Sew & Tell Friday: The Last UFOs...

... on my challenge list, that is. Of course I've managed to create a few more this year, but with the motivation of the Patchwork Times UFO Challenge, the pile is considerably smaller now! The last three on my list were all finished this week.

My December challenge was the Perfect Pouches kit that I won in a FabShopHop several years ago:

Embarrassingly easy to finish. I don't know why these have waited around for so long! Beautiful fabrics by Peggy Toole for Robert Kaufman:

And now for the last of the catching-up. I finally got around to my April project, finishing "Seasons of the Heart," a 2009 BOM designed by Sandi Anderson of A Legacy of Stitches.

I finished all the blocks on time (fusible applique, blanket-stitched by hand), but then got hung up on the setting and never finished -- until now. Finally decided to just set them together without sashings and make another wall hanging. My first quilt done completely in homespun. For the quilting, I just outlined the appliques and then stippled the background of each block and the border. This photo was taken after washing. Check out that crinkling!

I used my leftover homespun pieces and a couple of orphan blocks to piece the backing:

Love how it turned out looking so primitive (which conveniently makes a few little mishaps here and there just fit right in). And it's so cuddly! Makes me want a bed quilt done all in homespun. :o)

Finished size, approximately 29" x 37"

Last but not least, the Sampler Baby Quilt. I made this top on a whim one evening, using a bunch of random orphan blocks leftover from swaps and earlier projects. I just never got around to quilting it, so this became my July challenge project:

I wanted to get this one done quickly, so I just did a simple meander quilting over the whole thing. I'm getting more and more accustomed to free-motion quilting. Just a few jaggedy spots here and there:

The backing is Dianna Marcum for Marcus Brothers:

Here it is finished and fresh from the dryer (finished size, 36" x 44"):

More crinkly goodness:

I found a home for this one just this week, which is what really motivated me to get it done so quickly. It will be donated to our church's compassion committee for a family in need and expecting a baby girl in January. I think sometimes UFOs happen because the need for that particular quilt has yet to arise. As always, God has perfect timing. ;o)

And that's the last of my 2011 UFO Challenge! I have a couple more panels to finish up for the "Get 'er Done" Challenge, and lots of Christmas sewing yet to do, but other than one sentimental UFO waiting for the perfect time to finish, I have no more unfinished sewing projects started before 2011. That's pretty incredible.

Thanks so much for visiting -- and for reading through this LONG post. LoL Be sure to stop by Amylouwho's for more Sew & Tell Friday!

Comments

Leslie said…
wow! you have been busy! love all your projects :) especially all the homespun fabrics :)
Friday, December 9, 2011 at 4:28:00 PM CST
Grandma G said…
This comment has been removed by the author.
Friday, December 9, 2011 at 10:52:00 PM CST
Grandma G said…
Way to go on getting so much FINISHED! It's all beautiful, but I especially love the "Seasons of the Heart"!
Friday, December 9, 2011 at 10:53:00 PM CST
Dayna said…
You have been working hard! I'm inspired! I just need a quilting buddy to hold my hand and help me to venture out more.
Saturday, December 10, 2011 at 7:07:00 PM CST
Rene' said…
Congratulations Heather on your many finishes! Love the primitive look of your wallhanging, and your baby sampler quilt will be much appreciated by the family I am sure. Thanks for showing a close up of your quilting...I love the meandering stitches!
Saturday, December 10, 2011 at 7:08:00 PM CST
Kleep said…
I love all that crinkly goodness. What a sweet baby quilt!
Saturday, December 10, 2011 at 9:13:00 PM CST
Chris H said…
All your finishes are just GORGEOUS! I feel inspired!
Sunday, December 11, 2011 at 9:45:00 PM CST
Diane said…
Visiting from the UFO linky! These all look great! Love how the homespun washed up.
Sunday, January 1, 2012 at 2:01:00 PM CST
AnnieO said…
Way to go! Love your block on block setting and backing with the homespuns, and the bags and baby quilt too. Finishes feel so good!
Sunday, January 1, 2012 at 3:29:00 PM CST
Donna~~ said…
I envy how caught up on UFO's you are! Congrats on your 2011 finishes--you've been busy!
Sunday, January 1, 2012 at 9:39:00 PM CST
JudyCinNC said…
I just love all of your finishes. The little pouches were surely a really big hit. Judy C
Monday, January 2, 2012 at 4:21:00 PM CST
Jennifer said…
looks great! love the calendar sampler! i finally got all my UFOs for 2012 posted, can't wait for the next number!
Wednesday, January 25, 2012 at 7:34:00 PM CST
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Playing Catch Up Again: The Guest Room (My 400th Post!)

Image
Well, surprise surprise. My 400th blog post! And wouldn't you know it's my first one in three months? (Imagine how many there would be if I weren't the world's worst blogger. LoL) So I just went through my last three months worth of photos and was amazed at how much has happened around here in that time. It's really no wonder I don't find time to blog... Now, to play catch up again. Or at least get started playing catch up. ;o) So... back in January, I wrote about our youngest son moving into a new room, which we painted bright yellow . Well, in April our 18-year-old daughter decided it was time to leave the nest, freeing up the teenager-coveted big room in the basement. Of course, little brother then wanted to move -- again -- and wished for the new room to be bright yellow -- again. Deja vu... I know, it sounds crazy. But I've been waiting a long time for the mom-coveted main floor bedroom to use as a guest room. (Yes, I know. I just set up a guest room...
Read more

My Family Left Me...

Image
... but only for the weekend. :o) (Added Friday, February 3: As busy as I was this week, turns out this is my only finish, so I'm linking up this post today with Amylouwho's Sew & Tell Friday and TGIFF at Missy Mac Creations .) While they were away, I had a fun night of sewing with my son's girlfriend. Her mom has been planning an outfit for her to dance in a powwow at the end of March, and they want to applique a Lone Star on the back of the dance shawl. Would I mind helping her with it? LoL Silly girl. It was my first attempt at a Lone Star, and I usually avoid sewing diamonds altogether, so I'll admit I was a little nervous about how it would turn out. Still, it couldn't hurt to try. We started out with this photo for inspiration. We both really liked the swirly layout of the colors, even though it would make the assembly a bit trickier. A little more Googling brought us to " The Challenge of a Lone Star Quilt ," an excellent tutorial (th...
Read more

UFO Challenge: January Finish!

Image
I've been trying to keep from showing a full photo of this quilt in my weekly updates, just so I could have a big "reveal" with the final post. Finally the time has come! I really didn't think I could do it, but yes, it is finished -- and with a few days to spare. Now I know what I'm capable of if I just set my mind to something! And here it is, my no-longer-a-UFO, hand-appliqued rose quilt... The finished size is approximately 52" x 67." Hard to tell from this picture, but it is a large wallhanging. This photo gives a better size reference: As you can see, I had to pull the couch away from the wall to take the first picture. Some rearranging is in order if it's going to live in this room permanently. That big ball of fluff is our cat, Sarabi, who came to live with us from the shelter last summer. It hasn't taken her long to make herself at home. Here she is, glaring at our other cat, Reesa, and staking her claim on the cushiest spot i...
Read more