one of the other lists

I mentioned in my last post (that was only 5 days ago!!!) other lists and whatnot.  I'm getting excited about starting new projects, finishing old ones and generally quilting again.  I sure hope this lasts!

After I made the list of all the quilt tops hiding in the Closet of Shame, I made a list of precuts and fabrics I've bought or been given and would like to use.  I love the idea of precuts, but have made a resolution for 2017 and beyond: Purchase of Precuts without a Plan is Prohibited.  (yay alliteration!)  This doesn't help any with the folks who like to buy them for me, but it should help me some.

I took photos of the fabrics (some are blurry...so it seems with a purchase of a new "smart" phone that takes better photos, my real camera decided to be angry?) to share and further my public shaming.  But have no fear, I have plans for one for sure and second that I'm thinking on already!

In order of my written list, in order I found them in the closet:

#1 a new bundle from my mom, received for Christmas this year

I have no idea the name of these fabrics, but they're super soft and super cute.  I have to find an awesome pattern for this, but that's what Pinterest is for, right?

#2 a "smoothie" of brown and turquoise fabrics

I think my sis-in-law gave me this, but maybe it was my mom?  It's a few years old and I think I remember those fabrics being fat quarters.  Another set that I love, but I'm working on ideas.

#3 Max and Whiskers jelly roll

...meh...blurry...  This one I have a plan for.  I even tried to go to my local quilt shop today (one or the other of them!) to purchase fabric, but they're BOTH closed.

I'm headed to a quilt retreat next weekend and with a short list of UFOs to take, I decided this would be a good place to start on my list of precuts.  I found a photo on Pinterest and with some diligent searching this morning, I found the pattern in the August/September 2012 issue of Quilter's Newsletter Magazine.  I was able to purchase and download the magazine (I probably could have asked friends if they had a copy, but I wanted it NOW!), so I'm set there.  It's called Brick Wall an is fairly simple, but that's okay.  I wanted something that would use larger pieces so I could appreciate the cuteness.

I think some off-white grunge (or maybe turquoise?) will be great for the white in the pattern and I know both LQSs have it, I just have to wait until they're open next week.  And this time I'm going to remember to buy the binding fabric, too.  (more on that in a minute...)

#4 modern bundle

Again, not sure what this one is called, but it's another super-soft bundle of beauty.  My sister-in-law for sure purchased this one for me, as we were at a quilt show together and she saw me fondling and drooling on it.  She snuck back later and bought it for me!  Another that I want a very special pattern to show it off, so it's waiting.

#5 weekend bundle

I purchased this back in 2013 (I think) and didn't know what to do with it, but loved it.  I was going to make Swoon out of it, but chickened out.  I'm still not sure what to do with it, but it's a good-sized bundle of fat quarters and currently all washed, pressed, folded and ready to go.  I'm going to find something.  I just know it.

#6 30's bundle silent auction win

Aside from the Christmas bundle, this is my most recent addition.  I won this bundle of fat quarters at a fund raiser silent auction this fall.  I have one quilt in mind that I like: O Happy Day.  The original isn't done in 30's prints, but I can see it.  And it reminds me of the Granny Square quilt pattern, which I have seen successfully done in 30's, but it's a little more appealing to me.  But I'm still not 100% on this one, so hesitating about a pattern purchase.  But this one is on the list to be worked on at the retreat if I get it figured out.  (What did we do before we could digitally download patterns?  I mean, who has time to WAIT for them to come in the mail any more?!)  I do have a chunk of white fabric purchased to work with this, so when I make my decision, I should be good to go.

#7 hot pink and grey fabrics purchased on impulse

The top three were purchased on impulse at a local-ish quilt store quite a few years back.  The bottom, honeycomb fabric purchased later on clearance, but it's perfect!  The top three are fat quarters (maybe more of the black?) and the bottom is yardage, but I'm not sure how much.  I love them and want to do something super cool, so they sit and wait.

#8 purple and tan bundle that I don't remember buying

...blurry again...  I honestly don't really remember purchasing these.  I'm not sure I'm in love with the tan any more, but you can't go wrong with purple and I love fabric with words on it, so I'm not ready to part with them.  They're fat quarters.  I think more purple will make this work, but until I went searching through my precut stash, had honestly completely forgotten about these.  I think they're going to require more planning than anything above, but you never know...

So you may have found the theme here...I purchase precuts because they're pretty and then have NO IDEA what to do with them.  I know Moda has their Bake Shop and there are a lot of books and patterns written specifically for this, but more often than not, I'm not attracted to quilts that use such a wide variety of fabrics (I'm a 2-4 print kind of gal, usually), so it's not as easy as it sounds.  But I recognize my problem, have created a resolution to address my problem and now am just left with cleaning up my mess of having a problem!  (Admitting you have a problem is the first step, right?!)

The one down side to using these?  The Closet of Shame will fill up again...after, of course, I quilt those 13 quilts on my UFO list!

Speaking of my UFO list.  I put a #0 on there because I wanted my elephant quilt quilted soon.  I plan to take it to retreat with me (we leave Thursday) to use on my bed there.  It's official debut!  So it needs to be done.

On Tuesday, I pieced the backing.  (Whew - I hate that job!)

Wednesday, I told myself all day at work "NO PROCRASTINATING!!!" - I was going to quilt that sucker that night.  Or at least get it started.  I knew I wanted all-over swirls.  I knew the back was ready to go.  I knew the batting was relaxed.  I knew the top was pressed (but not getting any less so folded up, waiting).  I knew I was going to use off-white or light grey thread - I had both.  There was NO reason not to start.

So I did.

(see, my new phone takes great photos - no editing here at all! - not blurry, and even decent for being taken after dark)

It was at this point I realized that three longarm bobbins wasn't going to cut it (I had just put in the third and wasn't yet halfway done).  Those swirls eat up a lot more thread than I thought.  But it's okay.  I had enough thread, I just had to wind a few more bobbins.  Minor setback.

I got it all done Wednesday night!  This is after trimming and spread out on my longarm.  Sorry it's upside down, but the lighting was better from this end.

It was at this point I remembered I had no binding fabric.  It didn't come with the kit and I had forgotten in my excitement at the LQS a few days earlier that I needed something.  You know, when I had the top with me for color selection?

So I stopped back in Thursday after work (I actually got out after only an 8 hour shift and was able to make it while the shop was still open!!!) and winged it.  I did have photos on my phone and had originally planned turquoise to match the darker color in the border, but couldn't find one I really loved that I felt matched and wasn't too busy.  So on to greens.

I'd say I nailed it!

Thursday evening I made the binding and sewed the first half on by machine and then started on the hand-sewing.  Until the tip of my thumb split open.  (I didn't think it was THAT bad yet!)  Not only painful, but dangerous with the potential for bleeding.  So after just about one side was sewn down, I set it aside and bandaged up my thumb with antibiotic ointment for the night.  And Friday night.  I think it's doing okay now, so perhaps when I'm done rambling, I can work some more today?  (Emma and Luka vote YESYESYES!!!)

In all, I may not have this done by the end of December, but it WILL be done to take to retreat on Thursday, and that was ultimately my goal.

Tomorrow Judy picks the first UFO number...I can't wait!

(The longarm behaved nicely with the elephants and my biggest hurdle is just remembering that I CAN do this - it's not THAT hard!)

I still have other personal challenges and projects to share, but this has gotten rather long, so I'll post those another day...

Happy quilting,

Katie