Friday, February 24, 2017

The Waiting Room

I have visited a few waiting rooms lately, while getting some routine appointments out of the way.  Most of them have been surprising comfortable, with magazines definitely younger than my children, and (mostly) music that doesn't make you want to jump off a building.  And I haven't really had to wait very long.  A couple of times I barely got settled before they called my name.
This is the quilt waiting room in my sewing room annex, aka the closet.  Some of these "patients" have been waiting a long, long time.

I usually don't let the guilt of UFOs get to me.  I tell myself this is my hobby, not my job, and I can go with the flow, piecing whatever takes my fancy.  But once in a while, common sense has to break through.
I can't use and enjoy ANY of these quilts, and neither can anybody else, until they are finished.

Maybe if I just get started, I could make a dent in this backlog.
So what about the baby quilts, and the small quilts?  I can easily quilt those myself on my Pfaff.
How many could there be?

There were TEN of them.  Seriously.  They're not even pictured above.  Almost all of them are donation quilts.
So first I finished this one:
It's a Chevron pattern, made with HSTs.
Here's a detail.  Some of these fabrics are from the yardage I used for tablecloths at my grandson's baby shower last April.
The back was more of the fabric from the shower.
Here's a closeup, kind of bleached out from the sunlight.  Each square has a zoo animal or two.  These fabrics can be hard to use on the front of the quilt because the printed lines are rarely straight, but it works nicely as a back.
I finished an almost identical quilt late last April.  I modified a pattern from the Moda Bakeshop, which you can find HERE.

One down, 9 to go.
You might need your sunglasses for the next one.
This red, blue, and yellow quilt has been hanging around the quilt waiting room for about a year.  I used a Quilts for Kids simple pattern which you can find HERE as a pdf.
The main fabric is this blue bug print, complete with realistic bugs.  I also found some other bug prints to go with it.  Most of these fabrics were purchased second hand.
I marked the quilting lines with soap, which worked well.  I quilted in the ditch between the blocks, and then did this diagonal grid over the top.
The back is a sports print.  This quilt will be donated to a child who likes sports and bugs.

So that leaves 8 more small quilts to finish.
I spray basted these 4 last night after supper.  Yes, that's more of the bug print on the bottom quilt, but it's a different quilt.  I think there is still more of that fabric in the basement.
These 4 will be the next to be quilted.

And then what?
And then these 4!  All four of these have a backing, but no batting.  When I get the first batch done, I'll cut all 4 battings at once from a large batt, and spray baste these little quilts.

I'm fired up now, and ready to get stuff quilted.  I don't know how long this mood will last, so I'd better get back to the machine.  I've got bobbins to wind and stitching to do.

And when I finish these, there are the (gulp!) big quilts!

Happy stitching!
Sylvia at Treadlestitches

I'm linking up with Myra at Busy Hands Quilts and Amanda Jean at Crazy Mom Quilts this week.















16 comments:

  1. Great job finishing those baby quilts! You are on a roll! I never seem to even manage to finish quilting half a quilt before I want to move on to something else. Or I have a quilt finished, but no binding. But, you are right, when the mood strikes you need to get in there and get those quilts done. :)

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    1. Thanks, Jen! We'll see how long I last. Oops, squirrel!

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  2. Yippee for you!! You will feel soooo good to get those out of the waiting room and into the little hands that can enjoy them. Donation is the best motivator I know to finish quilts.

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    1. I agree about the motivation! I'm trying to keep thinking of covering the little ones in cozy quilts.

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  3. Go Sylvia go! I'm trying to psych myself up for marathon quilting on the seven quilts I have waiting (all with batting and backing just not sandwiched as yet). You give me some inspiration to just get started.

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    1. Good luck, JoanG! I'm kind of dreading the bigger quilts.

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  4. I have a waiting room just like yours and put twelve tops down to be done this year. So far, I've done two. When the momentum hits, you just have to finish the quilts. Good Job!

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    1. Wow, two already, and it's only February! I should make a plan like that.

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  5. I really like the bright bugs quilt! I have a fondness for bright fun prints. Can't wait to see the other ones once they're quilted!

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    1. Thanks! I just can't resist these bright novelty prints. I hope the kids like them as much as I do.

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  6. These adorable quilts were waiting for their babies to be born.. these will be loved with their new owners.

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  7. Your comment about using your common sense occassionally and also about how this is a hobby and you should sew whatever you fancy at the moment really hit home to me. It honestly described me perfectly! I bounce back and forth between the two ideas but I am mostly on the "enjoy myself and my hobby" side; however, last year I did a trunk show for a local guild and took 80 quilts with me. They literally filled three big tables stacked to the hilt. I was embarrassed and realization hit me that this is really insane. I was seriously thinking about never starting another project ever again! Just two months later I was buying sale fabric online and starting a major hand applique' project. I think I may have an addiction problem.

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    1. Hi, dq! Wow, 80 quilts! What's wrong with that? I think it's wonderful! I have gotten beyond making quilts we "need" or for the beds, but I can't seem to stop (truth be told, I don't want to stop!). So I make quite a few for donation, and to use up scraps, etc. Hobbies are good for people, especially older adults like me. I can't imagine every being bored with quilting. And like they say, it's cheaper than therapy! Keep on quilting!

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  8. Good on you - that's really making a dent in your pile of UFOs. I'm sure you are right - ease yourself into the quilting by starting with the littlies, then you can jump in and tame one of those BIG ones!

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    1. Hi, Jenny! Thanks for the encouragement! I think I can, I think I can!

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