It is finished. The Ugly Quilt was the third quilt in my Maine guild challenge. We were to finish three ufos.

The first one is the Birdhouse Quilt. I had won the blocks several years ago in a block drawing at the Maine guild. I added log cabin sashing to make a queen-size quilt. This is a fun quilt.

The second is Baby Butterflies. I decided to make a smaller version of Basket and Butterflies. It hangs over my sofa in the living room.

The third is the Ugly Quilt. Many, many years ago, I took a class at the Vermont Quilt Festival. We were to take a quilt top and the instructor would tell us how to quilt it. I had stepped out of the usual quilts that I made. I saw a Kaffee Fassett pattern in the Quilters Newsletter magazine. It was unusual. Some of the measurements included 9/16 of an inch. I cut carefully and the quilt went together perfectly. I did not buy Kaffee Fassett fabric, but I did use my fabric that was in the same colors. It was the most colorful quilt that I had ever made.

Others showed their quilts and were received well. When I stood up and revealed mine, the instructor’s face dropped in horror. She obviously didn’t like the quilt. As she talked about it, she told me that one of the blocks was offensive and why didn’t I see it. Later on in the lecture she looked at me and said, “Some quilts should be left on the back of the bus. ” It was not my favorite class. I was miffed. Actually, very hurt and angry. When I got home, the quilt went on the back of a shelf and stayed there for a long time.

After a while, I pulled the quilt out and took out offensive block. I replaced it with a half square triangle. It was named the Ugly Quilt. The quilt is a Mismash of different quilting patterns. I used it to practice new quilting patterns. I had thought that quilting might make the quilt look better, but that didn’t happen.

When I chose the three ufos to finish, this was not one of the original three. The third one was a Cynthia England paper piece wall hanging. When that one proved to be impossible to make, it ended up in the trash and was replaced with the Ugly Quilt. The criteria for the replacement was that it had to be one of the oldest ufos in the sewing room.

All is well that ends well. I do like the quilt now. Several who have seen it also like it. Maybe it needs a new name. I did learn one thing from the class. I learned to encourage the students that came to my class with positive suggestions, not negativity.

Have a great day and happy quilting.

My delay is finished. The baby quilt turned out a little larger than a baby quilt should, but the baby will grow to it.

The Ginny Beyer fabric brought together the blue, gold, and purple. This quilt was a joy to make.

The basting frame is not in the living room anymore. I was able to baste all the ufos that I had put aside for the “plan”. The quilts are stacked on the trundle bed, waiting for quilting. They have one small delay before I start quilting.

The deadline for finishing three ufos is September. I have finished two, the Birdhouse Quilt and Baby Butterflies. Originally, the third was to be the Cat on the Couch, a Cynthia England piece. It was impossible. No matter how often I told myself that it would be enjoyable, it wasn’t. Quilting became a chore to avoid and not enjoy. I finally threw the whole thing in the trash. There are times when you have to stop fussing and get rid of a problem, never to see it again. The criteria for the replacement was that it had to be an old ufo. At least as old as the original third piece. The Ugly Quilt fit the criteria. By my next blog, I will be able to show you the Ugly Quilt and tell you how it got it’s name. It’s a long, sad story., but with a happy ending. I have been quilting on it the past two days and it is fun.

The Temperature Quilt is up to date. July’s strip has been added.

On the days that I can’t find the time to make a flying geese, I send myself an email with the low and high temperatures of the day. When I get around to it, the information is there.

Several days were spent on the deck. The weather has been beautiful. The new awning makes the deck appear like an additional nice room to the house. The books have been great. Lunches have been delicious. Next winter, when the snow flies, I can quilt.

Have a great day and happy quilting.