UFOvember - looking backward, moving forward
The big question: Why so many UFO’s? Why don’t I just finish them?
Getting out my UFO’s and taking photos of them really made me think why don’t I just finish them off and move on. Ok, so I tell myself it’s because I have no time, no deadline (like a wedding/baby/birthday), I’ve started something new, or whatever…. But why do some things get finished and some just stall? I think I need to take a look and work out what the problems are.
Let’s start with the ones that just need quilting.
1) Autumn medallion
Autumn medallion - a rather bad photo taken outside
This is a pattern I designed to teach techniques, and I designed it so you can stop at any time and still have something. The centre is basic piecing and fussy cutting, Y seams, seminole, narrow strips, foundation piecing, applique, then practicing the techniques. I would say that everyone I taught to make this finished their quilts years ago and they look stunning. But, to be fair, they got them quilted! Mine, as you can see, has stalled at the quilting stage. I think there is two reasons for this: firstly, I don’t like my final applique border, it’s boring, and secondly I don’t know what possessed me to add a final border and make the whole thing so huge. So: why is not quilted? I need to make a decision on those final two borders: take them off or leave them on? Add more flowers to the applique? Just quilt it and be done with it? What’s your opinion?
2) Blue and white sampler
Blue and white sampler
When the splendid sampler came out, I decided this was an awesome opportunity for the ladies I quilt with to explore other people’s patterns, learn new techniques and best of all (for me) I wouldn’t have to write any patterns. I thought this was a great bonus until I realised I would have to make each one too. Now this is half of the one hundred blocks. I still have the other fifty sitting in a box. Over the course of this, I discovered that I’m not overly fond of the sampler look, I like strong geometric patterns and a consistent overall look, so although I enjoyed the blocks individually I needed a strong set to create a look I liked. I do like this set, it’s very pleasing like an interlaced grid. Now, why is this not finished….. simple really, some of the points on my sashing strips don’t quite match and no matter how long I leave it, they won’t resew themselves. This one isn’t a question… I’m going to have to bite the bullet and do it if I ever want it finished. The second lot of 50 is still waiting.
3) Swap blocks
I have had a lot of fun with swaps over the years and really treasure the friends I have made across the world. I am, however, rubbish at finishing off the quilts. There is a reason … it’s me. I am the problem. I get very stalled if I’m not happy with the way the blocks go together and this often has to do with colour. Until I sort out a solution the blocks remain apart. I did manage to finish two swaps, one had a very simple colour palette of blue and yellow and that worked for me, and I finished it. That is the fourth photo, a round robin and it has a lot of French Provencale fabric in it. The third photo was a block that got slashed and resewn by different people, this was a lot of fun and interesting to see what happened. I ended up recutting the blocks into circles and made a sea monster tentacle…. it was fun. You can see the little sailing ship being grabbed by the tentacle at the top and the large and shiny eye of the Kraken bottom right. I pieced the border from scraps. I gave it to the grandson of a friend who is extremely knowledgeable about the animal kingdom and with whom I have had a lengthy discussion about the length of tentacles of a man’o’war jellyfish. 50m or 5 m, that was the question (that is about (56 yards or 5 yards 2 ft (approx)). Please feel free to consult the internet, your own experience or the nearest available jellyfish. The question is still being debated.
Back to the UFO’s. You can see why I have so many, I do get very easily distracted. The two on the right got finished because I was ok ith the colours. The first and second, although I love each individual block, are still apart. What I need to do with the group swaps is make a decision: should I finish as is and enjoy the memory of great times and good friends; make something completely different, eg bags or textile art to wear; treasure each block individually and use accordingly. I think I don’t want to make a quilt I won’t love, because I have really enjoyed the friendships, so I might just have to find a new idea. I’m really open to suggestion here… what do you think?
4) Hand work
4a) QAYG hexies
QAYG hexies using vintage doilies and tray cloths
I’m a bit time poor, but I do enjoy having handwork to do at my local quilt group or when chatting with family (it’s great for Zoom meetings!) and I do have a few projects on the go. The first one is really a WIP not a UFO because I am working on it - what I like about it is that once prepped, it’s brainless which is great when you are chatting. All it is is QAYG hexies made from vintage doilies and tray cloths. I like the fact that it is a way to celebrate women’s work from the past and reuse it. I think the reason why this is getting done is to do with the fact that it’s very very easy.
4b) La Passacaglia
My La Passacaglia has been not progressing for a number of years. I do like to take it when travelling because the pieces are really small and it takes a lot of time to progress, so perfect for journeys. Well, we all know why this has stalled! May we all get to travel again soon. Maybe I need to prep a whole lot of pieces and thread one needle a day. I think that might be a plan …. next week.
La pass… the start
4c) 18th century coverlet from the V&A - Garden of a King
The next one is quite interesting because I had wanted to do an English paper pieced quilt like the 18th century coverlet from the V&A which I had seen in Brisbane. Now other quilters had the same idea and I did purchase a pattern “ Gardens of the King” by Missie Carpenter. I did do the wool applique for the border blocks but changed the centre to a crewel pattern. I have some of the reproductions from the V&A and elsewhere and thought it would be fun to use them. So, why have I stalled? Well, I love the crewel centre but I think it isn’t working with the wool applique which has a heavier flatter look. So I think I’m going to do plants in Crewelwork to match the crewel centre. Only this time I won’t spill red wine on it. (can you spot the droplets?). I also want to ensure I use all the pieced blocks from the original quilt so I’m redoing the EPP designs on Geogebra. This is a lot of fun because I can also easily do original patterns as well and end up with blocks that are all different. So, I think this is unfinished because it has suddenly headed in a different direction and requires a new plan.
Crewel work from a vintage pattern
wool applique blocks from ‘Gardens of a king’ and my crewel centre block…. both nice, but they just don’t go
5) Illusions
visual illusions 12 inch blocks
This started life as a challenge. My local quilt group challenged us all to do something with log cabin, with triangles, with various other things that I’ve forgotten. So I had a lot of fun designing patterns for blocks that are each a visual illusion. Now to be absolutely clear, these blocks are each a famous illusion, I’ve just made patterns for them. I didn’t make up the illusions. There is an impossible object like Escher, the log cabin one is Victor Varsarely, the cafe wall illusion is just known by that name. I think this isn’t finished because I ran out of time and steam on the next one which is curves, so I need to do that and then put it together. I also need to fix one strip from the impossible object. The background is like newspaper writing, and one strip does not have the writing going in the correct direction! How annoying is that! This is just time and application required. The question is, what priority is it? I think I need to quilt the finished tops first.
6) 6 inch blocks
6 inch sampler blocks
These are just for fun. Some I designed myself, some are reinterpretations of old paintings or patterns. They are about place and identity. Kowhai from New Zealand, gum blossom from Australia, our local mountain, Mt Warning, Cape Byron lighthouse. I may end up making a little wall hanging …. or not…. or using them in a border … or not … or making more… or not. They can stay a UFO for a little while longer. I think this isn’t finished because I don’t need to finish it. It’s like postcards to myself.
7) Ula’s bom
Bom from Ula Lenz
These blocks are from Ula Lenz https://www.lenzula.com/ and are from a block of the month she did a few years ago. I love her patterns, they are awesome and well worth the time. I so enjoyed this and I do know why it isn’t finished …. lack of time. Each one took a weekend to make and I need to schedule those weekends in ahead of time, lock myself in and just do them. Another 6 and some fancy setting blocks. will see me ready to quilt. Ok, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. At least 12 days to do the blocks are needed. Then worry about the next bit. I really enjoyed this. It’s going to happen.
8) William Morris
William Morris applique
This applique is a clearly William Morris. It was actually designed by his daughter for a firescreen for a house in Adelaide, South Australia. I just love the swirly Acanthus leaves and the symmetry of the pattern. So, … why is it not finished…. mmmm. I think I’m not too sure I got the colours right. The value change is too great in places. I think I need to be very brave and get out some water colour paints or fabric markers and very carefully shade the bits where the petals fold over and the veins meet the leaves. Then I think I’ll either have wrecked it completely, or I’ll be happier with the result. It’s a toss-up. Hence the UFO!
I hope this is basically all my UFO’s. I have some boxes of fabrics collected for projects I haven’t actually started and I have some workshop samples which I don’t have to finish unless I want to. And I have some indigo dyes which I did in a fabulous workshop from Bryan Whitehead, but even though I dyed them, they are not a UFO until I start to sew them. So maybe I’m being a bit of a bush lawyer and missing a few projects that I haven’t really started, but that’s ok.
This has been a really good exercise for me. I feel much clearer about what my roadblocks are, and I think I can start planning to proceed with some of them Even if proceeding means redoing or replanning. How about you? What are your reasons for the UFO pile? Is there anything you can do that will help move one of them on? Give us your tips! And do share a photo. I’d love to see everyone’s work.
Here are all the links to the other blogs! Enjoy browsing!