Studio Organizing, Week 3

Posted on January 18, 2016 by prairiemoonquilts in Studio Organizing Challenge

Did you get your computer files all cleaned up?

I worked on it, but I’ll confess — I do OK with files, but when it comes to pictures, I tend to get lost going down memory lane, and the clean up part doesn’t go very quickly!

So I’ll keep chipping away at this. But for right now, it’s time to move on.

This week it’s time for something a bit more fun and quilty-related — I’m tired of paperwork and the like. This week we’re going to:

Choose an old UFO to work on

Last time I did this one, I said choose your oldest UFO. This time, which UFO you choose to work on is up to you. It does not have to be your oldest one, but it should be one that you’d like to get finished and off your list, or at least reorganized and ready to move forward with.

I’ve chosen mine, and you’ll most likely be a little amused by it.

Back when Rag Quilts first hit the scene, I, of course, had to make a few. I tired of them rather quickly, and after my third one, decided that I was never going to make another rag quilt ever again — but this decision did not come until I had gone a tidget overboard on the purchasing of homespun fabric. (Just a tidget!)

So I decided to use up all the homespun leftovers in a couple of scrappy quilts to get rid of it, but evidently, I was really tired of homespun, and I cut out some pieces, but never went any further with the scrappy quilts.

During the Final Countdown, when I was reorganizing my UFOs, I debated just getting rid of the entire mess, but got to looking through it and realized how much time I had already spent cutting. I also looked at my homespun stash and realized it’s almost gone, so if I’d just finish these two quilts, it’ll be out of my life forever!

So here’s the first quilt I’ll be finishing up with my leftover homespuns. It’s called Whistle Stop, from the October 2000 issue of McCall’s Quilting magazine:

WhistleStop

I’m going to make it in a size that will work for our guild’s donations to the nursing home, and it’ll make a fantastic lap or throw quilt for a gentleman!

With the leftover pieces from Whistle Stop, I’m simply making Log Cabin blocks, and will put those together into however many quilts they’ll make, also for the gentlemen in the nursing homes in our area.

I’m even going to piece my backings from the homespun, just to use up every last little bit of it. Great cozy quilts for guys, and whittling down my stash, all in one fell swoop!

And I can already say — if there’s any homespun left over after these 2 or 3 quilts, I’m either giving it away or recycling it, because it has to leave my house!

How about you?

Do you have a special UFO you’d like to work on this week?

A UFO that is taking up space? One that if you’d only finish it (or get rid of it), would help you with getting your sewing space organized?

That’s our task this week — I’m anxious to hear about your projects!

17 responses to “Studio Organizing, Week 3”

  1. Rita says:

    I am machine quilting as many tops as I can to get quilts completed for Material Girlz quilt show Mar 5 &6. Hate to admit it but they should have been done a year ago. I spend so much time quilting for charity and for others that I don’t get my own quilts done. That has to change for 2016. lol

  2. Becka Meyers says:

    As it happens, I’m already working on one of my older UFOs! It’s from a monster block swap. I made 8 blocks exactly alike to mail out. By the time it came to putting it together I realized I had not made a block for me. Being tired of making that block – it got set aside. Well, my grandsons are getting a bit old for monsters, but I decided to finish it anyways.

  3. Anne P says:

    Like you I did make a conscious effort with the files organising, but I do do a bit every now and then anyway – so I don’t feel too bad that there is still more to do.

    I think for my UFO it will be my ‘Freecycle’ quilt top. I saw an unfinished top on freecycle a few years ago and I thought it would be great to have something part way through and finish it.

    It turned out to be a different project all together – I wrote a post on my blog about it –
    https://sewingtales.wordpress.com/2014/02/08/freecycle-unfinished-quilt/

    I have redesigned it in EQ7 – still using the same block pattern, but in a much more pleasing layout and will be adding some fabric from my stash to complete it.

    It would be good to at least progress it more and maybe get it finished this year!

  4. My current goal, wrote about it here: http://farmquilter.blogspot.com/2016/01/one-monthly-goal-january-2016.html, is not really a UFO, more of a year-long WIP! I started it last January when I was in Texas caring for my granddaughters for 2 months. I finished it to the point of the picture seen on my blog. It sat there, staring at me and convinced me that it deserved to be bigger so it would fit on my bed so I designed an additional border for it. It is on the frame and I’ve done some of the marking on it and will get to quilting on it this afternoon! I don’t have all of the quilting designs solidified yet, so that is slowing me down a little!

  5. Meloney says:

    I did some computer files cleaning, but it is boring. LOL I don’t have lots of time because DD is on the computer for school work, but I did work through some files and deleted some patterns I will NEVER make.
    I am working mostly on UFOs this year, so I have 4 in process and those will be my focus.
    http://melsquiltingblog.blogspot.com/2016/01/prairie-moon-organization-challenge.html

  6. Rose Marie says:

    Hubby got me a gift certificate at the local quilt shop. I went in and bought backing for 4 finished quilt tops and some fabric for sashing for blocks that couldn’t be set together with any of the fabrics on hand. I have already quilted one UFO this year. I don’t keep many computer files.
    I will do more finishing this year. This is to enable me to quilt at a more leisurely pace. I don’t need to make 15 quilts a year.

  7. Sandra Weber says:

    I sewed with some friends I made at Osewpersonal today. I finished my Tula Pink heart top light Meg I. I have one block left on my You’ve Got Mail quilt I started in 2014, and I can add the last row and border. So by end of January, I will have two UFOs quilted, and two pieced.(But one was Megan’s).

  8. Karen Edwards says:

    I am following the plan of a friend who vowed to finish 15 quilts in ’15, so I’m going to finish 16 in ’16.

    Several years ago, I made eight small quilts designed by Lori Smith of From My Heart to Your Hands. Now these are really small quilts–12 X 18 except for those where I added borders. I’ve quilted and bound five of them since Christmas. Even though they’re small, I’m counting them! I’ve also pieced, quilted and bound a small Jo Morton-inspired doll quilt. I’ll post photos once I have the last three Lori Smith quilts finished.

    Thanks for the inspiration!

  9. Did do some computer purging – have a lot to go! I am actually working on my oldest UFO – which I now call WIP since I moved it into the work in progress pile. It is 28 years old.

  10. Cindy says:

    Well certainly not my oldest UFO, but I’m trying to get your bom from last year finished before your book comes out.

  11. Lin says:

    I started work on my Dear Jane UFO last week – spent a week on making the blocks I had finished into a lap sized quilt which is now sashed and ready for its borders. Such a good feeling to have abandoned the full size quilt but to be making something useful with what I have done. And I have a whole stack of lovely fabric that is heading into my stash – after spending 14 years in a box. Yes!! xx

  12. Mary says:

    Several years agoI bought a McCall’s paper piecing pattern for log cabin quilts from wall size to king size pieced on flimsy paper. I made a QOV quilt and my friend quilted and donated it. But I had lots of made blocks leftt and 9 papers left plus borders. So this week I made up those 9 10″ blocks giving me a total of 31 blocks. Now to set them, sew them, find someone to quilt it and then donate it. That will clear 1 pizza box and 1 plastic box, and also also reduce my total UFOs to 39 and 2 WIPs.
    I liked your ideas about wovens and if I can find that magazine I’d like to make it.

  13. Celine says:

    Thanks for last week tasks, because I could still spend hours and hours but at least, I have made a start! I have a UFO that I need to finish this month so this is the perfect task!

  14. Lori says:

    Turns out I do need to clean up my ipad (I am usually good about it, but it’s super gunky right now). As for UFOs…well, yeah, I got this. Everything I’m doing right now is a UFO. Knocked out #3 and am on to #4 today!

  15. randy says:

    okay doodle ready to go Yahoo will not let me make an account.. I don’t instagram will try emailing.

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