The idea of the Making
Nine Project is, as I understand it, about starting and finishing your chosen
undertakings for the year. Signing a
contract with yourself to commit. For
me, there’s the challenge! Given my
rather too large, and if I’m honest, very old collection of UFO’s, huddled in
boxes rarely seeing the light of day, ignoring them bothers me. Then of course, there is the ever-present
fantastic new patterns, fabulous magazines, ideas on the net, friend challenges
and workshop opportunities. All singing
like Sirens, luring you to commit to the possibility of adding yet more to that
UFO count…
Another consideration
is that a large chunk of my year is given over to living the gypsy life. Sewing large quilts in confined spaces is not
for the faint-hearted at the best of times, so I cram my days at home with as
much stitching time as possible. Only
recently, have I actually managed some hand stitching while we’ve been away. Thank goodness for the convenience and ease
of hexies and EPP! So, with all this in
mind, and given it was already July anyway, I felt nine was a too big a
commitment. So, in a “Let’s get it Done”
mood, I’ve fashioned “Make Mine Nine” to a more achievable “Finish Your FOUR”. Here’s what I achieved in 2023.
- I happily packed my box of hexies to take away and managed to stitch
a bunch of scraps into pretty “flowers.”
They are now firmly stitched to diamond backgrounds waiting to be
set into a top.
- Far from home, I stumbled upon a wonderful patchwork shop, filled
with the most tempting blues. (There’s
that dreaded inspiration again!!) These
I cut out, along with a bag of blue scraps from home, then bagged them to
make up into blocks for an Hourglass Variation (Beth Shibley’s pattern). I was able to check her cutting
requirements on days when we actually had an internet connection! Back in my Garden Shed, I’ve stitched up
30 blocks ready to set into a top.
- But not before deciding that a Layer Cake pack of Debbie Maddy Shibori fabrics “Shimo” would make up into the perfect quilt gift for
friends. I did get this quilt
finished, just not until early in the new year. (I need more photos before posting!)
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| I've now made up 30 Hourglass Variation blocks using both new and "revitalised" fabrics... |
Then of course, now having
rolled over into the new year, it was time for my annual UFO Review. This revealed a fairly constant annual figure
of 13 UFO’s (my lucky number so it would seem), with some projects dating back
to the 1980’s. Having settled on an
achievable (or so I thought!) project number of four, I insisted (to myself) 2024’s
fab four come from my static WIP stash – 2 old & 2 more recent. That’s setting the task bar high with quite
the quota of quilting!
- Machine quilt Stumbling Fans, my oldest top: 1980 UFO #1
- Christmas Fairies, make into a tree skirt: 1989 UFO #2
- Finish machine quilting Dutch Coverlet: 2014 UFO #4
- Finish the Horta blocks, sew the top & backing, then baste: 2013
UFO #9
Luckily, it’s still only
March! Whoo hoo… So, with all this
machine quilting, my poor Bertie will definitely need a service/check-up very soon! He must be getting on a bit - 21 years old this
year, and deserves a bit of “me” time.
As to newbies – inspiration will strike as inspiration does! And I am thinking it might just be time to explore a Japanese theme or two again. I still have a nice bundle in my stash from the Japanese Textile Tour I took in 2000. “Tell him he's dreamin'” to quote Darryl from The Castle, one of our most loved movies.
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| A sneak peak at my almost finished Shibori Jacob's Ladder Variation |
