Focus!

This was my sewing room last Friday.  At first glance, I counted 4 projects in progress scattered around the room.  Two of them were laid out on the floor.

Walking through the room, pieces stuck to my socks.  There wasn't even room for my chair.  Anything resembling progress had ground to a halt.
How did this happen?
The room started out clean after I finished the wedding quilt.  With all the craziness of the wedding and a quick trip to New York City with my husband and grandson, I just didn't do any quilting.  Then all the company went home, and I went a little crazy.  I cut out quilts, tried out blocks, and took a class.  It was all good fun. 

I know this dates me, but I can remember watching movies at school on a projector like this one above.  If the opening shots were blurry, we all shouted "Focus!" until some hapless teacher adjusted the knob. 
I was thinking about that this week.  If I'm going to get any quilts finished, I need to adjust myself, and focus.

First things first.  Which projects are closest to being done?

 I had 35 of these flannel blocks sewn before I realized I didn't want to use them in my granddaughter's new winter quilt.  They would make a nice sized baby quilt for charity.

 Here's how I laid them out (after clearing the floor of the other quilt parts).

And here's the finished quilt!  I call this one Flannel Boxes.  The blocks are 6 in. finished, and are mostly made from scraps of flannels I've picked up at flea markets over the years.  The backing is flannel, and the batting is needlepunched cotton.  I did mostly ditch quilting, which should hold it together very well.

Some of the prints are kind of weird.  Check out the purple cats!

So, one done!  What's next?

This one is called Star Blossom.  There are 5 rows of 4 blocks each, and I'm quilting them one at a time, quilt as you go style.  Fifteen of these blocks are done, which only leaves 5.  I also need to join the rows.

Star Blossoms comes from this book, Scrap Basket Beauties, by Kim Brackett.  I love this book!  This is the second quilt I've made from it.

Here's what the block looks like.  It's a great scrap buster.  You need 18 different rectangles for each block.

It was easy to quilt these blocks on my lovely Pfaff.
The rows are quilted!  Now I'm just joining them on the machine, and sewing the backs down by hand.  When that's done, I'll bind it, and Bob's your uncle.

I thought there were only 2 more projects in the mix, but I found a third one!  This is kind of ridiculous.

This one is at least nice and neat.  It's all the pieces, cut out and ready to sew, for my granddaughter's quilt.  I think she'll like this one.  For now, I'll set it aside until I can get the rest of this stuff under control.

This is my project from the class I took.  It's called Upstairs Downstairs, and it was taught by my friend and neighbor Nancy P.  The rows are all sewn and labeled, so they can come up off the floor and go in a basket.   I'll be able to work on sewing them together as time permits.

These pieces are for a Falling Charms quilt, made from white strips and 5 in. squares cut from scraps.  It will be a charity quilt when it's done.  I'll use it as my leaders and enders project while piecing the Upstairs Downstairs top together.  When choosing projects for leaders and enders, I try to use something simple, especially when I'm putting a top together.  It's just not a good idea for me to try to do two complicated things at once.

Here are the pieces for the Falling Charms quilt, ready for action.
By the way, here's a link to a tutorial on Falling Charms, from the Missouri Star Quilt Company:
Falling Charms Tutorial

I've also got some 5 in. strips plus other pieces of the scrap fabric ready to cut as needed.

It's taken a couple of days, but order has been restored.

 My objective is always to leave the sewing room ready for action, with a plan in mind for the next time I can be there.  This way, I can make the best use of my time.
So what are you sewing this week?
Keep calm, and keep quilting!