The first of the three registered UFOs is almost finished. The only thing left is the embroidered letter B. I’m going to move it to another UFO bin and consider the first bin completed. I think that I know what I want to do with it, but not now.

The first bin was birdhouse blocks that I won from my Maine quilt guild. The decision was to make a wall hanging or add something and make a bed quilt. I decided to make a bed quilt. The blocks were different sizes, so I made cutouts and placed them on graph paper.

The small pieces were moved around until I thought they were where they were supposed to be. I made log cabin strips and sewed them around the blocks. There were ten blocks and as hard as I tried, I could only find the space for nine. The tenth block will be the label on the back.

As I added strips the blocks moved around. Somehow. I was able to contain each block in sashing. The quilt has three borders. The middle border consists of strips of the same fabric as the log cabin pieces. I made several stratas , cut them, and sewed them end to end.

This is a quilt that was designed as I went along. I was amazed to find that I had made a king size quilt out of nine blocks. I’ve been asked the usual question, “Who are you going to give it to?” The answer is “It will go on my bed. ” I no longer go to Maine so my friends will be remembered as I look at it.

I am ahead of schedule to finish three UFOs. This bin was fun to work with. There were several small wall hangings in it. Hopefully the next one will be fun also.

The mystery quilt has been completed for this month. There are 54 of the following. The instructions come on the first Thursday of the month so there is time to make the blocks between sewing other things.

One day this month, I put a little table topper on my dining room table. Everyone who came in commented on it. As I looked at it, I thought – What if I made several blocks like this and made a full-size quilt. When I quilted it, I quilted every seam with a different built in embroidery on my sewing machine.

The mile a minute basket was full of strips so this would be a “free” quilt.

I needed 80 six-inch blocks and 20 3-inch blocks. This block still needs to be trimmed.

The blocks are all completed. It didn’t make a dent in the mile a minute basket. As this quilt will be large, I’ll make it in four quarters and then quilt each quarter. Then, I can sew the four quarters together. It’s the machine embroidery that makes this piece.

Now, it’s time to decide which of the remaining two UFOs to work on. The Cynthia English paper piecing wall hanging or quilting the applique wall hanging. I’m glad that I have until next September to finish them.

Have a great day and happy quilting.

My Maine Guild has a challenge. We are to register up to three ufos and have them finished by next September. That should be easy, but the hard part was choosing the three ufos. I have too many to count.

The first choice is a Cynthia English paper piecing wall hanging. It was started over twenty years ago. Only a small portion is finished. The pieces are so small, it was very stressful to piece it.

The second was a box of birdhouse blocks that I won in a drawing at the Maine Guild. When I opened the box, I found other bird blocks that did not go with the birdhouses. Also, other things that I forgot that I had.

The third is an applique that I designed. It is designed to fit over my sofa in the living room. It is pin basted, ready to quilt. I was deciding whether to hand or machine quilt. The decision is made. My fingers do not work well enough to hand quilt so it will be machine quilted.

This will be an ongoing project with other quilts made in between finishing these. Now, the decision to decide which bin will be the first. The applique needed a lot of planning. The Cynthia English would be stressful, although I’m thinking of a way to piece it without stress. That leaves the birdhouses.

I laid the birdhouse blocks out on the design sheet. If they are pieced together closely, I can have a wall hanging. If I add more piecing, I can have a full-size quilt. At this point, I’m thinking that a full-size quilt would be nice. The other two pieces are wall hanging size. The blocks will be set aside for a while as I work on the other pieces in the craft box.

The two embroidered birds have been pieced separately. They have been quilted and are waiting for the binding and sleeve. When I finish them, I will post the pictures.

These two birds were embroidered on a tan linen.

They have been quilted and are finished.

Somehow, a little teapot got into the mix. It’s about 13 inches by 13 inches. It’s finished.

Several other pieces are quilted and waiting for the binding. As I finish them, I will post pictures.

One of the other things that I found in the bin were three folded star hexagons. One had button on the front and a pin clasp on the back. I don’t remember making them and I don’t have a pattern. I googled the internet and found a YouTube video that showed the technique. It’s easy and all hand sewing. They would make great Christmas ornaments. Before I finish this bin, I’ll make a few.

I also found an elegant embroidery of the initial B. It was done in gold thread on a black background. When I decide what to do with it, I’ll also post it. The black fabric is heavier than quilt fabric so I’m thinking it would make a nice tote bag. I found more than I thought in this bin. I’m glad that I chose this one first.

If I can finish these three ufos before September, I might add some others to the challenge. It would be nice to finish what I’ve started.

Have a great day and happy quilting.