It’s really hard to believe – but I am just about ready for the Christmas  (presents all wrapped and under the tree.  This year everyone gets a homemade gift!) The only things left to do are a ‘lick and a promise’ house cleaning and baking a dessert for tomorrow evening.  Our Christmas is celebrated in three different celebrations.

Tom and I will open our gifts on Christmas Eve after an early Mass and dinner out.  Christmas Day is spent at my in-laws.  On Thursday my son and daughter and all the grandchildren will gather at our house.  Cramming everything into one day just was too much stress.  So we decided to celebrate on the three different days.

Since I had some extra time, I decided to treat myself and work on projects that had no deadline.  What better than one or two of the UFO’s that seem to multiply in my storeroom.  I started with a  machine applique from Quilt Sampler.   The pattern is from the local featured quilt shop, Calico Gals.  Some of the applique was done. Now it is closer to being finished.

I normally have a machine and hand project going at the same time.

The snow is just about gone – This small pile, on my deck, really didn’t want to melt.  The entire weekend was gray, windy and cool -  two good days to spend inside quilting (as though there could be a day that wasn’t perfect for quilting!)  It’s really unusual for me to have a ‘full’ day to quilt – let alone two!

So to work I went and finished two table runners  that I had started Monday at the quilt-in at the Marcellus Library. Now I just have to hand sew the binding.    I like to finish the quilt  binding  on road trips.  We’ll be traveling to North Carolina at the end of April  and I’ll have my projects lined up to take with me.

I decided to finish up one of my UFOs while I was at it.  This is a table runner that I made two years ago at our annual Watson retreat.  It’s now quilted and the binding is attached.  Another ‘road trip’ project ready to go.

In addition I was able to quilt Delectable Mountains and the challenge for the guild’s quilt show is sandwiched and partially quilted.

All in all not a bad weekend!

With all the sightseeing we’ve been doing on our winter get-a-way to Charleston I haven’t, unfortunately, done much quilting.  (Be sure to check out our website, Tom and Lucia on the Road.)I did finish the binding on my octagon table topper.  I started it last October at a quilters’ weekend. (One less UFO in my stash!)

I’m glad that I decided to make the topper’s theme winter rather than Christmas.

Christmas Table Topper

At least  I can display it  for a while when we return to upstate New York next week.

Well it’s that time of the year again – and I hope I do better this year than last.

I retired last December 31 and was sure that I would be able to make a significant dent in my UFO’s will all the extra time that I would have – Wrong!  I also vowed that I would not start anything new until I had made a good dent in the collection.

I didn’t even get through New Year’s eve before my resolve vanished with a call from my daughter with great news.  She and her boyfriend would tie the knot in 2009.  We couldn’t have been happier.  That was all it took for me to focus on looking for planning a quilt for them.  I bought the fabric while we were wintering in Florida, got together with a couple of friends to start the quilt in March and finished it in plenty of time for the wedding in July.  They were ecstatic – and I was pleased that they liked it so much.

I did get to finish a few projects along with a few new ones also.  Two table runners (Rainforest  Rings and Red & Green) have been quilted and are in the finishing stages of being bound.  I completed my son’s king-size Adirondack Quilt in time for giving this Christmas.  New projects included two octagon table toppers from the mystery challenge at Watson Homestead.  I finished one and gave it to my daughter for Christmas and have one for myself that only needs binding.  In addition there were two Operation Kid Comfort quilts for children of newly deployed servicemen and women.

UFO projects slated to be completed this year are:

• Watson mystery 2007 and 2009 quilts- binding
• Seasons wall hanging
• Autumn Pennies table topper from a class by Kim Diehl
• and probably the most important project of all – organize my stash!

I plan to learn one or two new techniques this year also and I’ll probably sign up for an online classes and take at least one or two classes at our local quilt shops.  I took a Scrap Therapy from Joan Ford last year and would really like to finish a quilt using the technique.  Also I’ve checked out the Fons and Porter Master Class series and am planning on trying out one of the classes online.

I know that I will not be able to limit myself to “just” completing UFO’s and organizing, but I’ hoping that I can at least get these completed along with the normal shop hops,  guild activities including our biennial quilt show and raffle quilt for 2011 and at least one or two new projects that I just can’t resist!

At a recent craft show in upstate New York, I came across an interesting display of well executed quilts.  Carol Hesselink of cmhCreations displays a number of  quilts designed by her after being inspired by a specific fabric.  She then adds coordinating and complimentary fabrics.    In many of her quilts, the pattern or technique becomes the inspiration.

Check out some of her quilts on line at:  Pictue Trail; member name cmhCreations.  Carol’s creativity fosters itself in many different ways such as when she designs an item made of  ‘fabric leftovers’  as she makes a unique bag or tote.  I’m sure her stack of UFO’s is quite a bit smaller than mine.  Quite a crafty lady!

Each of Carol’s quilts comes with a digital photo card of the quilt.  Not only does the recipient get a beautiful handmade quilt, but also receives a matching note card.  She also packages and sells note cards separately.

A brief demonstrations on paper piecing at her booth shows how easy paper piecing is to do .

I enjoyed meeting her and her husband, Chuck at the show.  He praises  her accomplishments as he shows off some of her quilts,  “See what can be made from scraps!”

I also learned that they live in Amsterdam NY – just a few miles from my daughter’s home.  Small world!