I’m back, I think…. [Smurf Forest] WIP

Wow, I really didn’t think my mojo would go on vacation for this long. I basically haven’t sewn since our guild retreat in November. I went on another quilting retreat about a month ago and didn’t even bring my machine or fabric. I brought scrapbooking supplies instead; but it was at that retreat that my mojo started to wake back up.

At the retreat, I saw Angie making blocks for her French Roses quilt. I really loved the look of the blocks and how tactile the quilt is in the end because of the layered raw-edge appliqué (more examples here). I decided I must make this quilt and quickly figured out for who and what fabric to use.

The only thing stopping me from making it right away is three commission quilts. The commission quilts are long overdue and what I blame for losing my mojo.

After making two commission quilts last year, the novelty of doing them has warn off and I have decided it is not for me. I need to do this hobby for me alone and without a goal of making money. I committed to these last three commission before I figured this out.

So, that leads me to my latest accomplishment… it is not a finished quilt, but a finished commissioned quilt TOP. I do not usually photograph completed tops, but this time it seemed warranted given my recent slump.

The design is wholly inspired by Amanda Jean’s quilt blocks that I saw on Pinterest. Before sewing any fabric together, I did a digital sketch of it first to see if I liked the design in these colors and to get feedback on it. The finished top looks remarkably like the sketch.

I am calling the quilt “Smurf Forest” because it will be backed with a vintage Smurf sheet and I think the pieced strips look a little like trees.

I only have one more commission quilt top to make and then it is on to the quilting and binding for three quilts. I am hoping to get these commissions wrapped up in the next couple of months so I am free to quilt as I wish once again. Wish me luck!

Retreat

Last weekend I was lucky enough to spend several days with a great group of women at the annual retreat for the Dallas Modern Quilt Guild. My husband put on his Mr. Mom hat and took a couple days off work to take care of our girls (ages 5.5, 3.5 and 20 months) from Thursday morning to Sunday afternoon. And, when I got back home the house was clean. I think he is a better housewife than me! That doesn’t surprise me though because he’s a great dad and husband. I lucked out!

Seeing as how I haven’t been in the mood to quilt all.the.time. (which is generally my norm), I was very tempted to take non-quilty/-sewing projects to work on at the retreat.

Thankfully, I came to my senses and packed three QUILTING projects to work on. While there I completed two quilt tops (snippets of each shown above) and worked on more Liberty Stars. The best part of going to a retreat is getting to know my quilty friends even better. We laughed until we cried; stayed up way too late; ate too much; and collaborated to solve various quilting dilemmas. The next retreat can’t come soon enough!

Funk

Quilting is my hobby-on-a-mission. I tend to make quilts for specific purposes, to fill gifting or other needs. “Other needs” range from making quilts for my immediate and extended family, for a good cause or on commission to earn a little money (to buy more fabric, of course!).

With that kind of mindset, I can mentally over-commit to what I want to accomplish and then I get overwhelmed with my to-dos. In turn, I do nothing. The thought of having a hobby that stresses me out is absolutely ridiculous when you consider the definition of hobby is:

an activity or interest pursued for pleasure or relaxation and not as a main occupation.

I have been in a sewing funk since mid-August. I have had no real desire to work on anything quilty or sewing related which is not a good thing when I am up to my eyeballs in projects that I need/want to get done:

• silent auction quilt (due in November; I need to make ~8 more blocks)
• baby quilt gift (baby already born; no quilt started, but I may finish an old UFO for it)
• two large quilts that are more than half way quilted
• “Little Apples” challenge quilt (see below)
• three commission quilts (due before Christmas; fabric has been purchased and designs determined)
• plus the list of WIPs/UFOs that continues to haunt me

{ My “Little Apples” DallasMQG challenge quilt – that I failed to finish – is shown above. We were allowed to add in solids. I added white, two yellows, two pinks, and two browns. I love how the addition of those solids changes the look of the collection. }

I think my funk started because of the WIPs looming over me. I feel like I should work on those first instead of other projects, even if the other projects have deadlines; most of my WIPs have no deadline. So, instead of working on anything, I work on nothing and avoid my sewing space as much as possible.

The last time I lost my quilting mojo, it took me ten months to find. I do hope this slump does not last that long.

How do I adjust my thinking and make my hobby pleasurable again? The logical thought would be to stop quilting with so many goals and just quilt for fun. However, I just cannot see myself quilting with no purpose; that does not fit my personality. I like fulfilling needs by making and gifting quilts.

I should also try to work past that pesky thing called guilt so I can enjoy whatever project I am working on at the moment.

With that last thought in mind, I started yet another project. I know, just what I need. At this point, I figure anything to get me sitting down at my sewing machine is a good thing.

Oh, and now when I sit down at my sewing machine, I am sitting down to my new Sew Perfect J table that I absolutely LOVE! You can kind of see the table in the photo below. I talked about my search for sewing tables here.

I have enlisted the help of my daughter and her classmates to make a quilt for their kindergarten teacher’s brand new baby girl (the gift will be a surprise for the teacher). My daughter’s teacher, who was only in the classroom three days before having her baby, is scheduled to be back in class at the end of October. That gives me a little less than a month to get this done.

For the baby quilt, I am using the Feather (pink/brown) colorway of Red Letter Day plus a mix of coordinating fabrics (prints and solids). I ironed freezer paper to pink and grey solid fabric and then cut that fabric into five inch squares. I went into the classroom yesterday to explain the project to the kids and had them write their first names on a fabric square with a Fabrico marker.

I am using a square-in-square design for the blocks. The quilt will be about half signature blocks and half RLD print blocks. I want the signature blocks to be secondary in the quilt design, but still easily visible. We’ll see if that works when I piece the top. I am already more than half way done making the blocks. Fingers crossed that the rest comes together quickly.

I have 22 five year olds counting on me to complete this quilt. Hopefully that is enough to get me through this slump and help me finish the quilt on time.

Until then, I am not sure what I will do about my other commitments…

Finish it Up! Results

As summer vacation is coming to a close, it’s time to post the results of my Finish it Up! goals.

My goal was to work on my IN PROGRESS/DUE projects and skip the LONG TERM and ON HOLD/IN LIMBO projects (which I described here).

IN PROGRESS/DUE (i.e. want to finish before September or sooner)

• Arcadian Meadow (throw quilt): finished!
• County Picnic (picnic quilt): no progress; waiting until I get my new sewing table at the end of September to finish quilting
  
• Knowledge, Faith, Nurture (potholders): no progress; must finish binding before preschool starts in September.
• Bee Blocks (x3): finished!
• Hopscotch Patchwork (picnic/throw quilt): now quilting; I will finish before end of month
• Trudy Tres (throw quilt): no progress; will complete before end of year

It doesn’t look like I worked on much this summer, does it? Only TWO finishes?!? This list is deceptive. Despite trying to focus on my current WIPs this summer, I still managed to start new projects and create even more WIPs (total now at 14!).

I’m a strange soul. I don’t like to be told what to do, even when it is *me* telling me what to do. That doesn’t even make sense, does it? I generally work when inspiration or motivation strikes.

So, what new things did I start?

• Apples Squared: a DallasMQG challenge mini quilt (status: making blocks, backing complete; due: September)
  
• Liberty Stars (thumbnail right): a twin size quilt that I’ll donate to the elementary school’s silent auction (status: have made 30+ blocks, need 48; due: November)
• Pocket Pixies Apple Core: nap quilt for Tessa (status: die-cut pieces cut out; due: August 2012)
• Raw Edge Apple Core Tester: to make before Tessa’s nap quilt to figure out technique (status: die-cut pieces cut out)

In addition to these, I need to start a few more quilts in the very near future.

• Baby quilt (fabric TBD): for J’s co-worker; baby was born today! (due: ASAP)
• Rainbow Squares: commission throw-sized quilt (status: design determined; due: November)
• Rainbow Circles: commission throw-sized quilt (status: design determined; due: November)
• Blue + Green: commission throw-sized quilt (status: design determined; due: November)

I am afraid that my WIP list is going to continue to grow instead of shrink. Eek!

Finish It Up! Check-in

It is time for me to check-in with my Finish It Up! progress, especially since it is week four! This summer is flying by and I only have one finish so far. :/

[I am focusing my efforts on my IN PROGRESS/DUE projects and am trying to skip the LONG TERM and ON HOLD/IN LIMBO projects (which I described here).]

WIP LIST

• Arcadian Meadow (throw quilt): finished! (I linked this finish to Meg’s post for FIU!)
• County Picnic (picnic quilt): no progress; hope to finish before August
• Knowledge, Faith, Nurture (potholders): no progress; will tackle during road trip in August
• Trudy Tres (throw quilt): no progress; taking to a quilt retreat at the end of the month
• Hopscotch Patchwork (picnic/throw quilt): no progress; taking to retreat
• Bee Blocks (x3): no progress; will finish before retreat

Considering that I finished one WIP, my WIP count should have gone down to 10. Instead, it rose to 12 because I started two more (similar) projects. I could have easily started two more, but I restrained myself. And then there’s the baby quilt I have yet to start but need to so I can give it as a gift.

I am in the midst of organizing my fabric because it was all over the place in my sewing room. I am nearly done with getting it back in order, so now I should be able to focus on my WIPs (and hopefully not start any more projects!).

Finish it Up!

Meg (Fashioned by Meg) is organizing a challenge this summer to tackle all of those WIPs and UFOs. My list of unfinished projects is longer than I would like, so my goal is to complete several before September.

I am a little late posting my initial “Finish it Up!” plan, but better late than never!

I have a few categories for my WIPs/UFOs: IN PROGRESS/DUE, LONG TERM and ON HOLD/IN LIMBO. My summer quilting efforts will focus on the projects in the IN PROGRESS category.

IN PROGRESS/DUE (i.e. want to finish before September or sooner)

• Arcadian Meadow | Q16 | June ’10 – ? | large throw (56″ x 84″)
  STATUS: piecing blocks
  This quilt is a wedding gift for my brother. He was married in January, so this one is at the top of the list.

• County Picnic (Sew Fun 2 Bee quilt) | Q39 | Mar ’11 – ?  | picnic (72″x72″)
  STATUS: more than half way done with quilting
  I got frustrated with the straight-line quilting, so I gave up for the time being.

• Knowledge, Faith, Nurture | Q35 | Mar ’11 – ?  | potholders (8 pair)
  STATUS: 9 finished and delivered. 7 left to bind and deliver.
  These were meant to be end-of-the-year teacher gifts, but I didn’t finish binding them all. We delivered at least one potholder to each teacher and will mail the mates to the teachers this summer.

• Trudy Tres (for ?) | Q22 | July ’10 – ? | throw
  STATUS: blocks completed; block placement determined; ready to piece top
  Using the last of the blocks from the Trudy collaborative quilt project to make a third quilt.

• Hopscotch Patchwork | Q17 | June ’10 – ? | picnic
  STATUS: several rows pieced; still need to finish “7″ & “8″ number blocks

• Bee Blocks
  I have three blocks to make and then all of my bee obligations will be finished

LONG TERM

• Wee Play Gma’s Garden | Q18 | July ’10 – ? | lap
  STATUS: ~80 hexes made, some put together
  My oldest starts Kindergarten next year, so I anticipate getting back into this project as I sit in the car in the pick-up line every day.

ON HOLD / in LIMBO 

• Ode to Denyse | Q40 | June ’11 – ? | couch quilt (48″x72″?)
  STATUS: gathering and cutting fabric
  ON HOLD: I may or may not wait to piece the blocks until the beginning of next year. It all depends on if I want to include the reprint of FMF.

• Framed & Nested (Fussy Cut Bee quilt) | Q30 | Jan ’11 – ? | throw
  STATUS: waiting on one block by a bee member but he won’t respond to any of my messages (I’d at least like the fabric back from him); need to finish more blocks on my own.
  ON HOLD: This is supposed to be for my niece for when she graduates from high school in two years (yes, a little early to make), BUT now that I see it come together, I’m not sure that the fabric/colors match her style.

• Leading the Irish | Q19 | July ’10 – ? | size TBD
  STATUS: 20 or so blocks pieced; many others partially constructed
  ON HOLD: I didn’t do a great job with piecing some of these squares, so I am not very motivated to finish this one up. I just need to do it though and be done with it.

• Bandanna Hope | Q14 | May ’10 – ? | ?
  STATUS: three quilt-as-you-go blocks made
  ON HOLD: I don’t know if I want to make a large quilt-as-you-go quilt because I don’t really like how the backs of a quilt-as-you-go quilt looks. Alternative is to turn the three blocks into a mini quilt/portable change pad??

• Playroom Patchwork | Q0 | Apr ’09 – ? | curtains
  STATUS: one “top” done; need to piece other top
  ON HOLD: This is the first patchwork project I started since seriously quilting. I’m not exactly sure how to finish and hang the curtains, so I stopped working on them. And now I wonder if the curtains are right for the room…

I have eleven WIPs/UFOs total. I would like to tackle five + 3 bee blocks this summer. I hope that being in the “Finish it up” group will motivate me to get it all done!