2011 UFO Summary December 20, 2011

Judy challenged us to finish 12 UFOs this year.  Since my stack of UFOs is considerably larger than 12, I made two lists.  The goal of List A was to get the top done.  List B had quilts I wanted quilted and bound.  There were 4 quilts on both lists as they were quilt-as-you-go.

In the images below, the left side is where I started and the right is where I finished, unless otherwise noted.

A1 – Mom’s 4-Patch Stacked Posies – This was a quilt my mom started in 2008.  I brought it  home to finished after she passed away in March 2010.

B1 – Red, White, and Blue Baby 2 – This quilt top was from the Spring of 2008. It’s now quilted and bound.

A2 – True Friends – I won this kit many years ago and started it in 2006 when I found out my husband’s niece was expecting.  When I found out she was expecting twins, it was set aside so I could make a pair of quilts.  Now it is quilted and bound.

B2 – Fireworks Over John Deere.  – this quilt top was completed at a quilt retreat in April 2008.  I think that year I my goal was to make 12 baby quilts for charity — I think I only got 6 quilted.  But this one is quilted now. The backing is from a John Deere pillow panel.

A3 – 2006 Retreat Mystery – The border blocks are from the mystery quilt which I didn’t complete.  The center star from my orphan box.  My goal – get the top complete which I did in November.

B3 – Thangles BOM1 – I didn’t think all of the blocks went together well, so split them into two quilt tops back in 2008.  It’s been waiting to be quilted — and still is.

A4 – Red, White and Blue Sampler – these blocks started off with 7  shop hop quilt and 6 birthday swap blocks.  I finished up the shop hop blocks and added a few of my own blocks bring the total up to 20 — then stalled trying to figure out my setting.

B4  – Thangles BOM 2 -This is the other Thangles quilt.  No work was done on it.

A5 – Victory Quilt – Started in 2008, I only had 7 blocks completed.  I’ve now got 15 done and there are still a few more to do.  I’m not sure what this quilt will look like when it’s finished, but it is a further along than it was.

B5 – Glenwood Avenue/Baby Glow – I had 4 leftover blocks from a swap in 2008, so I sewed them together for a baby quilt, but then didn’t get it quilted.  I can cross it off my list now.

6A – 2008 Charm Challenge/ 3 Sisters Choice.  Like the name implies, this quilt was started in 2008.  Between two cutting mistakes and a passed deadline, the pieces sat until this challenge.  Not only was this the first quilt top I finished this year, it was my first completed quilt of the year.

6B – Scrap 5-Patches – a few days after finishing 3 Sisters Choice, I quilted this quilt top from August 2009.

7A – Mom’s Baby Chain of Stars – This is another of my mom’s UFOs.  I finished the top and quilted it in August.  It will go to one of her great-grandbabies.

7B – Carolina Christmas Baby 1 – a relatively new quilt top completed in May 2010, I quilted it in March.

8A – Christmas Row Swap.  I received the blocks in October 2008 and finally got them into a top this past year. I’m still thinking about the quilting.

8B – Was supposed to be quilting No Blue Geese in my Tropical Garden, but by the time January rolled around, I had already finished the quilt.  So, I said I would pick another quilt off my To Be Quilted tab.  8 was called in June and that was the month I was finishing up quilts to deliver while we were on vacation.  I quilted 4 quilts off my list:  Victoria’s Rose, The Chain Event (twice!), Ribbon Candy, and Kansas Spirit.

Now to the quilts on both lists.

9 – Green and Cream Swap (Fall 2006)  – There are twenty blocks and I had 12 of them into rows when I started and another 8 ready to be quilted.  Not much progress was made — although I did get seams between the blocks stitched down and two rows sewn together.

10 – Dresden Plate (2006) – It took a little over two months to get this quilt finished, as I was still piecing the blocks! The plates are from a skirt my mom made me and the backing is from her stash.

11 – Compass Lone Star – this quilt has been in the works for nearly 5 years.  I started the quilting in the background of the center star, but had to rip it out.  Then I discovered I didn’t have enough background fabric to finish the quilt, but found a shirt that is a close match.  I plan to quilt on it after Christmas, so perhaps I’ll finish this quilt shortly after the first of the year.

12 – Hancock Stars BOM (2005) – #12 is December’s #.  Since I’m doing this is a quilt as you go and I pre-washed my batting (don’t ask) it’s all packed in a suitcase sitting between my sewing table and the window, where I put it after I photographed it last December.  I threw the towel in on this one about mid-November.  But, on a more positive note, I learned some things this year which should make putting the quilt together easier when I do get to it.

So, the tally from the challenge:

• Finished 13 quilts
• Completed 3 tops
• Made progress on 4 quilt tops
• Didn’t touch 3 challenge quilts

With all of this progress, my net UFO count is down only 8, as I started a few new projects – OK 10 — but I’ve finished two and should have a 3rd finished by the end of the year.

Bottom line – I’m moving in the correct direction.  Now can I keep it up next year?

To see how others did with their challenges, check out the links over at Patchwork Times.

UPDATE:  I re-read Judy’s post.  She’s looking for our 2012 Challenge Lists.  Mine can be found on the 2012 UFO Challenge.