Block of the Month Projects - Patti Style

The more I thought about treating my long term appliqué projects as block of the month programs the more I liked the idea. It gives me good, doable monthly goals, resulting in the steady forward progress of multiple projects. I decided to prep only one or two blocks at a time - after all - when one is getting a BOM in the mail one receives only one or two blocks each month.

To the left you see the next 16" block for the mid-century album quilt. As there are two sizes of blocks in this quilt I'm going to shoot for one of each size each month. Tomorrow I'll prep an 8" block to go along with this one. This one isn't finished being prepped - there are still a few leaves and 17 grapes to go - however stitching of fruits below those need to be completed before they can be added. If you'd like to see the other blocks in this quilt, click here.

I've already prepped two identical blocks for the 2003-2004 Girl Gang quilt - they can be seen here. The next block for Times Remembered is in the previous post. I've decided that I will also prep a block for Celebration of American Life. The backgrounds for those blocks have been prepared for several years, so I decided it's time to really get started on that project.

I've listed these four Block of the Month Projects - Patti Style on my blog sidebar. I'm hoping I'm not taking on too much - I figure that's one BOM to focus on each week of the month. I'm calling the blocks I'm prepping now "December blocks", so I'm getting a head start. Hopefully that will leave me time for other quilty things - playing with scraps, quilting at least one of my own tops per month, and progressing forward on my other long term projects. I guess time will tell. I've decided the only yearly goal I'm going to set is the stashbusting goal - the rest will be monthly goals. Lots more to cross off that way - resulting in lots of satisfaction - and a clean slate at the beginning of each new month.

How does that sound? Anybody else like this idea? Do you think it will work? I sure hope so!

Now I need to head to bed. Another Joseph day tomorrow - a nasty bug sure has bitten his other grandparents, aunt and cousin so he's staying away until they are all well. That's OK - I have so much fun watching him!

Stash report and more

Well, my no buy resolve certainly didn't last very long this time. Here is my report:

In - 10.5 yards plus one quilt kit

Out - Binding for Spring Trio and one applique block - maybe 1/2 yard total

So what was I thinking?

Well, first of all there are all the Dear Jane fat quarters. I resisted this line for quite a few weeks. And then I saw some Dear Jane blocks made from fabric reproduced from Jane's quilt. My resolve went out the window - my Dear Jane blocks had to include some authentic reproduction fabric! Of course none of my usual online stores had it - they'd sold out weeks ago. Quilt Shops.com to the rescue! 30 Dear Jane fat quarters arrived in my mailbox yesterday.

Then Wednesday I attended my monthly Eileen Trestain class at Primitive Thimble. I've been very proud of myself - I'd attended class for months without buying anything. But this time class was starting late due to a mix up, so I had lots of time to walk through the shop. When I spotted the cheddar I new I had to have yardage - good cheddars are just too hard to find. And then this Cheri Saffiote Payne kit grabbed my attention. The price was good for a kit containing so much hand dyed wool - so I grabbed it.

And thus I fell off the wagon - big time!

So of course I had to do something to bust some stash. The five 1 1/8 inch strips I'd cut for the Spring Trio binding sure didn't amount to much. So I prepped another Times Remembered block. Now that I look at it I think my estimate was over generous. I imagine this block took closer to 1/4 yard total. OK - change that used number at the top of the post to 3/8 yard maximum.

And this doesn't even count the Judy Rothermel collection I ordered in a weak moment that hasn't yet arrived in my mailbox! And it's a good thing I've not pledged to stop buying books, as 5 more arrived in my Checkers business order!

A different way of looking at the same situation

Sharon Craig was our guest speaker at guild last Thursday. Her topic was "Sets Education" (needs to be said outloud to be most effective LOL!) This was the second time she's done that lecture at guild, but it was just as enjoyable as the first time as she had lots of new quilts to share. She has always been one of my quilting heros - I especially love her books about setting odd-sized blocks.

One of her "stop us in our tracks" statements at the beginning of her talk is this - "I have NO ufo's!" After all the gasps of disbelief fade away, she adds "but I have many ongoing projects". She further explains that some of them have been ongoing for years. She doesn't believe one can rush creativity, and that eventually every project will talk to you and tell you what it wants to become (my words there at the end of this sentence). One quilt she showed us - and it was stunning! - was made from a set of very large sampler blocks pieced in the 1970's! Her solution was so creative, and the blocks were hardly recognizable.

I really like this positive way of looking at things. It's definitely a "glass half full" outlook. And recently I've experienced the truth of this - look how long it took those 1992 Halloween blocks to speak to me! So, I've changed the labeling on my sidebar. I, too, have no more UFO's. Not a single one! I do have quite a few ongoing projects, and some are quite a few years old. That's OK - each will be finished in it's turn. This doesn't mean I'm going to stop my focus on finishing them - it just means I'm thinking of each one as an opportunity instead of a liability!