UFO-a-palooza 2011

It's that time of year again. The day after my guild's annual spring retreat, where all my quilting crap is still in bags and boxes and taking over the main floor while I put off vacuuming the sewing studio for yet another day before putting it all back. This year's retreat was a frenzy of activity for me, and yet absolutely every project I worked on remains a UFO. But let's share the joy of what I did, shall we?

This is one of three of what will be 4 pillows (6? I can't remember, I need to call Jennifer and ask how many it was again like this) that I made for a friend. She is a photographer (http://www.jennifermacneilphotography.com/) and takes our family photos now and then, and we are trading services like the good Yankee swappers that we are. Three of these babies whipped up in about 1.5 hours, and are so completely adorable I may keep them myself. I mean, look how pretty it is on my couch! But they remain UFOs because the button cover kits we bought don't work with decorator fabric, so I couldn't quite get them done. Oh well!

Here we have a project that was started in a class last fall, taught by Sue Pelland. It is her own design and uses her own rulers and I think it is gorgeous. I worked on the machine applique of all the shapes this weekend and particularly love the way the verigated thread looks on that ribbon. The satin stitching on the flower petals is pretty awesome too. I had intentions of quilting it as well, but then someone told me about some thread that I need to use and I didn't have it with me and so it too remains a UFO. Thankfully there are 32 months until Christmas 2013, when I expect it will finally be done. Just nod your heads, hotties. You know it's how we roll.

Next up is a new sample of my For Love of Springtime pattern. I only had one sample and now and then had to borrow a completed one from my friend Regina Mohan if I needed samples in more than one place at a time. As much as she is possibly the most gracious and generous quilter ever, I hate stealing it from her and don't want to push my luck, so I thought a second sample was in order. It too is not done because I forgot to bring the pattern, apparently do not have it memorized, and screwed up the cutting of the top and bottom border blocks and ran out of fabric to finish. So another UFO was born.

On to the next project, this one arrived pieced and I just added the applique strip border thingy (it's proper name, BTW) and sandwiched and quilted it. Then went to add the binding so that I could finish a project. SNAP! I was one 2 1/2" strip of fabric away from enough to make the binding. So close, and yet so far. I won't lie, there was foul language involved. (A little aside - stay tuned to this blog and my FB page to see how you might win this actual table runner this month. I promise it will have a binding when you do.)

This is a sneaky peak wacky view of a piece of a top I made that will be a free pattern on this blog as soon as I get it quilted. But since it is not quilted nor bound, nor written up if we want to get technical about it, it too remains a UFO.

The crowning achievement of my weekend was to accidentally burn my right cornea with some contact lens solution, resulting in a trip to the ER and living dangerously by rotary cutting while on Vicodin. Long story, but even THAT situation was a UFO due to the fact that I only burned one eye, not both. However, I am not complaining about that small miracle. And there will be no photos of that achievement since from third grade on I have felt ugly and hideous when wearing glasses, so you will just have to imagine my current look.

So there you have it. My weekend in photos!