UFO, WIP, Flimsy parade - time to get organized!

I decree that yesterday's new name shall be - "Tally Tuesday"

Also, when ya can't beat the heat to sew comfortably in the loft (since we frugal ol' fuddy-duddies haven't folded to turn on the AC yet), t'was time to ORGANIZE all the bins and shelves and 'chair piles' downstairs in the basement quilting space. Don’t get me wrong! I like the heat but this task needed to get done all the same.

I haven't truly been in full-blown 'quilter-mode' since probably 2013/14, as my faithful followers of year's gone by can attest to; life simply got busy with the girls growing up . However, with a couple recent quilt-top finishes this week that had been in almost-finished stages, I really wanted to get a gauge of the status of all the other "things" down there. Ya know... to make plans and goals!

The parade of current UFOs (unfinished objects), WIPs (works in progress) and FLIMSIES (quilt top ready for quilting), plus a few HMIDs (holy moly, it's done) quilts.

[[alright, I made up that last acronym]]

FIrst up, the Flimsies...

Omigosh flimsy - 73"x 92"
Designer: Susan Garman

Omigosh perspective

Finished Friday - OMIGOSH is a flimsy!

Wednesday AM status - 221 4.5" blocks ready for assembly

Friday AM status - borders prepped and attached

OMIGOSH - 73" x 92" officially a flimsy

Accomplished!  Some dreary, gloomy, rainy days between Wednesday and today certainly helped to allow me to piece, assemble and sew guilt-free. 

Before organizing a new Leader-Ender project, there are little piles of partial units that have collected over the years that are attracting my attention.  I don't even know if I ever had plans for some 3.5" (finished) 9-patches, and it's not pink-month for SoScrappy's Rainbow Scrap challenge, but there is something about cleaning up and organizing little scraps into workable piles for some future project.  And clearing away the clutter!

Once in a sewing-motivational mood hits, it's quite difficult to pull away for other duties requiring my attention.  (You too???). However, I practiced discipline!  With the ONLY dry, partially sunny few hours in the forecast for the week, I broke for a few hours Wednesday afternoon to take care of the mowing before it quite literally would require the neighbor farmer's hay-baling equipment.

And next up -- this beast!  Omigosh (this time as a expletive)!  While laying assembled units out in the newly transformed loft area..... ugh!  The carpet is a weeee bit on the icky-yucky-STICKY-gross side of the tracks.  I don't even know what may all be in that carpet over decades of the girls traipsing through.  Facebook to the rescue.  A quick ISO plea to local friends resulted in an early afternoon delivery of their "ancient cleaner."   I'm still in the quilting mood and HOPE to continue with the quilting prep for OMIGOSH, but first... carpet cleaning.

Bailee girl simply needs to be patient; besides it's still dreary and rainy outside.

 

UFOs #1 & #2 - OMIGosh & Scrappy Log Cabin

"Welcome back, Amy.  So, any lingering UFOs?"
 -- to which she laughed, and laughed!
Oh goodness golly, I'm not even SURE what I have hiding away in UFO status.  So, as a start...

OMIGOSH!  This project has lingered... and lingered... and lingered.  Generally speaking, it's been the ongoing on-and-off leader-ender project next to the machine for years (assuming units have been prepped), with my earliest mention of it back in an October, 2012 post.  It recently has been given the forefront of my attention whenever I actually happened to have found time in the previous year in my sewing space.  Today, the final units were trimmed...

... and some of the piecing began.

No down-sizing of this bad boy, either.  I've officially labeled with as UFO #1 with solid plans on making it my next finish!  #ChallengeAccepted

Additionally, amidst my sewing-room transition, I blew the dust off of this hidden bin of scraps (literally!).  I actually recall loosely when these were collected and cut; YEARS ago ... maybe 2008-ish?  I'm thinking that when the OMIGosh quilt sees a finish, these'll be next up.  There were a bunch of completed blocks in the bucket with some scribbled love-notes and prepped units; officially identified as UFO #2 for now.

 #BabySteps

Blowing off the dust

When Cassie came home early in March due to Covid closure restrictions at UWS, we elected to have her take over the quilting room seeing as her little sister claimed her bedroom in August when Cass left for school.  After all, I haven't really been quilting much in recent years due to life's hustle-n-bustle being the mom of three very active athletes. 
But, as the month of May progressed, and more and more time was opening up in my schedule from the stay-at-home orders, the itch started coming on to get back in front of my sewing machine.  So... an evening of cleaning and tidying commenced in the open-space of our basement.

Open Space - before

Open Space - after

With almost two (?) years having gone by since truuuuuly spending time sewing, organizing all of my WIPs and leaders-enders was amazingly relaxing. 

Firing up the iron to repress some of the OMIGOSH blocks...

 ... sewing on a few last strips for the yellow string blocks for Bonnie's Talkin' Turkey...

... hanging the simple tablecloth design wall in order to check the status of how many Talkin' Turkey blocks have already been sewn...

... and simply getting organized in my new makeshift sewing area was time well spent and enjoyed. 

Now, to keep tackling a little bit at a time WITHOUT starting anything new!  😂

"Always Time" quilt top and Taming of the Scraps

Always Time (79 x 103)

Always Time has come together with some dedicated time over Thanksgiving vacation, a couple of weekends and some time during this Christmas vacation.  The blocks are larger, therefore it has been a decently quick quilt top to piece.

Many of the fabrics are from the "Twilight Frost" line that was discontinued to Connecting Threads a couple of years ago.  The pattern is the Rambling Aunt Sukey design from Marti Mitchell (published in the from Jan/Feb '08 Quiltmaker magazine).  

Like many, many others;  it has been folded and added to my ever-growing--never-shrinking pile of quilt tops ready for quilting.

The 2014 Rainbow Scrap Challenge was wrapped up with a final gray block in order to round out the year with twelve blocks :)    

Naturally, it would be right for me to pass up a year of the Rainbow Scrap Challenge, so.... I'm in for 2015 too!  I don't really have a solid plan in mind (yet), despite spending countless hours last night and this morning searching the net for that perfect idea.

Although, this morning, with my new rotary cutter in-hand, I started trimming up numerous bonus-HSTs in blue (January's color), trimming them to 2".

With a few hours of "Avengers" and "Avengers" in the DVD player, (yup...when it ended, I simply pushed 'Play' again),  I added four scrappy star blocks to four block I had pieced last year during Judy's Scrap Challenge for January.  (All pictured lower left).
Yesterday was a day well spent trying to tame all (some?  a few?) of the scraps I had scattered around the sewing room.  All the while, sew-skyping with buddy Nancy.  It was the first day in a LONG time that I felt my quilting mojo had come back.  It truly felt good using up SOME of the scraps, even through, TRULY, barely a dent was made!!!!

The OMIGOSH blocks (upper left) have been an on-n-off Leader-Ender project of mine for the past couple of years.  The scrappy Talkin' Turkey blocks (upper right) are a Bonnie-design, these done in scrappy though :)

Although I'd love to keep my quilting mojo flowing, I don't know if I want to head back downstairs since I've spent the past couple of hours upstairs, cleaning and decluttering the kitchen and laundry/entryway room.

Maybe some more Gibbs (NCIS marathon on USA) and my crochet hook ?? ;)

Happy New Years everyone!

Saturday Sewing with Nancy

Nancy (Patchwork Penguin) and I retreated via Skype this afternoon;  it's always nice when I get to sew with others :)


I had a few of the subunits completed for Omigosh from leaders and enders over the past couple of weeks;  I wanted to see them come together into something tangible.  They are stinkin' CUTE merely due to their size!  All of those individual squares in the 4- and 9-patches finish at 1/2".

Next, although I'm no where NEAR finishing enough midget blocks, I have been putting some time and thought into the sashing for the finale.  With some motivation from Bonnie's In The Pink quilt, I started drawing up some templates on paper for the sizes needed.  The square-in-a-square will all end up being paper-pieced, but the sashing units will be pieced with the assistance from my Tri-Recs ruler set.

Omigosh! I'm sewing on a school night (again)

You bet'cha folks!  Tuesday evening, and an hour was spent downstairs.

Some tidying and organizing of my Omigosh Leader-Ender area was addressed by pressing all the 4-patch units that have been collecting over the past few months (during the few times that I actually HAVE been quilting).

They surely are teeeeeenie-tiny.  Omigosh!   {{what a fitting name!!!}}

Some strip-sets for the 9-patches were pieced and pressed as well.

Someday, this quilt may see a finish.  For now, it's simply my leader-ender.