Monday, March 8, 2021

The Oldest UFO

The weather this weekend was beautiful. Sunny with temperatures in the mid 60s.  It was just too pretty to stay inside and sew all weekend, so there were a couple of long walks on the schedule this weekend.  Still there was plenty of stitching time.  

Friday night I put the last stitches into the binding for the Red, White and Blue Stars, aka the Picnic Stars quilt.  



Picnic Stars was the oldest UFO on my list.  We were still living in Texas when I started these Lone Star blocks back in April of  2005. Like most of my quilt starts in those days, these were the result of a quilt class. I apparently finished one block before we moved back to Oklahoma and then the project sat till 2012.  This project shows up on the blog for the first time that year as my May/June UFO challenge project where I finally finished the second block.  By April of 2013 there were 7 blocks finished.  It disappears from the blog (and apparently my active project list) till August of 2017.  From there on, it shows up a few times a year. It made it to finished quilt top last year, but it was so close to Christmas that it didn't get sent out for quilting till January.  After dealing with mail delays on both ends, it's finally a finish. 

Red, White and Blue Stars (aka Picnic Stars), setting self designed


Picnic Stars is going to be one of my recliner quilts. So it's not going anywhere.  Trudy did a great job with the quilting. 



Each block as a starburst in the center.  It's a little more obvious from the back. 



I'm really happy with how this project came out. I love all the blocks. So why did it take 16 years to finish?  Life had other priorities. The Scientist in Training was 6 when I started this. There's been one move, several job changes at work, and other family obligations. I'm just going with the philosophy that older projects get done when they are supposed too.  

Linking up with Design Wall Monday and Monday Making to celebrate this finish.       

23 comments:

Julie in GA said...

Picnic Stars is beautiful! Congratulations on a fantastic finish! It's true, some quilts just need to age a bit before we are ready to finish them.

Preeti said...

Congratulations on a fabulous finish. I love those stars and had been looking forward to it. Not disappointed. You must feel wonderful!!!

dq said...

What a great journey it has been on in its day! The blog is a great way to track quilt progress over the years.

Congratulations on a beautiful finish!

The Colorful Fabriholic said...

Congratulations on your lovely finish!

Sara said...

It's really amazing!! Well worth the wait. I think it was meant to be - set aside until you became a much more skilled quilter so you could do justice to the design. It's a WOW!!!

The Joyful Quilter said...

It's done and it's fabulous. Congratulations on knocking your oldest UFO off the list, Kate!!

Sharon Kwilter said...

What a beautiful quilt. Well done.

Alycia~Quiltygirl said...

Oh it is wonderful - and think of all the great memories you have in the years of making this quilt - too cool!

JustGail said...

Beautiful quilt and well worth the wait!

Bonnie said...

It was well worth the wait! I love how Trudy quilted it. I wish I was good enough to free hand some designs but I'm pretty much a computer driven panto girl. Enjoy your finish and hope the weather turns "slightly" chilly so you have a good excuse to curl up in your quilt.

AnnieO said...

Lovely to have persevered and get to enjoy all your efforts with a finished beauty! Congratulations!

piecefulwendy said...

I had a UFO that brewed for just a bit longer than yours, and I finished it in 2020, or maybe 2019 - I forget! Anyway, you are right, they get finished, when they are ready to be finished. This is a pretty quilt, and the quilting is so pretty!

Yvonne from Quilting Jetgirl said...

Congratulations on the finish. I think you are right that things get finished when they are supposed to; I hope it is enjoyed for just as many years (or more!) than it took to put together.

MissPat said...

What a great quilt and an achievement to finally get it over the finish line. The starburst design is lovely. So will your second oldest UFO make it to the finish list now?
Pat

LIttle Penguin Quilts said...

That turned out wonderfully, Kate! The quilting is the icing on the cake! Such a good feeling to finish this longtime project, I bet.

seabreezequilts said...

I have quite a few projects that I am have been leaving to marinate in the UFO cupboard, I call these my retirement projects. I'll get there eventually. The quilt looks lovely and I really like the quilting.

Emily said...

This is so pretty! I love the stars, and that is great quilting. So glad you are keeping this one!

Home Sewn By Us said...

Hi Kate! Yippee! I knew it was worth waiting for and you did this project proud. Gosh, it looks great. Sometimes older projects were waiting for your skillset to change or even the initial vision for the quilt. Perhaps you wouldn't have used this setting! Who knows, but it is really lovely. ~smile~ Roseanne

Marti said...

Wowzers! I liked that quilt all along, but Trudy outdid herself on it. It is spectacular.

Judy Hansen said...

I really like the setting design and the borders. Great finish! I agree, quilts get finished when it is their time to be finished.

chrisknits said...

It is just awesome! I love the quilting. Great job all around.

Cheryl said...

That is awesome that you finished your oldest UFO and it is such a beautiful finish! The colors pop and the quilting is beautiful. It is great you have had a blog and have recorded it making over the years.

Jennifer said...

Congratulations, it’s fabulous! I like your philosophy - quilts get done when they are ready and you are ready I think. How nice to have the oldest one off the list!