Here is a shot of early summer color in the front flower bed. It is always so pretty in June.
This is one of the digital photos made from a slide. I made this piece in 1990 or 1991 and it sold at the IL Artisans Shop in Springfield, IL many years ago. I made several pieces with the illusion of overlapping squares. I think I may do another one in brighter fabrics. I think it is time to get out all of my trays of squares and have some fun.
I think the biggest part of my slump is that I feel guilty starting another piece when I have so many UFO's. I go in cycles of not caring if I finish anything and then feeling driven to finish quilts. Since I don't have any deadlines for the finishing it doesn't become a priority. My new plan is to list the UFO's in order of priority for finishing and to finish one each month. As far as starting projects, yes I will continue to do that. I have my blog to write, and I need pictures..........
Several years ago, one of my friends told me that if I had learned everything I could from a piece, I had permission to either throw it away or just not finish it. I've been using that permission to weed through my many UFOs, and I've gotten them down to just a few unfinished things. Those few are things that are too good to throw away, and others that I can still learn from. Life's too short to spend time finishing stuff that you can't learn from.
ReplyDeleteConnie
Every two years our guild has an auction. You can donate books, patterns and ufo's (with all the components). Not only does it raise money for our guild programs, but the ufo's get a new home and most times, finished!
ReplyDeleteThose batiks are beautiful! I think your UFO mamagement plan makes a lot of sens.
ReplyDeleteHave you noticed that the colors you just cut for your 4 patch match the colors of teh front of your house? Or at least the photos match. A UFO a month sounds like a great plan.
ReplyDeleteThere ya go. Blame it on us blog readers. *L*
ReplyDeleteThe front of your house looks so beautiful. It shows a real gardener lives there.
Oh, I like the color combinations of the fabrics you sliced and diced!
ReplyDeleteThose batiks look very luscious! I can't wait to see the top you make from them.
ReplyDeleteAs far as UFO management, I agree with Connie. I don't think I can or want to finish all my UFO's. Some of those pieces will go in a "leftovers" quilt, some will be passed on to someone who wants them, and some I'll finish. I've been trying to finish up projects the last few years, and moving really showed me HOW MANY UFO's I really had. Yowsers! Time to sort and cull. The one-a-month plan sounds like a good deal. Good luck!
Deadlines are definitely an integral part of my 'time management' plan. Going through my UFO stack is like an archaeology dig - the miniature period, the scrappy period, the free-form period.... There are very few partially completed tops, but there are very MANY tops waiting to be quilted!
ReplyDeleteWhat are you going to do as you finish your UFO's? If you commit to getting the finished quilts to a new home by a certain date, looky there! You've got yourself a deadline!!
ps - you do still have my address, right? LOL! :-D
WOooo I really like the piece you made for the Artisans Shop in Springfield. I can see why it sold, immediately it is gorgeous. And certainly timeless. Love those calico prints you have made them glisten.
ReplyDeleteNice explosion of color in the front of your house. And I agree it does look similar to your batiks.
J~MT
Do you think your 'slump' is because you might be ready to approach or bring your quilting from/to another level? You really are so very talented - maybe something is calling you.
ReplyDeleteAt the risk of sounding "out there", did you know Mercury is in retrograde? I heard 2 people mention that so I googled it, and found out that right now until about June 28 it's best to finish up old projects rather than start new (cuz the new ones would get goofed up). Blame it on Mercury, the messenger.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, love your blog and colorful sensibilities.
Also from the Midwest (Grand Rapids Mich)
Vicky F
Thank you for putting blog reader satisfaction on your priority list! Woo Hoo!
ReplyDeleteThese are really pretty fabrics. I loved your chocolate and caramel quilt, and this one looks like it will be just as pretty, if not more so.
ReplyDeleteI made myself a list last year of UFO's that I wanted to finish--12 in all, one per month. I did not work my way through the entire list, but I feel that I did finish more projects this way--more than I would have finished without a plan. Of course, I did start new projects along the way--but I committed to finishing anything new that I started. My UFO list did not totally disappear, but I believe it only increased by 1 by the end of the year--not a bad goal since before that, I rarely had a finish, but had many starts! I quilt for fun and not necessarily the finishes! LOL Keep up the inspiring work!
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