Quilt UFO goals for April
April is here, and the urge to get outside and play in the dirt is strong. This month, I will continue to focus on my Quilt UFO Projects: the Foundation Piecing projects, Jack’s Chain, and a Machine Quilting Project. I really should spend a day finishing up a couple of bindings. Soon, the nice weather outside will win out over the projects.
Mariner’s Star and 4th of July Foundation Piecing
As much as I look forward to finishing both of these projects, I am trying to enjoy the process. It is nice to have only one baggie of parts to focus on each month. The excitement is building as I finish more; I can picture the finished project in my head. The batiks are just sparkling.
Maybe I will get out all the finished pieces once I finish April’s baggie. The color combinations I have been working on are helping to keep the focus. Just not enough to do more than one baggie each month.
Jack’s Chain Quilt UFO
I am finally putting pieces together: 9-Patches with triangles and hexagons. Because of the y-seams, this project will require more focus, but I am enjoying the challenge. I will keep my seam ripper close by, but I’m hoping that doesn’t mean I will be sitting and unsewing.
So why am I enjoying this quilt UFO over the foundation piecing? Picking out the foundation papers is such a mess.
Machine Quilting
This part of my UFO challenge is probably my favorite. I can see the progress. The machine quilting pile is noticeably shrinking, which is the encouragement I thrive on. I hope to add at least a couple of quilt tops back to that pile. I have a quilting weekend coming up, and I have two projects that are eons old—a couple of my pattern samples. So, my project shelf will decrease, but the machine quilting shelf will increase again. Marching down the timeline of a quilting project is always forward progress.
April’s Machine Quilt UFO is an oldie. It will be fun to finish up some of the quilt tops from my teaching and pattern-creating days. I will need to find fabric for the binding that coordinates because I don’t have any of the fabrics left. I found a teal variegated thread that will compliment this quilt wonderfully.
Quilt UFO – How Many Do You Have?
A few years ago, I was shocked by the number of unfinished projects I had. Since publicly sharing what I am working on, the projects have slowly shrunk. My competitive side is showing a bit here. In chatting with quilters, I know some gather fabrics for future projects, and others tend to start projects on a whim.
I am in that second group of quilters. I prefer to have a project in mind for my fabrics, although when I purchase fabrics online, I tend to select extra color values and yardage just in case the colors don’t work well together. My fascination with scrap quilts will help to keep my stash to a manageable level.
Share the quilt projects that have been your focus this year!
Enjoy your April 1st. No clever April Fool jokes here, so until next time.
You may be interested in these posts on Scrappy Quilts and Quilting UFOs.
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