Shredding, filing, hunting and gathering!

I spent the whole morning purging the 2012 files in my desk filing drawer.  I try to do it every year, but last year I must have been a little crazy, because I still had 2011 in there, too!  Sheesh!  So plenty of sorting, shredding, and deep-storage filing for 7 years was done today.  Whew!  I love a file drawer with nothing but empty folders in it!  Makes me really happy!

Then about 1:30......hubby came in and said, "The pump is leaking in the basement, so don't do any more laundry today.  I'll fix it when I get home."  Then he left for work.

Gee......"Don't do any more laundry today."   That's about the nicest thing he could have said to me!  Ha!

So, I played a little on-line poker (fake money only!), and then started checking on the blogs.  So many fun ones today!  Lots of Happy New Year wishes, and resolutions, and yearly 'theme' words, and after reading Scraps and Threadtales, I decided it's about dang time that I got my ufo's under control!

But that meant finding them all!  And I think I've found most of them!  Yay!  There are a few I can recall, but they are nowhere in site......probably in a tub somewhere, and I'll find them one day!  I hope!  (In a civil war era, 14-room farmhouse, there are a LOT of places to stash stuff, and not find them again for a very long time!  lol)

So, I pulled out all the ufo's......and amazingly...... I still want to finish them!  That's a very good sign!  Most of these are not that old......actually made in the last couple of years.  But a few are over 10 years in the making......and it's really time to get crackin on them!

BUT.......before I show you the ufo's........here's a strippy quilt top that I just finished last night!  I've been working on it for a month or so, had the flying geese strips done, then changed my mind about the color scheme of the strips.  Back and forth I went, with cheddar, then red, then brown, then cheddar again.  Then I completely changed the focus strip fabric, and that clinched it......had to be red!

I haven't decided yet if I'm going to put a strip of the focus fabric for a top and bottom border, or not.  Still deciding!  I kindof love it as it is!  What do you think?

 This is the focus fabric......I just love it!  In fact, I used it for choosing my colors in Bonnie Hunter's Easy Street Mystery quilt.  I didn't really have much of the colors she was using (lime green, turqouise, black/white background prints, etc.), and I did NOT want to purchase any more fabric (I've totally blown THAT budget a few times in the last couple of months!).......so I pulled fabrics of reds, browns, beige/tan backgrounds, and a smidge of pinks and blue/greens.  I love it!

I'm all caught up, and ready for the next clue tomorrow!  Woohoo!

And in case you are thinking all of these quilts are too small for the bed.......we have a footboard on our bed, and I don't tuck!  So my quilts are usually about 72"-75" in height, and 80"-90" in width.  It just depends on the pattern, and what I do for borders.  If I make them a 'real' queen size....then they are for this bed in the guestroom.

So......here are my ufo's......

My version of Roll Roll Cotton Bowl, another Bonnie Hunter Mystery.  (I didn't do the string blocks, because I knew it was going to be way too big!)

I just finished this vintage 40's fabric top a little while ago.......I would love to have it done for the spring!  Hmmmm!

Florabunda (another of Bonnie's patterns).  I LOVE this quilt!

Cripes!  This was the cruise quilt from the Bonnie Hunter cruise back in August of 2011!  Sheesh!  I really need to get this one done soon!  It has a date on it, for crying out loud!  LOL  (The words around the border say, "Cruising the Caribbean, 2011!  It's paradise, baby!")

This was pieced about 8 years ago!  When I first started collecting 1800's prints.  I thought I would give it to my father, but then I made a different one for him.

 I even pieced a matching-fabric back so it would be reversible!   But then, I couldn't decide if I would make two separate quilts from them!  Dang!  I'm so fickle sometimes!

 This is one of my all-time favorites.....inspired by an antique quilt seen on ebay.......I loved every minute of making this top!

 A bit blurry....sorry!  This was inspired by the background wallpaper on the page of Bonnie Hunter's spiderweb instructions.  I saw the little webs among the big ones, and just knew I needed to make it!  And it's entirely out of nothing but the cuffs, collars, and pockets of thrift store shirts.......well, and the cheddar!  lol

And it even has a back made already!  Sheesh!  What was I waiting for!?!

 Blurry!  Oy!  More thrift store shirts......love it!  And the back is ready for this one, too!

 This is made with about a quarter of the gazillion 2" squares of thrift store shirts I have been using as leader/enders!  I FINALLY put them into something........and it didn't make a dent in the draw full of them!

 Of course, then there's the Jubilee Quilt, that has a deadline of mid-February to get it done!  Oy!  The top is complete, and has been for months!, but the back is kicking my butt!  I'm dragging on it, and I don't know why.  I got really inspired by an idea on another blog and thought it was the kick in the butt I needed a few weeks back, but that didn't pan out.  So I'm still stuck.  It just needs more.....but I don't know what!  I just need to keep staring at it a few more weeks, and maybe the deadline will drag it out of me!

The back......yep......it's kicking my butt!

 Blurry again!  Sorry!  This one was intended for my oldest son and his Pennsylvania-born wife, but I'm dragging my feet on it.....but for good reason!  They allow their dogs on the beds, and I've seen what they do to the bedding, so the thought of giving this to them just to have it all in shreds, well.......I just can't do it!  So it sits.  I still haven't even started the quilts for the other two boys yet, so I guess until they are ready, I don't need this one done early.  Good.

This top was finish over 15 years ago.....and I started to hand quilt it, but took out those stitches because I knew I'd never finish it!  I'm hoping some fmq will get it done!

This was started about 16 years ago, before we ever moved to Maine!  It's all hand pieced, and is nearly together.  I just need to take it to my Wednesday group meeting a few times, and the top will be finished!

This is an older pic, as I just have a few rows of the big hexie flowers to put together, and then the top is done!  Again, just needs to be taken to my meeting, for some hand-work time!

 But these are what have been at the Wednesday group meeting for the last couple of months!  I can't leave them alone!  They're just too darned cute!

 I need 363 of them for this quilt......and as of today, I just need to make 76 more!  Holy cow!  The box is nearly full, and then I'll start putting the cream background pieces on the stars.  This quilt will be entirely hand pieced, and hand quilted.

And this is my current leader/ender project.  A red and white tumbler quilt......and it's really coming along!  I have most of the onesies together into twosies, and have started the foursies!  lol

So......for ufo's:

1.  Strippy quilt......needs a back

2.  Easy Street.....finish top

3.  Roll Roll Cotton Bowl.....needs a back

4.  Vintage 40's top......have back fabric, needs quilting

5.  Florabunda......needs a back

6.  Cruise quilt......needs a back

7.  Repro diamonds......needs a back

8.  Repro 4-patch......needs a back

9.  Triangles quilt......have back fabric, needs quilting

10.  Spiderweb.....has back, needs quilting

11.  Shirt strings......has back, needs quilting

12.  Leader/ender 9-patch......needs a back

13.  Jubilee.....finish piecing back

14.  Broken star.....finish piecing

15.  30's drunkard's path.....needs quilting

16.  Amish Wedding Ring.....finish piecing

17.  Grandmas scrappy flower garden......finish piecing

18.  8 pointed stars quilt......finish piecing

19.  Red and White tumbler.....finish piecing

Cripes!  Is 19 bad?  LOL

Here's hoping 2013 will find some of these finished and on beds!  And if not, I'm hoping that it's because I was on a lot of vacations, and cruises, and driving trips.....and was just too busy having fun!  We'll see what happens!  :o)

And, like so many others, if I was to pick a word for 2013 to be my theme.....it would be....better!  And I know that sounds very simplistic, but in so many areas of my life, I just simply want to do better.  I don't need to be perfect (I used to think I did!).....but I want to do better.....in my food choices, and my exercise, and spending ( mostly on fabric!), and making more time for friendships..  I want to do better in giving my time and efforts to my community.  Using my free time better.  And especially try to be a better wife and mother.  I forget sometimes that there is effort in keeping those relationships going......and I want to do better!

Here's wishing you all have a very healthy and happy 2013!

regan

Back to normal.....

whatever THAT is!  :o)

Our son, Chris, waited until yesterday to drive back to VA.  We had a heck of a snow storm on Thursday, and accumulated about 10" of snow!  I love it, but it's hell to drive in!  We're so glad and relieved that he waited another day to leave.

It's snowing again right now......these were all taken through the windows.  We're getting about another 2 inches.  It's coming down really softly.....no wind.  I like that!

Spent the few days before Christmas in NYC......having a ball!  Hubby had to work, so Chris and I drove down to Long Island, picked up our cousin Patti, and headed into the city.  Had two wonderful days of Rockette's Spectacular Show, wandering the city looking at store window displays (awesome!), amazing light displays on stores (again, awesome!), watching skaters on the different rinks, and walking our butts off! I google mapped the route we took (what I could remember) of one of the days, and it was over 11 miles!  No wonder everyone's feet hurt!  That's why we didn't skate!  :o)

Of course, no pictures were taken in the city!  I brought my camera, but it sat in the hotel room the entire time!  I didn't even get a picture of Chris before he left!  Sheesh!  I swear, if it's not a quilt, I don't think to take a picture of it!  Is that weird???  Is it just me???  lol

In my defense, I don't carry a purse, so the thought of carrying a camera case around just doesn't occur to me!  When I go to quilt shows, I always have a tote bag......because I KNOW I'll be purchasing things!  So, of course the camera goes, too!

Christmas was supposed to be a skiing day......but it was snowing then, too......and I hate to ski while it's snowing.  I only do 'Princess Skiing'......you know, sunny day, a little warm, no crowds, stopping for cocoa often.......yeah!  Princess Skiing!  That's what we like!  lol

So, we ended up having Christmas dinner on the right day!  (It was planned for the 26th).  And I have to say, that it was about the best turkey dinner we've ever made!  I don't know why......but every last thing was as good as it could have ever been......and then some!  Amazing!  We all went for an entire second plate of it all!  And then we couldn't move!  Which worked out perfectly, because.......

.......our son surprised us with a big, flat-screen TV for Christmas!!!!  WHAT!?!  Holy Cow!!!!!  Dare I say he's our favorite son right now!?!......LOL

So we've been watching movies like crazy......and I'm totally hooked on that Batman stuff.......I was so out of the loop, I'd only seen the Michael Keaton one.  Yeah, the first one!  That's it!  I don't the name of the one we watched, but it was awesome......almost epic......and it had Anne Hathaway as Catwoman.  Really good!

AND.......I've been sewing like crazy since Chris left, and am proud to say am totally caught up on Easy Street!  I was 2 clues behind with another one coming......so I had to get busy!  From what Bonnie has mentioned......we are near the end!  Woohoo!  Can't wait!

I've also been sewing together my strippy quilt.......and will have pics to show in my next post......my last one for 2012!  It's the 113th post...... a prime number!......You know me!  :o)

A big 'Thank You!' to everyone who wished us a Happy Christmas with our son!  We enjoyed our time with him thoroughly......and are planning a little trip down to VA in the summertime to see him again!

I hope everyone enjoyed their Christmas.....and am wishing you all a safe and Happy New Year!

regan

More from the Quilter's Gathering show!

I figured we could use some pretty quilts to put our minds to something other than the tragedy.

See what I mean.......they are ALL stunning quilts!  Incredible workmanship, lovely designs; it was such an amazing show!  We'll definitely be going back every year!


Well, I'm heading out to the airport to pick up our son.  :o)

I don't know how much blogging I'll be able to get in between now and Christmas, so I'm wishing everyone a very merry Christmas.  I hope you get to spend time with your families, or time doing something you love.  And I really hope you eat lots of pie!  :o)

regan