Where does the time go?

Hello to all of my quilting friends.  Here it is mid-May and I can't believe how quickly the year is passing.  I am still recovering from my trip north, and when I got back, I decided that before I tried to do any additional sewing I had to get reorganized in my sewing room in order to be able to get anything done!  It was an undertaking I can tell you.....I had new fabric (that I needed like another hole in the head) to put away, fabric left from old projects that needed to be cut into strips and pieces and put away, as well as sorting various pieces of batting, threads and embellishments and finding them a home.  It took about 3 days and it got worse before it got better, but finally, I was able to walk  around easily and actually get some sewing done.  It is much easier to create when the space around you has a sense of order.  This isn't to say that I can't create in chaos, believe me, I can, but I don't get distracted as easily in a neater room which I think makes me more productive.  I have made a concerted effort to pick up at the end of every quilting day, I have to keep at it because as I get older I swear I have adult ADD and get disorganized more easily.  But all I can do is to keep trying.

I am quite excited that as the second  section of the Finally Finished Challenge started that at least 14 UFO's have become FFO's.  What a great start to the second phase of the challenge.   I am hoping that all of the participants can keep working towards their goal.  Take a look at the FFO that Carol completed, so nice.   And please, if you have a photo of your FFO, send it to me so I can include it in my posts.

Until next time, Happy Quilting!

Finally Finished Pillow Shams

Hi Quilting Friends,

This will be a short post because I am leaving tomorrow for  my Mom's 91'st birthday celebration, but before I did, I wanted to let you all know that the deadline worked again!  I was able to finish the pillow shams that match the my daughter's wedding quilt...the first of my FFO's.  These shams have been haunting me a bit because I wanted to get them finished by their 3rd wedding anniversary (May 10) and I have to mail them tomorrow before we leave.  Having a deadline works as does making a list! 

Yesterday I made a list of all of the things I needed to get done by today and this blog is about the last thing that I have to do.....it felt really good to cross things out today as I completed them.   I think when I get back, I will go through my UFO list and perhaps make a realistic list of what I can finish before December.  Maybe being able to cross things off the list will be motivating especially if I post the list in my sewing room.

I'd really like to hear from my readers if a list and/or a deadline has worked for you as motivation on your UFO's or if you have other methods that work.  In the meantime, here is a photo of the completed shams.  I will be back next week with a new post.  Until then, enjoy your quilting time.....Vicki

The Magic of Deadlines

Well Friends, here I am again working on a UFO and under a deadline....seems to be working for me although I hope I haven't waited too long to get this done on time (by May  2).  The project I am working on right now is a pair of pillow shams that match the quilt I finished for my daughter and her husband, and was the inspiration for the challenge in the first place.   The reason for the deadline?  Their third wedding anniversary is May 10th and I have to get them done and mailed by the 2nd.  They are being made from two blocks that were "left over" from the finished quilt.  Fortunately I have just enough of the accent fabric to use as the border.  They are coming along well, I have one quilted and the other one goes on the machine when I finish with this post.   I have talked about deadlines before, but they seem to be almost "magic" when it comes to getting things done.   I am sure that I am not the only one who had worked into the wee hours of the morning to finish a project for an event.   So my suggestion for all of you is to create a deadline for each of your projects whether it is because it is going to be used as a gift or even if it is something for yourself!  Deadlines are magical.....give them a try!

The Finally Finished Challenge really had a great beginning with 49 people from the guild participating and as of last month 33 projects were completed!  I hope that the summer months will find people to be just a productive!  I have posted some photos of the latest finish project that people have sent me.   If you are participating in the challenge and have finished a project, please let me know and send a photo!  I will try to post at least one photo from each person that sends something to me.

Off to work on the shams.  Until next time...Vicki

Back to Reality!

Hello to all my quilting friends.  Sorry that I haven't been on the blog for awhile, but as you know, I was out of the country visiting with our family in Chile.  We had a wonderful trip, enjoyed so many fun times with family, visited 3 vineyards and tasted lots of nice wines!  I also had a chance to do a "quilting 101" demo for 2 of my sisters-in-law and one of their friends.  Although my Spanish is limited as is their English, we did quite well and if we hit a snag, my husband was in the next room to translate.

My sister-in-law, Monica enjoyed her new quilt (my second Finally Finished Object) which is on a single bed in her new apartment.  While I didn't get any quilting done, I did get a lot of inspiration from things that I saw from the rows of grapvines and grapes in the vineyards, to the carvings on a stone arch of the Mapuche people of Chile to the hyroglifics of the Rapa Nui that lived on Easter Island, and handwork of these groups.  I am including photos of some of these things for everyone to enjoy.

Finally,  the first third of the yearlong challenge is coming to a close.  At the Guild meeting on the18th we will have our first drawing for those members that joined the challenge and have finished a UFO. I have included a couple of photos of FFO's that Floy H shared with me. If this applies to any member reading this blog and you have not already informed me of your UFO, be sure to do it before the meeting starts so that you can be included. 

By the time the next installment of the blog is up, I plan to be able to share which UFO  is the next target on my list.   Happy quilting!....Vicki