On the stitching front, I've felt just a little bit lost. I started on the graduation quilts in May of last year, so I've gotten used to the "have to sew" projects that have been calling my name. It's been a bit strange to walk into the sewing room with nothing that has to get done. So it's time to refocus and figure out what's the goal for the rest of the year. There are 21 quilts on my WIPs/UFO list. Of those 18 are UFOs (projects that were started more than a year ago). So I've been doing really well at finishing off all the new starts, but not getting back to projects that got put up for one reason or another.
I joined in with Judy of Patchwork Times for her UFO-2017 campaign at the beginning of the year. But substituted in the graduation quilts for the first 4 months of the year. May's focus was on quilt number 11 from my 2017 Quilt Plan. That's my Christmas Angels quilt started in 2013. The project box contained all the pieces for the alternate blocks so the easiest thing to do was to start sewing those parts together. But before starting on that, I needed to fix the pattern. I didn't realize until the quilt got added to this year's project list that the seams in the alternate blocks didn't match up to the seams in the focus blocks. It didn't look bad from a distance, but close up it looked sloppy. So the first step was to fix the design. That meant adjusting the focus block since no fabric had been cut for those yet. Here's the adjusted design.
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| Christmas Angels: Self Designed |
With that done, I got started on the alternate blocks.
The centers and four patches are really a dark green, not black as they appear in the photo. I need 12 of the alternate blocks, so I've made good progress on those. If Judy continues the UFO challenge, she'll pick a new UFO for June. Working on multiple projects is pretty natural to me so I'll probably keep working on these alternate blocks as they are almost done. Whether the focus blocks get started or the whole project gets put back in the box for later will depend on what June's UFO turns out to be.
Linking up with:
Let's Bee Social
Needle and Thread Thursday
UFO-2017 Challenge
13 comments:
It's a beautiful quilt and well worth the extra time getting the alignment right! Good luck with that washing machine...It is never fun being without!
Christmas Angels will be a beautiful quilt. Hope your washing machine part comes soon, I just had to replace the timer on my dryer...ugh.
Shelia stitchedfromtheheart2@gmail.com
So pretty! I like a deep hunter green for Christmas so much better than the limes and aquas featured in so many Christmas projects now. This will coordinate nicely with your Poinsettias quilt, too.
It's very pretty. I know what you mean about feeling at loose ends after finishing a long-term project. It's as if you need a new purpose in life. With quilting, it never seems to take long.
Nice design. I've always liked that block. I'm eager to see what number Judy pulls for June as well. She has said she will continue the UFO challenge, luckily.
I was wondering if you were going to have some "withdrawal" after the huge graduation quilt project! Looks like you found a way to get started on something again. Your Christmas Angel quilt is going to be beautiful!
How clever! I adore those focus blocks. They are stunning by themselves already. They will even have a bigger impact in the quilt!
Esther
Oh no, I hope you aren't without a washing machine for too long - what a pain! I can see how you might feel a little lost after the grad quilts, but I know you'll fill your sewing time with great projects. :)
It must feel really weird to not have a deadline! I'm looking forward to that, soon. So are the focal block made with snowball corners, like a Tennessee Waltz? That's one of my favorite quilts! I've been itching to make my own now that I'm more confident on the longarm.
I feel your pain . . . had to rip out a lot of my Double Wedding Ring arcs, it was a hot mess, but I feel so much better after having redoing it. You will be so happy you redesigned it!
You've done a great job of moving this quilt forward. Even if it retires to the UFO pile for a while, it won't take as long to finish it when you next pick it up. (Hum, I sound a little Pollyanna-ish!)
Good work on your UFO! I am hoping Judy continues with her challenge...but if she doesn't, APQ is doing one too, so you can hope over to their blog or Instagram feed to find out their number. I've been looking at both to decide what I want to work on each month 😉
Very nice quilt design.
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