WIP Wednesday: UFO Update

Remember when I announced the "13 in 2013 UFO Challenge," here?  Have you started on your #5 UFO?

I have mine pieced!  It is Dot Dot Dash from "Skip the Borders" by Julie Herman of Jaybird Quilts. If you don't have a Local Quilt Shop, you can order your copy here.

Here is my version:

An important announcement:  YOU decide what is "finished" for this challenge!  For years, I considered a quilt "finished" when it was ready to go to the long-arm quilter.  By that rule, this UFO is "Finished!"  Woot woot!

Rather than host a link-up, or a Flickr group, I decided to go with the same method Sinta and Sherri used for "Another Year of Schnibbles."

When your January UFO is "finished" to your standard, send me an email with a photo attached.  Email to Aunt Marti at 52quilts dot com, attach your photo and I'll edit it for size.

January 31 at midnight Mountain Standard Time is the deadline to enter your photo.  February 1, when I announce the February UFO number, I'll also show a "parade" of all the January finishes.

Linking up to WIP Wednesday, guest hosted this week by Heidi at Buttons and Butterflies.

Yes, I've been collecting prizes! AND I've been nagging my tech editor and co-author about designing a button you can post on your own blog!

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Made on Monday

 The Sweetwater girls (designers of Mama Said Sew, Reunion, Hometown -- you know the ones) also have  a club called "Label Crew Club."  Each month, members receive a unique label and instructions for a project.  When I saw their "Daybook" labels for 2012, I knew they would make the perfect Christmas gifts.  So I ordered a batch of the labels personalized with "2013" rather than "2012" and made one or two notebook covers using Nancy Zieman's tablet cover notions and instructions. They looked great, but what a pain!

Luckily, I found "Stitched in Color's" tutorial for notebook covers.  So much easier, and they actually work better with the composition notebooks I wanted to cover.

Rachel pieced her  own "made" fabric for the covers.  Since it's already January 7, I wanted to get some finished ASAP, so mine are made of just one fabric.

I even added my "My Aunt Martha Made It" labels.They read "PeaceLoveandHappiness" on the reverse.

I have plenty more labels, so I'll be making more of these cute (and easy!) notebook covers.

Thanks, Rachel, for a clever tutorial!


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Saturday Stash: Shop Report

If you "like" 52 Quilts on Facebook, you saw my Denver shop check-ins on Thursday.  It always makes me happy when I get to visit a "new-to-me" shop.

I found a great one this trip -- Wooden Spools.

Fabric and yarn in one store!  Heaven!

Wooden Spools is not an ordinary quilt shop, however.  This shops buys quilt-shop quality fabric directly from quilters and displays it in neat, color-by-color arrangements.  Lest you think, "Oh, it will be all ugly, out-of-date junk," according to their Fabric Buying Checklist, fabric must be:

Quilt Shop Quality Fabric
Condition = New, Unused
   from a non-smoking home
   odor free (no storage or moth ball odors, etc)
   free of pet hair
   no fading on fold lines, stains, etc.
   straight, smooth edges - no fuss cuts
   no pre-washed fabric
Must meet minimum size requirement:
   Fat quarter or half yard cuts minimum

This is a great shop if you're looking for an out-of-print fabric, when you need "just a bit more" to finish a project.  The have some new, on-the-bolt fabric.  And their prices, even on the new fabric, are seriously lower than any other quilt shop in town.

And not only that, they have an incredible list of class offerings.  Lynda Milligan (of Great American Quilts) is teaching her "Christmas Pickle" quilt.  There is also an Electric Quilt Support Group, and, wonder-of-wonders, a Bonnie Hunter Club!

Vicki and Sally have found a unique niche in the Local Quilt Shop world.  All this and yarn, too?  What's not to love?








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A BIG Friday Finish!

Yes!  I did it again!  I pieced 52 quilts in 52 weeks in 2012!

Now that I try to make a collage of all my 2012 quilts, I remember I gave up on this last year.

So I am inserting a page-sized collage, and if you're interested in seeing a specific quilt, I invite you to look at my Flickr photostream.  Just click here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/aunt_marti/sets/72157631698004158/

And you can see the photos full-sized.

Linking up to Thank Goodness It's Finished Friday at Quokka Quilts.

And Finish it Up Friday at Crazy Mom Quilts.

I'll contact My Little Sailor (aka my tech editor) to format a collage with embedded links!





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WIP Wednesday

Happy 2013 -- hope you had a lovely (and uneventful!) New Year's Day.  I drove over the mountains to the charming small town of Buena Vista to visit Serendipity Yarn and Gifts for their New Year's Day sale.  I'll show my my haul on Saturday Stash.

Getting prepped for the 13 in 2013 Challenge means I don't have much in the way of WIPs this week.  On the design wall is the February Jelly Roll Party quilt, pieced except for the top and bottom borders.  It's made with a Moda Bella Solids jelly roll in Christmas Red and Bella Solids Snow for the background.  I've wanted a red and white quilt since the sensational show at the New York Museum of of American Folk Art. Because it's made from a jelly roll, there was no way to pre-wash that bright red fabric.  This will be a real test for Shout brand Color Catcher Sheets!  If it works, I'll offer my quilt for a commercial!

 The pattern is "Cross my Heart" from Cozy Quilt Shop.

I liked  using my white board (recycled from DH's former office) to list my "30 Quilts in 60 Days" finishes, so I decided to post my "Quilt To-Do" list each month:

Doesn't look too bad, does it?

Linking up to the first WIP Wednesday of 2013 at Freshly Pieced:

Come back Friday for my "Year in Review!"


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The First UFO of 2013

Happy New Year!

Here is my "bin of UFOs."  The 13quilt tops that I hope to complete during 2013.

I've been asked what defines a "finish."  To me, "finished" has always been "ready to go to the long-armer."  Now that I am doing my own machine quilting, I guess I'll have to re-think that!  Each quilter has to decide for herself what is "finished."  Remember, there are no quilt police -- this is supposed to be fun!  "Finished" can be pieced, quilted, bound, or "ready to hand off!"

Friend Emily graciously pulled the number for January.  And it is:

5

Here is my UFO #5:

Dot Dot Dash from Julie Herman's new book, "Skip the Borders."

I cut the pieces for this quilt from a wonderful Batik roll, but I didn't save the label so I don't know what collection it is.  It has gorgeous purple, chartreuse and lemon-colored batiks, it will be easy to "make" myself work on this quilt.

As soon as I get the sample for the February Jelly Roll Party quilted and bound!


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Ready, Set -- 13 in 2013 UFO Challenge!

Are you ready to challenge yourself to complete some UFOs during 2013?  I know I am!

Here's how it works:

1.  Pull out 13 of your UFOs.  (Notice I didn't say all your UFOs.  I know you have at least 13!)   These can be half-done projects, barely begun projects, or even quilt "kits." 

2.  I put each project in its own 2-gallon size plastic bag.  Saves time I would have spent looking for the pattern or the special template required!

3.  Number each bag 1 - 13.

4.  Come to 52 Quilts the morning of the first day of each month in 2013 and I will have posted the number for that month's project.

5.  The 13th project is "extra credit."  Complete it at any time during the year.

As the year progresses, we'll discuss a link-up -- would you like to link up your finished projects?  Maybe form a Flickr group?

And of course, there will be giveaways.  I think one each month for one of the "completers" that month!

Speaking of "completers," um  . . . I didn't quite make my "30 Quilts in 60 Days" goal.

I did, however, piece 52 quilts this year!  For "Finish it up Friday," I'll post a "year in review" with all my 52 Quilts.

Now, go dig out those UFOs and start labeling!  Tomorrow morning, come back and see what number was drawn for the first of our "13 in 2013 UFOs."

From the desk of your