2019 APQ UFO Challenge  UPDATE!

Even though I'm posting this a few days late, I am going to give myself an encouraging pat on the back for at least sticking with the January 2019 UFO Challenge.   As I mentioned in my last post, I'm not strictly sticking to quilt projects this year.  I'm also including some Knit and Crochet WIPS that have either stalled or languished.

In January the UFO List # chosen was Number 3.   That was the crocheted cotton throw that I started for Daughter #2 last summer.   It should have been done then, but between a virus and the hot weather, it lost it's project "mojo".  When I picked it back up in January, the status was pretty much complete, only to add the border and to make some crocheted pom poms that I saw on Pinterest.  Most of my time working on it has been trying to make those crocheted spheres/pom poms involving watching tutorials and trying written patterns.  Not sure, if it's just a bad combo of the yarn I want to use and hook size but  I just haven't been able to make any that look the way I want them to, so I think I'm going to go with tassels.  

APQ UFO Challenge - January

 #3 - Crocheted Neutral Blanket

Status Before -  Need to add to length and finish border/edging

Status After - Border finished - need to make tassels & sew in ends.

APQ UFO Challenge - February

#6 - Granny Square Pillow

Status Before:  Squares Complete, Need to Assemble and Crochet Pillow Back

My 2019 Sewing, Quilting and Crocheting UFO List

1. Star Wars PJ bottoms 
2. Very Hungry Caterpillar Pillowcase
3. Crochet Neutral Throw   -January 
4. Pieces of the Heart Quilt
5. Vintage Memories Quilt
6. Crochet Granny Square Pillow
7. Love Letters Quilt
8. "Patchabilities" wallhanging #1
9. "Patchabilities" wallhanging #2
10. Project Bag
11. KimberBell Halloween Quilt
12. Christmas Moose PJ bottoms

APQ UFO CHALLENGE 2019

Back in  December 2016,  A blog I followed posted a  UFO challenge.  I found that list recently and though I was really enthusiastic when I started, I didn't get very far and most of projects on that list are still UFO's.  The  All People Quilt (APQ) website has a 2019 UFO challenge.

Directions are on their website  here  but basically, you print the form, list your unfinished projects and their current status.   On the first of each month APQ draws a  number  and whichever project  on your list corresponds to that number  is what you work on for that month..  At the end of the month, you list the "after" status.   You can  post pictures of your list or completed projects on Instagram APQResolution.

2019 APQ UFO Challenge

I'm joining in again this year.  I sorted through my craft projects that have been languishing. . Not all of them are quilt or even sewing projects but that's OK. I'm giving myself a pass to focus on any project that has stalled for more than a couple of months.

I'm counting on you to hold me accountable, by visiting my blog  and my Instagram posts.  Better yet, join me in this challenge  too.

No. 3 was the number drawn for January -- on my list that's a  neutral striped crochet throw that I started last August.  It's made of  Hobby Lobby's YarnBee Sugarwheel cotton and done in  rows of half-double crochet.  I've been struggling with designing a border and that's all I have left to do.  

YarnBee Cotton SugarWheel

What's creating "buzz" on Instagram and other crafting SM is the "Make Nine in 2019"   If you don't know what that is you can search Instagram or Google but, in a nutshell,  you select nine (9) projects that you want to make in 2019 and post the pictures of those items.  There's no accountability to start or complete them--it's basically a "wish list" 

[BTW I am now on Instagram too.  You can find me at #northerngail]   Thanks for visiting me.  I'm going to try to keep these blog posts as brief as I can and the content concise and relevant going forward!  

F.Y.I.    I did finish the #1 item on that 2016  list THIS past Christmas.  It was the granny square afghan  which I started in 2007!  I finished it in the early hours of December 23rd.  I hang my head in shame for taking so long  but as John Lennon famously said, "Life is what happens, when you're making other plans".  

My 2019 Sewing, Quilting and Crocheting UFO List

1. Star Wars PJ bottoms 
2. Very Hungry Caterpillar Pillowcase
3. Crochet Neutral Throw   -January 
4. Pieces of the Heart Quilt
5. Vintage Memories Quilt
6. Crochet Granny Square Pillow
7. Love Letters Quilt
8. "Patchabilities" wallhanging #1
9. "Patchabilities" wallhanging #2
10. Project Bag
11. KimberBell Halloween Quilt
12. Christmas Moose PJ bottoms

Happy New Year!

I hope you all had a very merry Christmas and are looking forward to a wonderful 2019.   I am hoping that it will be a better year than the last couple were.   I won't go into details, but there was illness and sad news and no love lost on my part for the past year, only optimism that this year will be better for all of us.

I decided to kick off 2019 off by buying a "paper" planner and also by re-reading Sarah Van Breathnach's book "Simple Abundance".

I do hope to do more blogging than I've done in the last few years but this year my blogging will start to take a different direction because I have added knitting and crocheting to my list of hobbies.   That doesn't mean that I won't be talking about gardening and sewing but I don't think I'll be doing many, if any quilting projects.  Quilting has "cooled" off for me for the most part because of the time it takes up and all of the space that quilting paraphernalia (fabric) takes up  [insert cough here].   I have sold some fabric and given some away.  Scraps were the worst--I had so many scraps stored in boxes and bins and bags.   I am glad I found a couple of charity groups that were happy to take them.  After a few years, fabric trends and styles change and it just gets old and dated and I started to feel that way about my stash.

I do still plan on finishing all of the WIP's I have.   In fact, I recently cleaned up and organized my sewing room and found all of the WIP's which had hidden themselves in different nooks and behind closed cupboard doors and they are now out in the open and organized so I can tick them off the list as I finish them.    I bought a new planner this year and it has a monthly section for "Goals".   I'm using it to list WIP's that I want to complete in that month.  I'm probably being too optimistic but I'm hoping to get two done a month and I will post my efforts here to keep myself honest.

Well that's it for now.  Keeping it short and sweet.   I am glad to be back posting.  Going to give myself another goal of posting once a week.

I really do wish you all a healthy, peaceful and contented new year!  

Gail 

February Finish All People Quilt UFO Challenge

The project number chosen for March is #3 and I'm so relieved that it is not my other BOM project! I'm burnt out from complicated piecing and need a "breather" by way of a simple project to work on. 

My No. 3 this month is a Thanksgiving table runner that I started in 2011.   It was a project in the October/November 2011 issue of The Quilter magazine.   I was really drawn to the design because it used batik fabrics and I like the dimension that they added to the pumpkins and leaves.   They remind me of the Cinderella pumpkins and turban squash.

I was wondering if any of you subscribe to one or more quilt magazines each month?   I have to confess that while I don't subscribe to ANY magazines,  I will occasionally look through them when I'm in the magazine aisle,  but I rarely purchase one unless there's several unique projects that I really, really like. 

I have taken many classes and practiced but I am not skilled at FMQ, so MY machine quilting is done with a regular presser foot.  I then follow lines or designs that I've marked on the quilt top.

The piecing and applique are done, so I hope to get the machine embroidery and quilting completed as well as the self-binding.

For my February project I had chosen the Vintage Memories quilt and I now have all of the blocks finished.   I only had Block #8 and 9 left and now that those are complete, I will be able to piece the quilt top in between projects.  I'm really committed to finishing this quilt THIS YEAR!

-

 It's been a very hectic month and I don't see it letting up soon,  I'm just grateful that February came and went a lot easier than it did in 2015. My sister and I are trying to prep my dad's house for sale this spring and that means every weekend we are there purging, cleaning and making runs to Savers and the Salvation Army with drop offs.   I also started a full-time job this week so my project time is seriously diminished, which is another reason that I'm glad this month's UFO challenge project is an easy one.

UFO Challenge

Just wondering if any of you are doing the allpeoplequilt.com UFO challenge here ?  I saw this referenced on another blog and decided to look into it.   According to the website, you identify twelve UFO's that you want to finish over the next year and number them from 1-12 on a downloadable form along with their current status. 

At the beginning of each month, a random number is selected.  Whichever project on your list corresponds to the number drawn, is what you work on for that month.   I'm getting into this a month and a half late, so I cheated a little.  This month's project # is 5, so I'm working on my Vintage Memories quilt which I put in the #5 slot.   I have seven of the nine blocks completed, so I'm hoping to finish all of the blocks and maybe even get some of the borders cut.

I had to go through the cabinets and shelves in my very messy craft room to locate the UFO's that I wanted to add to my list and found a lot more than twelve!  Yikes!  I had to use the back of the form.

Have any of you been shocked when you've realized how many UFO's you have or the money that's tied up in them?   I know we all start out with good intentions and a generous heart, wanting to feed our creative spirit and make beautiful gifts, but while I was ferreting out kits and patterns from shelves and cabinets, I started calculating the cost and it adds up to a staggering amount. 

I have two BOM quilts that I purchased and each kit was about $20.00 a month, plus the finishing kits which ran about another $40.  So I'm estimating each was around $200.00 to $250.00 not including any extra FQ's or yardage that I purchased because I loved it at the time. 

I also have a tote bag kit that I bought to make for a friend that was $50.00;  (4) four Patchabilities "monthly mini" kits that I purchased for about $20.00 each;  another Halloween BOM quilt kit (I bought one pattern but three separate fabric kits to make three of these) at a cost of $35. each plus the pattern $15.00; two charm packs, yardage and pattern and an a machine embroidery alphabet and design to make a Christmas stocking for my grandson at a cost $40.00.

This doesn't include the stashes of fabric, pre-cuts or  partially complete projects that are over 20 years old and non-sewing projects like the afghan for my sister I've been working on for 7 years!

When do you cut your losses and let go of projects you know you don't want to finish and what do you do with them?  Do you sell them online, donate them, swap with other crafting friends?  I'd love to know in the comments section.   Please share? 

I'm also thinking of having an online "yard sale' in the next few weeks so stay tuned.   I'll be listing some fabrics and patterns and there will also be a give-away! 

I'm still looking for a pattern I bought back in 2011 or 2012 for a purse made with strips of batting wrapped with batik fabrics.  I went to the Sewing Diva yesterday which is where I originally bought the pattern.  She no longer carries it but told me the name and because I didn't write it down, I forgot it before I got home.   It begins with "Auntie" something or other so if anyone knows what the rest is, please leave it in the comments below.

Well, I'm off to work on #5 for a few hours and then, since it's a beautiful day outside for a long walk!

Enjoy! 

Gail

One Year Later

I never intended to go this long between posting on my blog but as John Lennon said "Life is what happens when you're making other plans."  And, sometimes when you're making those other plans and life is happening around you, you change focus on what is important.

My sister and I noticed a change in my dad's behavior after my mother passed away in 2013.  We were beginning to suspect that it was some sort of dementia and did some searches on the internet.  We would get middle of the night phone calls with bizarre stories of visitors knocking on the door, or else asking us where our mother had gone.  Sometimes they were irate calls filled with anger towards us for not understanding and sometimes we could hear the fear and confusion in his voice.

During this time, there were also several "incidents" and ER visits where the VNA and elder services got involved.  He flooded the basement, and set the oven on fire but he was at the time still very resistant to any kind of help or outside services that were offered and when I signed him up for meals on wheels, he called and cancelled the program.  We were told that it was no longer safe for him to live alone, so when I had a job offer nearby that allowed me to move in it seemed like a good solution.  For a while it worked and the middle-of-the-night calls stopped.

Then in mid-December 2014 when neither of us were there, my father's dementia required another ER visit and this time he was transferred from the ER to a geriatric hospital that specialized in dementia.  There the diagnosis was confirmed and over the course of several weeks they tried him on medications and dosages until they felt he was stabilized enough to be released home with 24-hour supervision and day care.  

That never worked out.  Shortly before his release, he acquired an acute viral infection that nearly killed him and left him weak and unable to walk without assistance.  I won't go into all the details but after he recovered, he spent time in nine different institutions and I watched my dad decline steadily with each move.

Dad passed away last September alone in a nursing home.  My sister got the call from the nursing home that morning but she got there just minutes too late to hold his hand and say goodbye.  I was away on my first real vacation in ten years.  And even now, my heart breaks when I think of him alone without me.  Though in my heart I know that it would have been what he wanted.

My father was not a very sentimental man.  I know he mourned the deaths of close friends and the three brothers who preceded him but he would also admonish my mother, sister and I when we were overly sentimental.  Maybe that came from growing up Irish and poor during the depression, or maybe because he was a Boston policeman or soldier in the Korean war whatever the reason, he was pragmatic about death and violence and saw more of it than most.

I do not think I really knew him well, the private man or his hopes and dreams.  I wish that was different and I wish now that I'd spent more time with him; knew his friends and talked with him more than I did, but my sister and I were our mother's girls and my father always seemed happy that we chose her to spend our visits with.  We relied on my father for his technical expertise--he was the most amazing handyman and mechanic and a reliable worker.  Self-taught, he could do anything from plumbing to carpentry.  One thing I have learned since from his many neighbors,  was that he was also generous with his skills and time.

I am grateful for those six months that I had with him during the summer of 2014.  I made dinner for us both on a broken stove while he shared stories about his family, youthful adventures and lost loves.  We watched  television and sometimes went out to eat at the "99" which he loved.  We took a few walks at a park he loved and admired his beautiful lawn while sitting outside one summer evening.  Looking back, I think he knew he would lose some of those memories and wanted to share them before he did. 

Good-bye Dad.  Thank you for being my dad.  I love you.

John Crowley

8/4/29 to 9/27/15

Saturday, November 29th

Tomorrow is the last day of the month.  There are only 25 days, nine hours and 15 minutes till Christmas as I write this!  I’m sure you wanted to know that, lol :)

Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving with much to be thankful for.  Our thanksgiving was a little cold and cloudy but at least three of us got to spend thanksgiving together even if it was a restaurant dinner and not home-cooked.   Not surprisingly, my dad did not come with us, making excuses at the last minute.  He does not enjoy eating out anymore and prefers to stay close to home.  Change in routine upsets him-these are all aspects of dementia. 

In NH it was a different story, the same pre-Thanksgiving storm that gave the south shore of Boston rain and slush, dumped 10 inches of heavy, wet snow on the southern part of the state and created a widespread power outage, Thursday.   I guess it was lucky that I wasn’t hosting a large crowd like last Thanksgiving.  What do you do with a partially cooked 18 lb turkey when there’s no power?  

I was scheduled to work Friday but after calling to confirm that my house was part of the outage and that power wasn’t expected to be restored till Monday, I decided to come home Friday morning,  it was a good thing I did too, because I had accidentally turned the furnace off the previous weekend . The good news is that we got our power on last night ahead of schedule.  

One casualty of the storm was my beloved Sargeant’s crabapple that was split in two by the ice laden snow.  It survived many storms including the ice storm of 2008.

Monograms really seem to be a  big decorating trend this year and I’ve seen several Christmas wreaths on Pinterest that I liked.  I decided that I would revamp my berry wreath that I’ve had for eons.   I purchased a 7 1/2” letter “G” at Michaels and a can of red spray paint.  Applied several coats and then brushed on a coat of Mod Podge and sprinkled it with red micro-glitter.  Changed the bow from red-velvet to red & white check ribbon and I love how it looks.     Decided to hang it on the porch wall adjacent to the door because live greens would dry out too quickly on the closed in porch.

This berry wreath has served me well.  Some of the paper-mache berries crack, but it’s a quick touch up with nail polish. 

Well, I’m off to the attic to pull down some more decorations.   Have a good weekend!

Gail :)