Wednesday, May 14, 2025

UFO Challenge 2025--Report #1

Our quilt guild recently started a UFO Challenge (UnFinished Objects, in case you didn't know), with each member submitting a list of UFOs and what they hope to achieve on their projects. The challenge is running from April until October. For each goal successfully completed, we get our name entered into a prize drawing, and for each goal not completed, our penalty is one fat quarter. Those fat quarters become part of the final prize.

As usual, I greatly overestimated how much I am likely to get done on my UFOs. The list I submitted contains 13 different projects! Most people listed three or four. This week I buckled down and completed two of my UFO goals.

Sewcialites 2, 9" blocks

The blocks shown above were made as part of the guild's 
most recent Block of the Month, Sewcialites 2 from  the Fat Quarter Shop's website. I finished a quilt top with 3" blocks from the same pattern (see it HERE,) but lost interest in making more of the 9" blocks. My UFO goal was to join them together into a baby quilt top.

Before joining the blocks together, I decided to rework two of them that bothered me as part of the group. Those were the blocks at the top right (that bright blue isn't used anywhere else) and the bottom left (needs more of the background fabric.) I changed the corner squares in the bottom block to half-square triangles with the dark blue background, and I'm much happier with that look.


Instead of taking apart the block with the bright blue, I picked a different block pattern to make from scratch. This was a very easy block to piece.


After those were done, I figured out a plan for sashing and borders. It took a couple days, but I now have a finished quilt top. UFO Challenge Goal #1 completed!

Sewcialites 2 quilt top
39.5" x 50"

I didn't waste any time after that UFO success before I pulled out another project. This was a small quilt that had been pieced several years ago, then the quilting was started in 2022. Each fabric has been quilted with a different design in a different color thread. Here are some close shots of the fabrics and the quilting.



This photo of the back really shows the texture of the quilting. The backing is a flannel print.


All that needed to be done on this quilt was to finish quilting the borders, then add the binding. I took care of those items, and now it's a finished quilt. Goal #2 completed!

Diagonal Squares baby quilt
38" x 45"

It feels so good to have completed two of the goals from my UFO Challenge list. Maybe that will motivate me to keep pushing through the other projects I've chosen. If I can average completing two goals per month, it will be a very successful challenge for me.

Linking up with:
Wednesday Wait Loss at Inquiring Quilter
Needle and Thread Thursday at My Quilt Infatuation
Finished or Not Friday at Alycia Quilts
Brag About Your Beauties at From Bolt to Beauty


Happy quilting everyone!

Julie in GA

Sunday, May 11, 2025

Stash Report and Stitching Time 5/11/2025

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY to all the mothers out there. We recently visited my mother and other family members in Wisconsin, and I'm always thankful for any time spent with them. Love you, Mom!

It's going to take a long time and a lot of quilt projects to get my stash total back in the black for the year after the huge additions to the stash that were reported last week . I made a small start this week with 34 green blocks for the Terry Rowland colorwash quilt (read about it HERE.) I used 5/8 yard from my stash to make these blocks.



2025 STASH TOTALS
Used last week:                .625 yards
Used year to date:         29.875 yards
Added last week:                0.0 yards
Added year to date:         50.25 yards
Net added in 2025:    20.375 yards




Kate's 15 Minutes to Stitch Challenge at Life in Pieces has us tracking how many days each week we get in at least 15 minutes of quilting time. I worked on multiple different projects last week, which is the norm for me, and I definitely got in more than 15 minutes every day.

15 Minute Challenge for 2025
5/4 - 5/10                 7 of 7 days
2025 Total          129 of 130 days
Success rate                 99.2 %   


Check out more stash reports at quiltpaintcreate and join the 15 Minutes to Stitch Challenge at Life in Pieces. Thanks so much to Donna and Kate for continuing to host these link-ups. 

Happy quilting everyone!

Julie in GA

Saturday, May 10, 2025

Green Terry Blocks

My collection of "Terry" blocks continued to grow this week, with a batch of green blocks completed. Green is our assigned color for May at the Rainbow Scrap Challenge. I still have about 50 more green blocks cut out and ready to be stitched.


These scrappy little blocks were inspired by Terry Rowland's colorwash quilts, which are featured in her series of three YouTube videosI started making these blocks last February, and I've finished every color except green by following along with the Rainbow Scrap Challenge

When I finish making the remaining green blocks, I should have a total of around 500 blocks. Each block finishes at 3" square. Then comes the challenge of arranging them all on the design wall and getting them joined together. I hope to have a finished quilt top before the end of June.

Be sure to check out all of the wonderful scrappy projects at the Rainbow Scrap Challenge every Saturday and Oh Scrap! over at Quilting is more fun than Housework on Sunday. 


Happy quilting everyone!

Julie in GA

Friday, May 9, 2025

Temperature Quilt Progress

It has been about a month since I posted an update about the Temperature Quilt project. I've kept up pretty well with making blocks, although I did have to do some catching up after we were gone for a week. Here's how it's looking right now, which includes blocks through May 4th.


The blocks in the upper part of the photo are joined into groups. If I keep up over the next week, I will be able to construct three more big 16-block segments.

It takes a long time to get enough blocks made for a complete segment. The dates on the blocks run across the quilt horizontally. For instance, the top row of horizontal diamonds covers January 1 - 12. The dates continue in the next row, running from left to right, January 13 - 23.


The 16-block segment shown above is a good example of  the wide range of dates that make up one segment. These blocks start with January 20th at the top and end with March 29 at the bottom.

The block with the circle in this segment is a special addition. I needed to add three blocks to the 365 for the year in order to get a number that worked for my chosen layout. The circle represents the day my husband was born, and the colors match the high and low temps for his birthdate and place. I will embroider or write the date and place on that block. I'm planning to do the same thing for my birthday in October, plus an appliqued heart for our wedding anniversary later this month.

I had been debating whether to make all of the daily blocks to represent the temperatures at our home, or if I should make blocks to reflect temps in other places when we travel. For now I've decided that the front of the quilt is all about home. I'm planning to make the blocks for travel days and use them somehow on the back of the quilt.


I'm linking up with:
Needle and Thread Thursday at My Quilt Infatuation
Finished or Not Friday at Alycia Quilts
Brag About Your Beauties at From Bolt to Beauty

Happy quilting everyone!

Julie in GA

Sunday, May 4, 2025

Stash Report and Stitching Time 5/4/2025

I missed writing a Stash Report post last week because we were traveling, so this post covers two weeks. It's time for a little bit of True Confessions regarding my stash report. Remember back in March when I wrote about starting work on a Jane Stickle sampler quilt? (If not, you can read my post HERE.) I had started out by buying 1/2 yard cuts of a variety of teal/turquoise/blue Grunge fabrics. I narrowed down my choices to six colors plus a cream background. After prepping several blocks from one color, I figured out that 1.5 additional yards of each color should be enough for my quilt. I also threw in another color of teal. To top it all off, I bought a bolt (15 yards) of the cream background Grunge, my first time ever to buy a whole bolt of quilting fabric. Total additions to the stash: 26.5 yards. Ouch! It's going to be hard to get back in the black after an addition like that.

Fabrics for Jane Stickle sampler quilt

My usage over the past two weeks has been minimal, partly due to being out of town for a week. I did use 1/2 yard for the purple blocks made to round out the collection for my Terry Rowland colorwash quilt (read about it HERE.)


2025 STASH TOTALS
Used last week:                  0.5 yards
Used year to date:           29.25 yards
Added last week:               26.5 yards
Added year to date:         50.25 yards
Net added in 2025:        21.0 yards




Kate's 15 Minutes to Stitch Challenge at Life in Pieces has us tracking how many days each week we get in at least 15 minutes of quilting time. For the first time all year, I missed a day of quilting. We had gone to Wisconsin for a niece's wedding, and I never found any time to stitch on the wedding day. We had a great time at the wedding and visiting family, so it was definitely worth missing one day.

15 Minute Challenge for 2025
4/20 - 5/3              13 of 14 days
2025 Total          122 of 123 days
Success rate                99.2 %     


Check out more stash reports at quiltpaintcreate and join the 15 Minutes to Stitch Challenge at Life in Pieces. Thanks so much to Donna and Kate for continuing to host these link-ups. 

Happy quilting everyone!

Julie in GA

Saturday, May 3, 2025

RSC Green Scrappiness

My main focus for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge in 2025 has been making more "Terry" blocks, the scrappy little blocks inspired by Terry Rowland's colorwash quilts, which are featured in her series of three YouTube videosI started making these blocks last February,  but I missed making any in green because that had been the color last January. Green is our color for May at the RSC, so I spent much of the afternoon yesterday cutting up some green fabrics to use for my blocks.


Each piece of fabric measures about 4" x 5". As you can see, I have a lot of different greens (and there are still plenty more that weren't included.) My plan was to make 60 - 70 blocks, but I believe there are more than 80 pieces in those stacks. Now I need to cut each piece into segments, plus pull contrast squares and rectangles for the centers.


I did manage to put together the first few green blocks. 
These scrappy little blocks will finish at 3" each. The other color that was incomplete is purple. I've been making 60 - 70 blocks of each color, and only had 45 done in purple. Here are the purple blocks that were made in 2024, followed by the 25 new purple blocks made in late April.




Be sure to check out all of the wonderful scrappy projects at the Rainbow Scrap Challenge every Saturday and Oh Scrap! over at Quilting is more fun than Housework on Sunday. 


Happy quilting everyone!

Julie in GA

Wednesday, April 30, 2025

One Monthly Goal Success!

There's nothing like waiting until the last day of the month, but I got in just under the wire.  It is time to report on the successful completion of my One Monthly Goal for April. My Quarter Log Cabins quilt top is done!

Quarter Log Cabins quilt top
54" x 64"

Our quilt guild is making throw quilts to be donated to the local chapter of Meals on Wheels. They distribute the quilts to clients who are in need of comfort and warmth. 

I received the fabrics from the guild's head of community service projects. The design I chose to make is the Quarter Log Cabin pattern from the Sew Can She website. Caroline at Sew Can She offers a huge selection of free patterns on her site, including several of the popular 3-yard patterns. My quilt is a little bigger than the pattern because I had about 1.5 yards of the red print and made my outer border larger.


I'm joining in with the One Monthly Goal link-up, hosted by Anne-Marie at Stories from the Sewing Room. It's possible that my One Monthly Goal for May will be to quilt and bind this quilt. That is still to be determined.

I'm also linking up with:
Wednesday Wait Loss at Inquiring Quilter
Needle and Thread Thursday at My Quilt Infatuation
Finished or Not Friday at Alycia Quilts
Brag About Your Beauties at From Bolt to Beauty

Happy quilting everyone!

Julie in GA

Sunday, April 20, 2025

Stash Report and Stitching Time 4/20/2025

I have a very fun stash addition to report this week. Our quilt guild had a program on Ice Dyeing this week, followed by a hands-on workshop . Unfortunately, I wasn't able to stay for the entire workshop, but I was there long enough to learn the process. Yesterday I had the time to make my own set of ice-dyed fat quarters at home.



It was so much fun to learn a new skill and play with fabric in a very different way. We started with three primary colors of dye, and I mostly combined them in pairs. I love the way the indigo blue and turkey red mixed into purple, and the mustard yellow and turkey red produced some gorgeous sunset-like oranges and fuchsias.


I'm not as wild about the mustard yellow and indigo combinations; they came out more olive green than I had hoped. The other three pieces in the above photo have all three colors combined. I was afraid they would just turn out muddy and dull, but they are surprisingly pretty.

These pieces are all fat quarters, which means 3 yards total added to the stash, and no usage to report for the week. I'm debating how to use these pieces in a future project. One of the leaders of the workshop confessed that she has a hard time cutting up her hand-dyed fabrics.


2025 STASH TOTALS
Used last week:                  0.0 yards
Used year to date:           28.75 yards
Added last week:                 3.0 yards
Added year to date:          23.75 yards
Net used in 2025:             5.0 yards




Kate's 15 Minutes to Stitch Challenge at Life in Pieces has us tracking how many days each week we get in at least 15 minutes of quilting time. The past week was one that had me wondering what I spent all my time doing, because I don't have much to show for it, even though I did spend time quilting every day. I did alter a new suit for Ed to wear to an upcoming wedding, which was my main activity early in the week. Toward the end of the week, I was able to finish a couple more blocks for my Jane Stickle sampler quilt. Here are the latest additions to my set of blocks.


Jane Stickle Sampler blocks
Top row: B8, A12
2nd row: A11


15 Minute Challenge for 2025
4/13 - 4/19               7 of 7 days
2025 Total          109 of 109 days
Success rate                100 %     


Check out more stash reports at quiltpaintcreate and join the 15 Minutes to Stitch Challenge at Life in Pieces. Thanks so much to Donna and Kate for continuing to host these link-ups. 

Happy quilting everyone!

Julie in GA

Sunday, April 13, 2025

Stash Report and Stitching Time 4/13/2025

There was very little change to the stash numbers this week, with only 5/8 yards used for the 30 red "Terry blocks" made as part of the Rainbow Scrap Challenge. Here are all the new blocks made this week.


I've been cutting purple fabrics for more Terry blocks, which will be followed by the greens. After that I'll just need to join all 450 - 500 blocks together into a quilt top.

2025 STASH TOTALS
Used last week:                 .625 yards
Used year to date:           28.75 yards
Added last week:                 0.0 yards
Added year to date:          20.75 yards
Net used in 2025:             8.0 yards




Kate's 15 Minutes to Stitch Challenge at Life in Pieces has us tracking how many days each week we get in at least 15 minutes of quilting time. Other than the "Terry blocks", my main quilting project for the week was a Quarter Log Cabins quilt top for the guild's community service. I was able to cut and piece the entire top in a week. You can see in-progress photos of it HERE and HERE.

15 Minute Challenge for 2025
4/6 - 4/12                 7 of 7 days
2025 Total          102 of 102 days
Success rate                100 %     


Check out more stash reports at quiltpaintcreate and join the 15 Minutes to Stitch Challenge at Life in Pieces. Thanks so much to Donna and Kate for continuing to host these link-ups. 

Happy quilting everyone!

Julie in GA

Saturday, April 12, 2025

More Terry Blocks

After finishing the yellow "Terry" blocks last week, I decided to get right into making red blocks. Red is the color for April at the Rainbow Scrap Challenge. I had already made 36 of these blocks in red last year, but I'm now working toward having around 60 blocks of each color group.
 
Here are last year's red blocks. There are 36 of them, but I've decided to leave out the one in the bottom row with the very white wavy lines; it's just too distracting.


Here is the new batch that I finished this week. 31 more blocks for the collection.


That all adds up to a big, beautiful mass of red! 66 red blocks total.


I started making these blocks early last year,
 inspired by Terry Rowland's colorwash quilts, which are featured in her series of three YouTube videos. That is why I call them my "Terry" blocks.

These scrappy little blocks will finish at 3" each. The only colors left to make are around 15 purple blocks and 60 or so in green. I'm not planning to include brown or black, but might end up adding some if needed to finish off the outer edges of the quilt.

Be sure to check out all of the wonderful scrappy projects at the Rainbow Scrap Challenge every Saturday and Oh Scrap! over at Quilting is more fun than Housework on Sunday. 


Happy quilting everyone!

Julie in GA
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