January UFO Quilt challenge

The snow has been a bit of a challenge too!


I managed to finish my string quilt for the January UFO Challenge on Judy's blog. I had actually challenged myself to get the blocks made and put together into a quilt top, but once that was done I decided I better not quit and still have a UFO. I'm glad I stuck to it. It finished at 48" x 60". It was fun working with these summery colors in the thick of winter. I look forward to planting myself on the beach with this one while I watch the grandkids having fun in Lake Superior.

I found some gingham check cotton dobby in my stash that worked perfectly for the back -- it really feels cozy.

I originally picked only six UFO's for Judy's challenge, but this finish motivated me to dig deeper and pick 6 more so I'll have one to work on every month this year. I don't expect to end the year with 12 finishes, but I will devote time each month to work on whichever number she chooses and hopefully January won't be the only one I finish.

#7 - I've been working on these blocks for a few years -- I still have a few blocks to finish before I can start assembling the quilt top.

#8 This quilt needs to be made just a bit larger before I can sandwich and quilt it.

#9 This quilt was made using The Yellow Brick Road pattern. It just needs to be quilted and bound.

#10 - I started quilting my blue and yellow basket quilt a few years ago, but it's been rolled up waiting for some attention for quite awhile.

#11 - I have this bin of pink and brown fabrics, but can't actually remember what I planned to do with them. I guess I'll start from scratch with them with #11 is called . My current hope is that they'll end up being made into a snails trail pattern, but that may change.

12. I can't remember when I started making these 6" churn dash blocks, but I sure need to get back at them and make some more. At 6", I'll need a ton of them to make a full size quilt -- a month devoted to them should be a good start.

Can't wait to see what number Judy picks for the February challenge!

Lovin' Winter and UFOs

This is the view from my window today, and the weatherman is saying we may accumulate several more inches between now and Sunday.

It's my long weekend and it gives me a chance to enjoy the view from my window, which I love so much more than the view from my desk at the office.

Of course, it's hard not to dream about next January and being retired and enjoying this every day -- and not having to worry about it if I don't feel like scooping out the drift in front of my garage.


A long weekend also gives me time to work on my UFO challenge of the month. Judy over at Patchwork Times picked #6 to work on, which is my string quilt. I started the month with nine blocks -- I'm up to 41 now, so I'm making some progress. Since each block finishes at 6" square, it's not very large yet.

However, while I stitch away on these blocks, my pile of strings continues to expand. At one point I even had to transfer them to a bigger bucket. Not sure how that happens, but it's beginning to feel like I could make these blocks forever and never run out of scraps.

At some point I'll have to quit making blocks and start sewing rows together, but I haven't decided yet what size this quilt will be. My goal for this UFO is to have a top sewn together by the end of January. I'm hoping to finish before then and have some time left to work on Judy's monochromatic color challenge -- the color for January is yellow.