Thursday, November 7, 2013

Thursday Thoughts

UFO Collection Before (10/2012):


UFO Collection Today:
When you have finished 66 UFOs you need MUCH less space! Just look at all of those tops on hangers last fall waiting to be quilted... some of those hangers had several tops on them. I will keep that photo handy as a reminder to NEVER EVER let things get so out of control again.

Instead of having UFOs hidden all over my house they now reside in my quilting room. The top drawer labeled UFOs NOW are the ones I'm working on the current quarter. The UFOs LATER bottom drawer is pretty self explanatory. Flimsies ready for quilting are to the left and larger nickel quilt UFOs have their own bins on top. There are a few more plastic UFO project bins on the shelf above which you can't see. If there are too many pieces for a large baggie I use the shoe size bins.

UFOs and WIPs that are being actively worked on are kept in these bins under my sewing table. I am a big believer of "A Place for Everything, Everything in its Place" in my quilting room and in having a system that works for YOU. This setup along with the UFO Collection tab on my blog has helped me so much. Chaos and quilting don't mix well in my mind!

The middle drawer above labeled HAPPY BLOCKS will be emptied in 2014 as a part of my goal to learn how to FMQ. I've found a book that really speaks to me on this subject by bridging the gap between practice squares and quilting real projects which was my hang up last winter.
Image from amazon.com
Christina includes several small projects to use as practice pieces which makes so much sense to me. I'm also going to piece some Project Linus tops from my Happy Blocks and use them as a part of the practice process.

A year ago sandwiching quilts, walking foot quilting and machine binding were all very intimidating to me. After many hours of practice these skills are just a part of the process to the Finish Line and I enjoy 2 of the 3 (sandwiching is one of those have to get it done tasks for me). I see no reason why I can't say the same thing about FMQ next year at this time! I'm excited about this.

Our son and I are getting ready to fly out east tomorrow for his last college visit so I'm tidying up my quilting room and will be running those last minute errands that seem to pop up. Our high school volleyball team is playing their opening match at the state tournament today so my husband who coaches their off season program is down there along with our daughter who used to play. He actually does the play-by-play announcing on our local radio station so I'm looking forward to following their progress when I'm able by streaming it on my iPhone. It's going to be a busy weekend for us all!

10 comments:

  1. You have accomplished so much. Just goes to show what putting your mind and needle to can do. It is a huge achievement.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Wow girl!!!! I can't believe how much you've accomplished in finishing off your UFO's! Everything looks so neat and tidy :) I like your idea of the baskets ready to pull out - I may have to steal that one from you. UFO's are going to be my priority next year. Not saying I won't start new things, but I am going to make sure I have a UFO going at all times, and TRY to get at least one done each month. We'll see how that goes - "the best laid plans...." and all that LOL!!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I'm sure you feel some major satisfaction in seeing how much less space these UFOs take up now. A high five to you! And enjoy that last college visit and some mother/son time.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Congrats on all the finishes! I don't have that many UFO's but there is always something new I want to try. I think I'd need a week to organize my room though - maybe over Christmas vacation? I hope I can manage to start that many quilts in my lifetime, let alone finish them.

    ReplyDelete
  5. SIXTY-SIX~!!! Deb, that is awesome!! :D Love your storage system. You are so right about a place and everything in it. My UFOs are in a lot uglier storage units (basically Amazon and priority mail boxes), but it's crucial to have that organization. That FMQ book looks terrific, like it's perfect to get you over the gap. I'm like you, now, too - quilting and binding are enjoyable parts of the finish, but layering/basting is still - well - you just gotta do it. ;D

    ReplyDelete
  6. Finish!!!Congratulations/hugs Bambi

    ReplyDelete
  7. Great job on getting things more organized. I should do that. I like the idea of hanging flimsys on the hanger. Makes them more visible as a reminder that you have them.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Deb I remember this post...because it motivated me to hang all my quilt tops like you did...less wrinkles than folding I noticed. I also just got that book...LOVE IT!!! It's so instructional and motivates me to be so creative!!! One other thing...I see we both love our label maker! So glad you linked up!
    Val:) myplvl.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  9. FMQ is on my list of new techniques to come to grips with next year -- it's funny how we sometimes think alike. And yes, "a place for everything and everything in its place" resonates with me too! ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  10. What an accomplishment! I love how your tops to be quilted are organized on hangers. I'll have a closet in my new quilting studio and may have to do that. My bins of UFO's will slim down and I can see just how much is ready to be quilted. Maybe that'll give me the motivation to baste an extra project or two when I'm completing other projects. Thanks! www.quiltartbymegan.com

    ReplyDelete

I really enjoy reading comments! Thanks for taking the time to leave me one. I try to respond to all comments except during big giveaways.

I have had to turn off anonymous comments for now due to a sudden increase in spam. Please send me an email instead and I will respond to you.