Welcome to another edition of Wonderful Wednesday!! I'm pleased to share my latest UFO Club finish. It's my first (and possibly only) completed project for the Summer 2023 (Ravelry) UFO Club. You may have seen a teaser on Instagram or seen the quilt and read a snippet of the story, if you are a member of the Quilters Knitting group on Ravelry. For the rest of you...
This is the story of the Back/Front Quilt:
I made this YEARS ago! It was a bunch of random scrappy 4-Patch blocks that I put together for a quilt back of a long ago project. Too bad for me, it insisted that it wanted to be a quilt TOP!! (Or maybe I ran out of the sashing fabric before it was big enough to cover the batting. Who knows, at this point?)
Lucky me, my friend Stacy @ Over the Moon Quilts agreed to quilt it for me. It's going to our guild's charity program at the upcoming meeting. The coordinator was kind enough to find backing, batting, and binding in the guild's stash of contributed supplies.
Here are the photos:
Make sure to click (or double click) on the photo to see the fun quilting design that Stacy used to stitch the layers together:
Right side up...
Or upside down...
It's finished!!!
That (finally) satisfies my promise to Sarah @ Confessions of a Fabric Addict. (Or @fabricaddictquilts on Instagram.) The quilt was my entry for this year's Hands2Help Comfort Quilt Challenge. She graciously accepted my donation, knowing that it would be waiting to be fit into Stacy's quilting schedule, as my own longarm was out of commission this Spring. Thanks for your patience, Sarah!
I have arrived...
While sitting in my living room one morning, I suddenly decided that I had arrived at the point in my quilting career that I didn't need to KEEP ALL THE QUILTS!!!
WAIT, what, Joyful???
That's right! I've been quilting for 30+ years and (for the most part) unless I specifically make a quilt as a gift or for a donation, most of the quilts remain here with my family. Let me tell you, that's a LOT of quilts!
Donating this quilt was a HUGE step for me...
You see, this quilt holds SEW many memories. It includes fabric scraps from a number of significant projects in my quilting journey. My MIL's quilt, the quilts I made for our boys, wedding gifts for friends and family members, along with squares from the quilt challenges that I've participated in over the years are all represented.
The deciding factor???
Storage. It's an issue in the house we moved into two years ago. (Unless you ask DH, as he'll tell you there is plenty of storage here, but he's wrong.) There are only so many corners available for wedging in another quilt rack and only so many closet shelves with empty space to house another quilt. Therefore, the lesser-loved/under-used quilts will be systematically prepared to leave the nest. They deserve to be displayed and/or snuggled with, not just shoved in a closet waiting to fulfill their quilty destiny.
In closing...
I'll end this with a BIG thank you to those who helped me complete this quilt and leave you all with a porch swing picture:
Until next time...
Mark another UFO off the list!!!
Yay for a finish! It's nice to be able to keep your word!
ReplyDeleteCongrats on this lovely finish. I understand about letting go of your quilts. I too found it hard at first, but then I thought about it differently. Like a smile to an elder on the bus, or a wink to a mother with toddlers waiting in line at the checkout at the grocery store, it isn't such a big thing for me but it means a lot to them. A ray of sunshine, an encouragement. My little bits of lovely fabric will bring so much more than just a smile or a wink. And once you let go of one quilt, the others leave almost on their own. Go! Embrace your community with quilts. Then you will have room to make some more, lol. ;^)
ReplyDeleteAny finish is a finish to be celebrated. I have given away so many of my accumulated quilts (I haven't been quilting quite as long as you) that I'm down to the "gotta keep" category. When I see pictures of the gone-away quilts, I'm sad and glad at the same time.
ReplyDeleteNice finish! I give away many quilts but I always keep documentation about each of them including pictures. It's so nice to be able to go back and 'see' them periodically. ~Jeanne
ReplyDeleteWhat a special finish and it is a special gift. You will always have the photos and the memories!! --TerryK@OnGoingProjects
ReplyDeletewhat a fun quilt!congrats on the finish,I absolutely luv it! Now I wantta go see how many squares I have😄
ReplyDeleteThat's a pretty and happy quilt, Joy! I love how the blue sashing ties it all together. I have a hard time even thinking about giving away many of my quilts, too, but just like with you, there are too many, and some need to go!
ReplyDeleteIt's such a bright and fun quilt. I don't have too hard a time donating some quilts, but there are others that I just can't part with.
ReplyDeleteIts a lovely quilt with a lovely pantograph to make it oh so cuddly for a comfort quilt. I don't have the space either. Next trip to relatives will have a bunch of quilts in the car so they can choose!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful finish!!
ReplyDeleteI would love to know how you store and choose what to display of your quilts.
I've solved of problem of having too many quilts to store. I just don't finish many, except the ones intended as gifts or donations, and those merrily move on their happy way. Storing the fabric that hasn't made it into a quilt is a little harder.
ReplyDeletePat
That is a beautiful finish, Joy! I love the random blocks that aren't all the same. The sashing and cornerstones are perfect for it. It will definitely comfort someone. Happy happy. Have a great holiday weekend. ~ Kathy S.
ReplyDelete