 also. After cutting the seams out of the skirt, I placed a piece of iron-on fusible interfacing against the back of the tank to determine the size of the back to cut. I drew a rough shape on one side of the design, then folded in half (after having measured the tank, as well to figure out the midpoint of it) and traced the design on the other half. Then cut, place on wrong side of skirt fabric, and steam iron it on.
g fabric as the back of the shirt. Retails for $19.50. I got the tank at a resale shop for $3, and the fabric from a Goodwill skirt for $3 also. After cutting the seams out of the skirt, I placed a piece of iron-on fusible interfacing against the back of the tank to determine the size of the back to cut. I drew a rough shape on one side of the design, then folded in half (after having measured the tank, as well to figure out the midpoint of it) and traced the design on the other half. Then cut, place on wrong side of skirt fabric, and steam iron it on.
Now for the creative part! Using your imagination, create an open-weave pattern in pencil/pen on the interfacing. You only need to draw on one half (I cut out the first half of the design, folded it back in half, and traced around the cut-outs onto the second half.)
I made sure the center was pretty close to the original pattern, but since I enlarged my backing piece due to the need to have a larger back, I had to improvise the extension of the pattern from the center. Using my exacto knife to cut a slit in each drawn half, I pulled out my small craft scissors (blade 1") to cut the small details out. To keep the design centered and even, once I had the right side all cut, fold in half again, trace through the holes, and repeat.
I made sure the center was pretty close to the original pattern, but since I enlarged my backing piece due to the need to have a larger back, I had to improvise the extension of the pattern from the center. Using my exacto knife to cut a slit in each drawn half, I pulled out my small craft scissors (blade 1") to cut the small details out. To keep the design centered and even, once I had the right side all cut, fold in half again, trace through the holes, and repeat.
Now you want to make sure that your fabric won't completely unravel, stretc and separate in the wash. Using a contrasting thread color (I actually used two, one layered on top of the other), I free-motion stitched between all of the cuts, trying to maintain some semblence of a pattern. Now, I will admit, I lost the idea of the pattern about two rounds into this thing, but I still think it looks really cool. The final step is to sew the cut-out to the tank at the shoulders and waistline where you previously cut the back off. I wore the tank to work that night, and everybody loved it, and wanted to know where I got it. They couldn't believe I had made it: it looks just like the one in the store, but it's my color, and my pattern (my size too!) Remember, the store is a juniors store, so it's not that I'm fat, just regular sized. I have hips and girls, and they don't always fit into the sizes at the store. One recreation down, several more to go....***UPDATE***
My shirt has frayed a bit in the wash, but I think it's fantastic! It really somehow adds to the impact of the design. And if you don' believe me, be the judge yourself!
Friday, April 2, 2010
UFO Challenge
So, I've been searching the web for a great quilting blog to follow, and I came across... a UFO challenge! So exciting and exactly what I'm already doing, just a BIG group of people doing the same thing and keeping you more accountable than just "I'm going to do it!" So I emailed Nancy at the Patchwork Penguin, and I am now officially a part of the challenge. Here's how it works.
Everyone participating makes a list of 10 UFOs they want to finish. They number them 1-10. At the beginning of the month, she (or someone, I think her hubby) picks a number from cards, and that is the project you work on during that month. Now, obviously, I am behind. This started in January (BTW, it's 10 because she's giving us Nov and Dec to work on holiday projects and be with family instead of frantically trying to complete UFOs.) and it's now April! So I am making my list, and skipping the numbers they have already drawn and hopefully completed.
Now, do I really think I can complete 10 projects in the next 7 months...um....I can do at least 3, I'm sure! No, really, I'm gonna work as hard as I can to do my best to finish some of these things. (Redundant, I know, but it really expresses how hard I will be working!) And since I know what the number for April is, I am making that number the project I began working on yesterday.
So here's my list:
1. Winter Sampler Quilt
3. 4th of July Quilt
5. Green Ripples Crochet Afghan
6. Honeymoon scrapbook
8. High School T-shirt quilt (needs to be quilted)
9. A Cross Stitch project
10. Clothing Refashioning
Remember, 2, 4, 7, have already been called, and 10 is the project for the month of April. I went with the Clothing Refashioning because I made over a tank top yesterday, which I will post about, but probably not until tomorrow, because I worked two jobs yesterday and today, and I'm too tired to go upload the pics from my camera and write a second post! But I will say it turned out really cute, and most people who saw me wearing it yesterday couldn't believe I had made it! I LOVE being able to sew!
So, good luck on your own UFOs everybody, and I am off to bed now!
Everyone participating makes a list of 10 UFOs they want to finish. They number them 1-10. At the beginning of the month, she (or someone, I think her hubby) picks a number from cards, and that is the project you work on during that month. Now, obviously, I am behind. This started in January (BTW, it's 10 because she's giving us Nov and Dec to work on holiday projects and be with family instead of frantically trying to complete UFOs.) and it's now April! So I am making my list, and skipping the numbers they have already drawn and hopefully completed.
Now, do I really think I can complete 10 projects in the next 7 months...um....I can do at least 3, I'm sure! No, really, I'm gonna work as hard as I can to do my best to finish some of these things. (Redundant, I know, but it really expresses how hard I will be working!) And since I know what the number for April is, I am making that number the project I began working on yesterday.
So here's my list:
1. Winter Sampler Quilt
3. 4th of July Quilt
5. Green Ripples Crochet Afghan
6. Honeymoon scrapbook
8. High School T-shirt quilt (needs to be quilted)
9. A Cross Stitch project
10. Clothing Refashioning
Remember, 2, 4, 7, have already been called, and 10 is the project for the month of April. I went with the Clothing Refashioning because I made over a tank top yesterday, which I will post about, but probably not until tomorrow, because I worked two jobs yesterday and today, and I'm too tired to go upload the pics from my camera and write a second post! But I will say it turned out really cute, and most people who saw me wearing it yesterday couldn't believe I had made it! I LOVE being able to sew!
So, good luck on your own UFOs everybody, and I am off to bed now!
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