Thursday 7 February 2013

2013: the Year of the Finished Project – February

Never Too Hot to Stitch!
How did you go in January?
What plans do you have for your UFOs/WiPs in February?

Write your post which answers these two questions (you can be as expansive – or not – as you like). Then join up with the linky party below. Please remember to use the URL of your specific post, not just your blog URL. Thanks.
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January was a hectic month for me. Not only did I have house guests until 9 January, then overnight guests on 22 January, I put enormous pressure on myself to “get things done”!

You see, our quilting group has the “Airing of the Quilts” on the second weekend in April. I was asked towards the end of last year how many quilts I would be contributing and I said six. It seemed reasonable at the time! However, I started 2013 with only one finished quilt so I planned to finish two in each of January and February, and the fifth in March. Easy-peasy, right?

Well, putting pressure on myself means I tend to rush a little and don’t notice things – or I ignore the things I do notice! The second quilt I intended to finish in January was quilted. The binding was cut and ironed and ready to go. But there I stopped!

I think the top of the quilt was not pulled tight enough when I basted and it looks “wrong” now that the quilting is done. Deep down, I wanted to pull out all those quilting stitches and start all over again. But no-one wants to do that in reality! So there I was, torn because the quilt was so close to being finished and wanting it to look better than it does! Will more quilting fix the problem? Perhaps!

Look at the bunching of the fabric around the brown square on the left and the green square in the centre right. Look at the wrinkles in the light brown fabric of the four patch between them!
P1300090
It didn’t help that the border fabric I chose, which looked so right to begin with, has changed the quilt from looking quite sophisticated (which I loved)  to looking more frivolous! 2013 borderless flimsyP1300092
Fortunately, my quilting class resumed on Monday (after our seven-week summer break). I asked for my teacher's opinion. Whatever she recommended I would have done. The good news is that she told me it was fine and to get it bound and done! So the binding was added during class.

I'm a bit concerned about the backing fabric now though -- look at my sewing machine:

Remember this backing fabric I showed you last week:
The founder of our community quilting group doesn't like us to wash quilts when we're finished them, she likes the pristine look for exhibition but I think I'm going to have to wash this with a packet of colour catchers! I know the quilts are taken down at the end of the exhibition and stored, then a few weeks later they are sorted and distributed to the local hospitals and other charities. I can't let this one go while it's leaking this much dye! Imagine the mess if it got wet!

So, my January list looks like this:
  1. Westall Cardigan – I am currently knitting the bottom ribbing. I then have sleeves and the front band to go. I should have it finished by the end of February but would like it sooner!
  2. sideways baby jumper – started November 2011 -- to be finished by end of the month -- frogged 6 January 2013
  3. Deb’s Diamond Blanket – I didn’t work on this at all during January; all my knitting time was spent on the Westall cardigan, except when I had company and then I was working on plain self-striping socks!
  4. Squares quilt – blocks made, the layout planned (done 10 Jan), and the blocks sewn into rows by the end of January (done 15 Jan); this is the quilt mentioned above. As you can see, I reached my progress goals by the fifteenth of the month; it was in pushing myself to get it done by the end of the month that things fell apart!
  5. Dotty Bright quiltfinished 25 January (yahoo! a real finish!)
  6. hexagon project bag – I didn’t touch this during January
  7. piano cross stitch – I didn’t touch this in January
  8. placemats for the Grandsons – this was to have been a new project but, because I am drowning in unfinished projects, I’ve given myself a two-for-one deal: finish two quilting projects and you can start another! Because that squares quilt is not finished, the placemats have to wait! As Shakespeare said, “to thine own self be true!”
So, do you think I will go easier on myself in February?
Here’s my list – what do you think?
  1. Older Grandson’s birthday surprise  – UFO
  2. Westall cardigan  – WIP – ribbing, sleeves and band
  3. Black Stump Creek quilt  – WIP 
  4. hexagon project bag – WIP
  5. Scrappy Log Cabin quilt – UFO – border, backing, bating, quilting, binding
  6. Rainbow improv quilt – WIP – layout, joining blocks into rows and rows into top; I think I’ll be content if I get to completed flimsy!
  7. Deb's Diamond Blanket –  WIP –  will not be finished this month, this is a long term project 
  8. placemats for the Grandsons – this will be my new project for February but first I have to get one more quilting project finished!
  9. piano cross stitch – UFO -- if I do a little on this every month, I may get it finished sometime this decade!
So, what about you? Did you meet your goals for January?
Are you, like me, pushing yourself too hard?
And what are your goals for February (are they realistic?)


19 comments:

  1. Wow you did a lot in January, even if you didn't finish off your list. Glad that you don't have to rip the stitches out of your 4 patch project.

    Good luck with all your February goals. I really like this monthly goals approach. I got a lot more stuff done this way.

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  2. I would not worry about a wrinkle or two. That is what makes the quilt so special. My motto is expect the best, be prepared for the worse, take what you get with smile. XX Kathleen

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  3. Your quilt is really nice. I hope you come to some sort of decision with your backing, some things are hard to decide on!! You've made good headway with your crafts in January.
    Cheers, Anita.

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  4. You're doing a great job! I'll br linking up tomorrow.

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  5. I think finishing the quilt instead of fretting over it is good advice. We are always to critical of our own work. The quilt looks lovely. Making lists is such a help. Seems you are getting a lot done.

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  6. Great work in January Lynne. Thanks for helping me stay on track with my projects. I agree with Kathleen's comment above. A wrinkle or two in the bigger scheme of things is no problem.

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  7. The quilt is looking great. A wrinkle here or there won't matter once it's all finished.

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  8. A little care with the quilting and the wrinkle will not show around the brown. We all love the crinkled effect, and you just added some extra! And yea for what you did accomplish this month. We are on a roll.

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  9. Your quilt turned out great!! We are all our own worst critics :)
    You have quite a list for Feb. I was not so brave and just stuck with a couple items.

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  10. Sounds like it was a really wild month for you! Hopefully February will be more calm. That's crazy about the dye in that fabric coming off on your machine. I would definitely wash it before you turn it in. If they freak, tell them the backing dye comes off on everything it touches and you didn't want it to mess up any other quilts. Surely they'll understand! (I'm actually surprised, if these quilts go to hospitals, that they don't want them washed after finishing for sanitary/allergy reasons.) My January was a big success, which is good, because quilting has to slow way down now for primary focus to go onto my school work. Bleh!

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  11. good luck with your February goals.

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  12. Don't fret too much. It's a continuous process of learning. I love the quilt:)

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  13. You are making lots of progress, Lynne! Thanks for helping to keep us motivated!

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  14. I'm so glad she told you to keep that border, I really like it. I always hate all the quilts I finish. I have to throw them in the closet for a couple months. Then when I bring them back out I totally love them. Good luck with this months goals.

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  15. My goodness you are a driven woman! You got so much done this month and have so much planned for next month too. I couldn't get the Mr. Linky to upload my photo. Probably just me. Maybe I'll try again later.

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  16. Thanks for starting up this linky party! I feel I am making some real progress in learning how I work, and how to improve! Congrats to everyone for working on their goals and good luck for February, the shortest month of the year!

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  17. What a list, I only wish I could be that accomplished. This is fun.

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  18. Thank you for hosting an excellent linky party. I plan to visit each month with my finished projects. I have joined your blog and posted your button to my blog to remind me to visit again the next time I finish a project.
    Chumkie.
    My Favourite Things.

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  19. I thought my 4 projects were a lot. Wow!You have nine on your list. I better get busy!

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