Tuesday, December 1, 2015

Last UFO Parade for 2015

I often say, "This is how people get to be old and wonder where their lives went."

Well, that is true for this year! Of course, spending a few months in Texas kind of confused my internal time clock.

UFO Challengers have finished 180 projects this year. Looking back at previous years, last year there were 191 finishes, and in 2013 there were 157. That's a lot of UFO finished and released!

I even have a UFO of my own to share this month. It's the 2014 Bonnie Hunter Mystery, "Grand Illusion." I had all the pieces finished, but just got it put together this Thanksgiving weekend. We had so much cold and snow, I didn't leave the house (or the sewing room!) for four days.


If you've made this quilt yourself, you might notice mine is a little different. The directions call for 25 blocks, set 5 X 5. I used only 20 blocks in a 4 X 5 setting, and it fits the double bed in the downstairs bedroom perfectly! I've decided this is a "summer" quilt, so it won't be quilted until spring. I read on another blog that bamboo batting works well for lightweight quilts, so that's what I'll try.

And no, I'm not doing the 2015 mystery! Both my boys will be home for the week between Christmas and New Year's, so I don't want to be caught up in a new project.

In case you don't remember from the November Parade, the December UFO number is:


And now, on with the parade!

I love Debra's finish -- "Minions." Those little guys are so much fun! She bought this as a kit from Cozy Quilts in El Cajon (on my bucket list!) and plans to back it with either orange minkie or fleece.


Deb's second finish for the month is  "Dave's Irish Chain," made for her granddaughter for Christmas. Debra writes:
She just remodeled her bedroom with creams and greys and asked me to make her a quilt with blue, cream, grey, and teal. She will be surprised because I told her I didn't think I could get to it this year - surprise! surprise! even surprised myself. The pattern was from Fons & Porter's Love of Quilting, March/April 2008 issue.



Joy in Tennessee has had a busy month! She has three finishes to share this month.

First is a coffee bean table topper, which was made using a 60 degree ruler. It was started at a guild meeting, and then sat in my sewing room until I finally got it quilted and finished. Now it is perfect on my sofa table!


Next up is a fall table topper from the Winter 2012 Quilts & More. I loved the large hexagons and little bits of embroidery. It went together much faster than I thought it would, and looks great on my side table. 



Finally, I made a replacement pillowcase for my travel king size pillow. (My last one was washed by a helper with new maroon sheets, and the white stars are now pink.)


Your last comment made me laugh, Joy. I had the same discussion with my niece in Texas (about washing reds and whites together.) She didn't believe me -- but after her Mom got home, I overheard her saying "Aunt Marti was right about sorting the laundry!"
Love this finish by Pam in KC. All Kansas Troubles fabrics, the pattern is from Evelyn Sloppy's "40 Quick-Cut Quilts." 



This is quilt #9 of Pam's Crazy Challenge II -- 15 quilts and 25 or 26 pillowcases in 4 ½ months. She writes, 
"The good news, is it's not as bad as it sounds - I've got one quilt ready to bind and 3 more partially quilted. I do have doubts on whether or not I'll get my Christmas quilt and pillowcase(s) done. But there's always next year!"
Check out the details on Pam's blog, Pamela Avara Arts, here.
I always get a chuckle from the names Sandi gives her quilts. This one is "Komatose," and I'll let Sandi tell you about it:
November's UFO was my last UFO to finish for the year.  I stitched with a conviction on my UFOs this year since most of them were Bonnie Hunter designs.  As many of us are aware her projects are awesome, but can be very piece laden making the project take some time to complete.  My UFO list for 2015 had seven of her designs included. November's UFO #3, Komatose is anything but sleepy!  It is a design called Lazy Sunday that was first brought to us through Quiltmaker Magazine March/April 2013 issue as a Mystery Series.  It has since been republished in her book More Adventures with Leaders and Enders.  I used leftover blocks from another project on the border.  The unit is easy to sew, but in and of itself takes a bunch of time to complete.  Having some sewn already was terrific... Komatose is certainly one of my favorites to have stitched this year.  I loved sewing with all the bright happy fabrics.  Who would have expected pink and orange would look so well together.  It has to have been the teal centers that made it work.  Thanks to my Mom who helped me with the bright greens.  

You can read more about it on Sandi's blog, KwiltnKats, here.

Kerry has a gorgeous finish this month. I really admire the Feathered Star block, and this one is unique.


It's called "Batik Feathers" by Donna Lynn Thomas. Read about it on Kerry's Quilting, here.

One last goodie, from Mary J.  She is playing with the gorgeous fabrics of Jane Sassaman. Details and trial blocks on her blog, Zippy Quilts,  here, and here.



The November UFO Parade prize goes to Joy in TN -- congratulations, Joy! Please send your postal address, as I have some Christmas candies (quilt candies, that is!) to send to you.

Happy Holidays to all, and I hope you'll join us for the 2016 UFO Challenge!


From the desk of your auntmartisignature