My goals for April were:
- finish mosaic the beaded wall  - I did!
- quilt the big circles on Lost My Marbles - I'm about half done
- 2 EQ lessons - I finished one more that I'll share later
- start the Spirograph floor cloths - instead I ordered more gears so I'm practicing more designs
​- finish yard work - the weeding and tree/shrub trimming is done but the 7 truckloads of mulch are still to be done

We also too a hiking trip and I got some had sewing done while we were away.

I also made good progress on the 4th of July quilt, made some Wild Gears postcards and made a bunch of fused glass fish for my backsplash wall/

All in all, a good month! At least I didn't start anything new.
Here are my stats for April:

Starting UFO 16 (15 in 2018)
Finished YTD 1
Started YTD 1
Ending UFO 16 
Veterans quilts made - 4
Veterans quilts quilted - 12
Fabric Postcards - 16
Pet Beds 3
Garment 
​Placemats -
​​Quilted for others - 1

In May we have our family beach vacation so it's going to be a short month and I have to get the mulching done to finish off the yard work for the year. So I'm going to try to be reasonable about my goals:

- finish yard work
​- finish 1 EQ lesson
- finish the fish mosaic
- grout both mosaics
- progress on 4th of July 
- finish large circles on Lost My Marbles
- a few veterans quilts
​- finish planning the Wild Gears floor cloths (make them in June)

As I look back on March I see that I was very distracted from sewing by dental work, vacation and now lots of yard work. We are busy trimming trees and shrubs. We've filled the truck 7 times so far and are maybe 60% done! This will be followed by lots and lots of mulching. So April is going to be busy too.

But quilting veterans quilts always gives me a sense of accomplishment and I got 4 of them done in March.

I also quilted Mom's scrap quilt, made good progress on my wall and on planning my new kitchen floor cloths. All in all, not bad! 

But when looking at my goals I didn't make a lot of progress:
- finish the mosaic part of the beaded wall (almost)
- start the big circles on Lost My Marbles (didn't work on this at all in March)
- plan the making of new kitchen floor cloths (good planning progress)
- progress on 4th of July (got to sew on this 1 day)
- 2 more EQ lessons (nope)
- quilt Mom's quilt (yes!)
​- quilt 2 more veterans quilts (quilted 4!)

My ending stats are:
Starting UFO 16 (15 in 2018)
Finished YTD 1
Started YTD 1
Ending UFO 16 
Veterans quilts made - 4
Veterans quilts quilted - 12
Fabric Postcards - 7
Pet Beds 3
Garment 
​Placemats -
​​Quilted for others - 1

My goals for April are:
- finish mosaic the beaded wall (grout in May)
- quilt the big circles on Lost My Marbles
- 2 EQ lessons
- start the Spirograph floor cloths
​- finish yard work!

Before we get into the accounting part that is really only for myself, I do have 2 more veterans quilts to finish off February.

​The one on the left was one of the kits that I did for my quilt club program in January. Karen pieced this one. The GO! 6.5" HST die made cutting this one quick and easy. The teal fabric was a black on white that I overdyed and the black in my hand dyed black. The pantograph that I used on both of these quilts is going to one of my staples going forward. It goes really fast and create really nice texture.

 This clever quilt was made by Becky. She had a collection of blocks left over from previous block drives. She cut the all down to about 6.5" and purposely cut then wonky. The effect, with them set in black, is really cool. What a great idea for orphan blocks!

Here were my stats in January
Starting UFO 16 (15 in 2018)
Finished YTD 1
Started YTD 1
Ending UFO 16 
Veterans quilts made - 4
Veterans quilts quilted - 4
Fabric Postcards 
Pet Beds 3

This month I made some great progress on my mosaic wall and Lost My Marbles. I've also gotten enthralled with my new Wild Gears. But as far as finishes I have 4 veterans quilts quilted and the Dragonfly postcards.

Ending stats:
Starting UFO 16 (15 in 2018)
Finished YTD 1
Started YTD 1
Ending UFO 16 
Veterans quilts made - 4
Veterans quilts quilted - 8
Fabric Postcards - 7
Pet Beds 3

But while there aren't a lot of finishes, my goals were actually met!
- 2 more EQ lessons  - done
- progress on the mosaic wall - lots done
- get back to quilting Lost My Marbles - almost done with the small circles
- progress on 4th of July - 4 blocks and fabric cut for the rest
- Zentangle labels for 3 quilts - DONE!
​- get the kitchen finished, all of the cabinets reorganized and back to normal life in the house - will be done today

So I'm really happy. I actually stayed focused. We have a trip planned in March so March will be a 3-week month. Here are my goals:

- finish the mosaic part of the beaded wall (grout in April or May)
- start the big circles on Lost My Marbles
- plan the making of new kitchen floor cloths
- progress on 4th of July
- 2 more EQ lessons
- quilt Mom's quilt
​- quilt 2 more veterans quilts

I'm going to start out this month's report with a little show-and-tell.

When I did the AQS show in October the AQS folks surprised my by wanting to do a video in my booth. Honestly, I had forgotten about it until I got my AQS magazine this week and saw that I had bee featured in their Product Spotlight. If the video doesn't play, here's the direct link: https://youtu.be/kx0Df5LV-BM

Yes, I'm a Southern girl!

Now on to my self-report. My goals for January were:
- finish 4 veterans quilts - DONE!
- bind and label Indonesian Batik - DONE!
- label for Antelope Canyon - not done and 2 other quilts need labels too
- possibly start a foundation piecing project, I have a couple of choose from - DONE!
- resume quilting Lost My Marbles - not done, but resumed my mosaic wall instead
- 3 EQ lessons - only 1 done so far

I consider that a pretty darned successful month because I also quilted 4 veterans quilts and made 3 pet beds with all of the scraps.

The month looks great when viewed like that! My goals for February are:

- 2 more EQ lessons
- progress on the mosaic wall
- get back to quilting Lost My Marbles
- progress on 4th of July
- Zentangle labels for 3 quilts
​- get the kitchen finished, all of the cabinets reorganized and back to mormal life in the house

Last month I said that I was going to drop my goal of reducing the number of UFO projects. Just tracking my projects helps me keep some sort of control over the new projects that I start. So in this post I'm going to wrap up December and talk about my goals and projects for 2019.

My goals for December were:
- bind Indonesian Batik (didn't happen)
- make labels for Antelope Canyon and Indonesian Batik (didn't happen)
- finish the last set of Christmas postcards (Done!)
- make veterans quilt kits (well underway)
​- make placemats with the last of the leftover Indonesian batik fabric (Done!)
Instead of finishing the batik quilt I made 4 veterans quilts because I'm doing a program on veterans quilts for my quilt club next week. I also quilted 4 other veterans quilts.

Here are my stats for 2018:
Starting UFO 15
Finished YTD 4 (Goal 12)
Started YTD 6 (Planned 6)
Ending UFO 17 (Goal 9)
Veterans YTD 22 (Goal 40)
Fabric Postcards 150
Pet Beds 2
Garment 2
​Placemats - 16
​Chair cushions/pillows - 3
Potholders - 3
​Big Fabric Flowers
​Quilted for others - 2

​I expect to have more time in 2019 so I'm hopeful that I'll get more of my projects finished this year. I'm dedicating the beginning of the year to veterans quilts. Over the next few days I'll have 4 designs to share that I made for my program next week and I have a few more ideas percolating.

I'm also planning to be more dedicated to  learning Electric Quilt. I bought some workbooks for EQ8 that I'm going to work through.

On the longarm, next up is to re-load and finish Lost My Marbles. Does anyone even remember that one? But the one goal that I do want to set for the year is to get my 2 mosaic projects done.

My specific goals for January are:
- finish 4 veterans quilts
- bind and label Indonesian Batik
- label for Antelope Canyon
- possibly start a foundation piecing project, I have a couple of choose from'
- resume quilting Lost My Marbles
- 3 EQ lessons

When I started my UFO Busting tracking a few years ago I had over 30 UFO projects. Making myself track them has been a great exercise. I find that simply because I keep a list that I'm better disciplined about starting new projects. When I think about starting a new project (especially all the fun quilt-alongs that I see on social media) I always have my list to keep me focused. Now when I start a new project I know that I REALLY want to start that project.

I'm going to end this year with the same count that I started assuming that I get the Indonesian Batik quilt bound this month....and I will.

This monthly accounting has been good for me and I will keep it up although I'm not going to call it UFO Busting anymore. It's just going to be my monthly accounting, although I will still try to get that lost down below 10 at some point.

November was a great month because I finished Antelope Canyon. I also got the Indonesian Batik quilt quilted. It only needs binding to call it done.

I also made over 60 postcards for Christmas and quilted 2 veterans quilts. It was a really good month and December is looking pretty good so far.

Here's my status at the end of November:
Starting UFO 15
Finished YTD 4 (Goal 12)
Started YTD 6 (Planned 6)
Ending UFO 17 (Goal 9)
Veterans YTD 18 (Goal 40)
Fabric Postcards 127
Pet Beds 2
Garment 2
​Placemats - 10
​Chair cushions/pillows - 3
Potholders - 3
​Big Fabric Flowers
​Quilted for others - 2

I've decided that I'm declaring 2019 the year of Electric Quilt and veterans quilts. I want to become proficient at EQ8 so I bought some lesson workbooks. Because of my arm injury and the show, I didn't get to quilt very many veterans quilts last year. I also have a lot of fabric stash that I want to downsize. So I'm going to use my new EQ8 lesson books to design some veterans quilts and make kits with my stash. I'll use my monthly sewing days at Country School to work on them. I'll also make some quilts for other club members if they want them. Then I'll get back on track quilting them as they come in.

My goals for December are:
- bind Indonesian Batik
- make labels for Antelope Canyon and Indonesian Batik
- finish the last set of Christmas postcards
- make veterans quilt kits
​- make placemats with the last of the leftover Indonesian batik fabric

I was so wrapped up in that show in the beginning of October that I totally forgot to do a UFO post for September. That's great for me right now because with 2 months of activity it might appear like I've actually done something!

The most recent something was finishing the cat postcards. I posted about the one of the left last week and that one is a true "one of a kind" because making one was more than enough. I had to come up with a better use for that cat ribbon and I think I accomplished something that was a lot more fun to make and a a lot better design. I found a cat paw stamp in my stash, Estelle loaned me the cat stencil, I had letter stamps that I had never used before and there was a random pink polka dot ribbon in my stash to finish it off. I'm quite please and had enough ribbon to make 8 of these. 

Also in the last 2 months I made a couple dozen fabric flowers and Maine-themed potholders and postcards. To wrap things up, late last night I quilted 2 veterans quilts. I'll have photos of them to share tomorrow. Given my total focus on the show, I'm overall happy with what I accomplished but I am overjoyed to be back into mu old routine.

My goals for November are:
- bind Antelope Canyon
- make 80 Christmas postcards
- resume quilting Lost My Marbles (Spirograph blocks)
- finish the Indonesian Batik quilt top

Here are my current stats:
2018 Stats
Starting UFO 15
Finished YTD 3 (Goal 12)
Started YTD 6 (Planned 6)
Ending UFO 18 (Goal 9)
Veterans YTD 18 (Goal 40)
Fabric Postcards 66
Pet Beds 2
Garment 2
​Placemats - 10
​Chair cushions/pillows - 3
Potholders - 3
​Big Fabric Flowers
​Quilted for others - 2

How are you doing on your list?

Vacations are wonderful things and we all need them whether we actually go anywhere or not. A staycation can be just as relaxing and refreshing as traveling. But one thing that's true about these breaks is that there seems to be a lot of work on the front end to get ready and on the back end to get everything back to normal. Nowhere is that more evident for me than the blog. Today I believe that I'm finally catching up with my UFO update post.

I was determined to get SOMETHING done in August and this baby quilt was the perfect project. I made the top several years ago so I just had to quilt and bind it.

I picked up some lobster fabric just because I was in Maine. I'm going to make some new potholders with them because, really, you only need so much lobster-themed stuff around your house! I found that fish fabric and had to get some for Chris. Most fish fabric has images of lake fish like trout, because they are so pretty but Chris likes off-shore fishing and this fabric has all of the fish that he likes to fish for. I'll have to let this one sit for a while until I decide what to do with it. The 12 fat quarters are all Maine-themed and I think I'll make myself some placemats with them.....eventually.

After I finished the projects that I brought with me I was looking for something else to make. I was in the kitchen and saw this.

That's one sad cushion and I though maybe I could make some new cushions for these chairs. I'm sure that it's impossible to find cushions for these chairs because the seats are smaller than normal.

Laura and I headed for the fabric shop (again) where I searched for some appropriate fabric. The owners of this house are understated so bright prints or giant blue and white lobsters (my only options) weren't appropriate. I had to settle for khaki canvas.

Here are the finished cushions. I overstuffed them because I know that they will flatten out some over time. The stuffing is from 2 Wal-Mart pillows ($5), the fabric was less than $15 and the buttons less than $5. The owner of the house was thrilled. He's apparently been looking for cushions to fit these odd-sized chairs for a long time. So that was my good deed for the month.

I also quilted 4 more veterans quilts in August, bringing my total to 16.

Here are my stats at the beginning of the month:

My starting goals for 2018 were:
Starting UFO 15
Finished YTD Goal 12
Started YTD Planned 6
Ending UFO Goal 9
Veterans YTD Goal 40

Here are my stats after August:

Starting UFO 15
Finished YTD 3 (Goal 12)
Started YTD 6 (Planned 6)
Ending UFO 18 (Goal 9)
Veterans YTD 16 (Goal 40)
Fabric Postcards 57
Pet Beds 2
Garment 2
​Placemats - 4
​Chair cushions/pillows - 3
​Quilted for others - 2

How are you doing with your goals for the year?

Given that I dyed over 400 yards of fabric this month, I'm pretty pleased that I accomplished anything! I finished Stars At Sea.

And quilted 2 quilts for Mom. 

My primary goal for August is to quilt and bind this baby quilt for a baby that's due in 2019. It will make me feel like I'm actually accomplishing things to have a gift read so early! I have a few veterans quilts that I'll try to get quilted but I'll be away half of the month and am taking my sewing machine with me. Maybe I can get the Antelope Canyon top together.

My starting goals for 2018 were:
Starting UFO 15
Finished YTD Goal 12
Started YTD Planned 6
Ending UFO Goal 9
Veterans YTD Goal 40

Here's where I stand at the end of July:
Starting UFO 15
Finished YTD 2 (Goal 12)
Started YTD 6 (Planned 6)
Ending UFO 19 (Goal 9)
Veterans YTD 8 (Goal 40)
Fabric Postcards 57
Pet Beds 2
Garment 2
​Placemats - 4
​Quilted for others - 2

There's no way I'll hit my UFO goal but I'm fine with that. Conceivably I can get it back to where I started the year and, given my dyeing schedule and arm injury, that will be a fine goal.

​I hope you are making better progress on your goals!

Oh what a month! I had big plans and all were dashed when I injured my arm at the beach and that meant the end of longarm quilting for a few weeks. The few weeks turned into more like 5 or 6. I am finally going to be able to get back to it and am going to quilt one of Mon's quilts and my Stars at Sea quilt before loading Lost My Marbles again. So I might have 1 finish for the month.

But what I accomplished in June was two NEW projects! I started Loony Moony to applique shibori moons on a hand dyed background. I also started another flower applique project. These have kept me busy while I couldn't sew or quilt.

Meanwhile my friend, Marcy, quilted 8 veterans quilts for me!

My starting goals for 2018 were:
Starting UFO 15
Finished YTD Goal 12
Started YTD Planned 6
Ending UFO Goal 9
Veterans YTD Goal 40

Here's where things currently stand:
Starting UFO 15
Finished YTD 1 (Goal 12)
Started YTD 6 (Planned 6)
Ending UFO 20 (Goal 9)
Veterans YTD 12 (Goal 40)
Fabric Postcards 57
Pet Beds 2
Garment 2
​Placemats - 4

Clearly things are going in the wrong direction! I don't expect that to get much better either and I'm OK with it. I do know of one more project that I want to start but that will probably be this fall before I can start it. Meanwhile my main focus is on getting ready for the AQS Virginia Beach show and I have about 400 more yards of fabric to dye to be less stressed about that. My 2 new hand sewing projects are about all I have the energy to do when I finally sit down in the evening. I might make some great progress on both this summer and fall.

How are you doing on your UFO projects?