Y2K/Millennial Quilt Finish

Another UFO bites the dust!



How many of you traded charm squares in 1998-2000 to come up with 2000 charms to make a Y2K quilt?  I traded with a couple of different groups to add to my stash clippings for this quilt.  Originally it was going to be a graph of dieting success (each square equaled a fraction of a pound loss, but I lost interest and it became a UFO.  I decided a year or so ago to sew it up and yesterday I finally took my last stitch in the binding.  Hooray! One less UFO after 20yrs!



I love the back... I don't know why exactly, but my grid is just inviting.  I was so happy that I ended up with no puckering with it.  However, I did end up with a little issue in a corner which is where the label went to cover it up.  The problem?  That's the top of the quilt.  Oh well.



I tried to find a few fun squares to search for to put on the label:

I had to cut my label a bit larger than I normally do because I already had an idea of what I wanted to put on it--giving it an eye spy style.

And this guy does not make it easy to finish bindings!  Every single time I am finishing up a quilt, he will lay down in my lap.  He NEVER comes to lay down in my lap unless there is a quilt in it that I am actively working on.  I think he has an agenda or something :)


A couple of pictures of the 1.5" squares:


I love the fact there's a miracle in the quilt, and I also used some of my mom's stash that I had saved.  The blue stripe fabric in the second photo is one.  Mom made me a blouse from that fabric when I believe I was in 3rd grade.  I'd have to go find my photos to see if that was the shirt I wore.

Did you also make a millennial quilt?

First (almost) Finish of 2019

A few days ago I decided to get quilting on UFO #50.  I had been waiting on the backing fabric to arrive, so when it finally did, I got it together and then the next day got quilting.  I believe this one was started in 1998 and the top was finished around the same time, no pattern that I recall, I just wanted to make a space themed quilt for Justin because he liked space stuff back then.  He never saw the quilt when I was working on it, but I told him about it a year or so ago and he urged me on to finish it :)   Today it's all quilted up, and now I just need a few days to sew down the binding and then send it off to him.


One border was very wavy, but I didn't take it apart to fix that.  I left it alone and just worked with it.  Overall, I think it will be fine and should relax even more in the wash--but it will always have a slight wave.


The charcoal grey, solid blue, and red fabrics all have a glitter finish.  This was back when I loved the sparkly fabrics.  I didn't check my stash to see if I have any of those left, I seem to recall that I also bought a solid green from the same line that was also sparkly.  The hand of those fabrics are pretty stiff.  I hope they soften up after a washing.

And now that my wall is all back together again, here's my Starlit Skies, 24 blocks worth.  This is the halfway point!  There will be a sashing (I think 3") with a star cornerstone (unless I change that part in the pattern).


I'll probably put these back into my project box, I don't anticipate finishing these up very quickly.  I would like to get busy on the new scrappy trips off to the right though.

At least I have been doing some sewing, it's nice to have that desire again.  I think the next quilt I get busy on will be the millennial charm quilt.  I already have a simple idea in mind for the quilting.

Millennial Quilt Top

I finally put together the 2000 squares that were to become my Y2k aka Millennial Quilt.  In 1998/99, many swaps were going on in various email and BB groups to trade fabrics to create a Y2K quilt.  I think I participated in one or two, but the majority of my fabrics came from my stash, my mom's fabrics, and a couple of manufacturers that started putting together charm packs of fabric lines.  Mr B's from Benartex was one that I liked.  Those fabrics were 2" square, so I decided in order to be able to use those fabrics that my squares would be 2".  So my Y2k quilt has 2000 1.5" finished squares.  Because I chose this size, I didn't do too many swaps since the majority were at least 2.5" swapped squares.  Each fabric is a different fabric.  Some have the same design but different colorways.



Right now the quilt is approximately 60x75".  I am planning to add a plain border around all those seams, probably about 3-6" in size.  It was hard taking a picture with my phone (I broke my regular camera!), so just know there are 8 columns of squares on both sides of the 2000.  It is centered--my picture taking skills are not!


Though many of the fabrics aren't the best quality, it was fun to remember some of them as fabrics that were in my mom's stash or others that were inherited from when we moved my grandmother to her assisted living home.  The blue stripe fabric came from Mom, she used that fabric to make me a blouse when I was a teenager!

Adding the 2000 was a last minute thing.  I was nearly halfway through sewing the top when I had an "I wonder if this would work" moment.  If I was planning better, I wouldn't have used the light fabrics all the way to the edges of those 9 rows.  I think it would have been better if it was more of an oval vignette to showcase the year.  But it doesn't bother me enough to remove the fabrics, so it stays.



So next time I post about this quilt, hopefully it will be when it's ready to put in the "DONE" pile :)  When I explained to Kevin why this was a Y2K quilt (both for the year 2000, but also for the 2000 fabrics), his response was... "so we do have a quilt shop in this house?".  No comment!

Hippy Circles: a Finish

Yah! UFO #5 on my list is complete.  I was thinking about gifting it to a friend's daughter, but it is really more of a baby/crib sized quilt.  I will likely hang on to it until the time hits me to gift (likely to a young child/baby).


I started this quilt just to play around with circles, I actually enjoy curved piecing.  I really love the prints and the Cherrywood hand dye solids.  If I hadn't run out of the fabrics I would have made the top larger with the drunkards path blocks.  I considered other fabrics that I had at the time, but nothing really worked.  Either I needed to start another border pattern or end it.  Since this quilt has sat in my ufo bin for years (2008!), I wanted to finish it up... plus it's a fun quilt to look at.


I ran out of my variegated red/yellow and two other spools of red threads in the process, at least I used it up!  It feels good to use up fabrics and threads rather than just watching them sit.


This is one of my Finish-a-Long Goals.  On to my next finish!

Another ufo bites the dust!

#8 WASIQ quilt group first swap from 1998 is now complete!  This one is a part of my Finish-a-Long goals as well.  It feels good to mark another long-waiting quilt to be finished.  This was started so long ago and I would pull it out occasionally just to see if I was ready to quilt it.  Because the sashing isn't really perfect, I would put it back... but I decided this was the year for it to be checked off in the "DONE" column.  The quilting isn't perfect, but this was an example of "passion over perfection".

Washington State Internet Quilters swap #1, 1998:


Can you see the WSU logo and GO COUGS? The quilting is all there, but blowing up the image distorted it a bit.  And btw... I was thinking about this, if kids aren't taught cursive then how will our future quilters be able to do freemotion words?  Or what about cake decorators?  Cursive is the way!


Lots of fun stuff going on; slugs, bears, goldfinch, etc:


Farming, fishing, ferry....


Around 2000 I finished up a quilt from the 2nd WASIQ swap to create a crib quilt for my now-15yo. And to think that I still have so many more blocks left to make more WASIQ swap quilts!


I'm happy to be finished.  Today I worked on the binding while watching season 2 of Broadchurch.  If you like detective/mysteries, this was a good one.  There are just two seasons, and the ending was satisfying.  Seeing David Tennant in his role was great too.  The twists and turns!  Netflix, and get comfy :)

First Finish of 2016

This quilt is a memory quilt of many quilters from a small email list I belong to.  We exchanged blocks for our birthdays in 1998-99 (I think the exchange started in Sept 98, or thereabouts), and I actually had the top put together fairly soon after receiving blocks.  For whatever reason it took me 16 years to make into a quilt and be finished.  I didn't do any fancy quilting, basic stitch in the ditch and a few loops where four light signature sections meet.



This quilt marks the first finish and first Finish-A-Long quilt completed.  I ultimately want to finish at least one UFO a month this year, more would be even better but one a month is a much more doable goal for me.



#24 1998/1999 QFT HST Signatures, checked off the UFO list!

Old Projects: GFG Revisited

I needed to take the boys to dentist appointments today so I decided instead of reading my book on my phone that I would take a hexie project with me.  I haven't touched my hexagons since our trip in May to Las Vegas to visit the older boys and their families and grandkids, so I had forgotten how many hexagons I had left to do on my long-term GFG (started in 2001).  Currently I have 72 made and three more sets ready to go.

I decided to lay out the blocks I have completed and see what I could come up with without having to make paths.... I think I have decided to smoosh them together :)  A quick recap: I have 2 sets of 12, so I need to organize those... and I have several other sets that are of the same fabric too, but I don't think it will be as much of an issue as the two sets of 12.


As it stands, I need to make up 5 more blocks to complete this layout.  For sure (well, as sure as I am until I lay out blocks again....) I will do the pink/blue outside rows, but the insides may change.  I really want to get this quilt finished!


Since I need to come up with two more blocks (I have three blocks prepped currently), I am really hoping that I still have a few hexagons of that yellow in one of my hexie spots.  I seem to recall I prepped more than needed.

Right now I plan to make a border of scrappy background cream or white fabrics--but that could change.  I would like to do something along those lines and then cut a straight edge for binding.

But now I am looking back at my album at flickr.... I kind of like this one too, and now I have more blocks to fill in that design (except I'd move the blue/pinks to match up with the others so that I would make a diamond shape of four same blocks--if that makes sense)


I think I am going to have to lay stuff down on the floor and play again....

Woodwinds; Ocean Waves Quilt

I attended a great retreat last weekend.  I was able to finish quilting one quilt that has been on my UFO list for some time, caught up with my May Bitty Blocks (along with the added flying geese), and I started two new projects. I will post about those items soon, but for today I am posting about the quilted UFO.

Ocean waves quilt called Woodwinds by Stitchin' Post.  I purchased the fabric kit in 2003, finally started putting blocks together in 2013, basted and ready to quilt shortly after... but quilting was finally finished in 2015.  12yrs.  Sigh.  I know I have older UFO's, but it was basted so there was no excuse.  Next up is my Orca Bay.  I have already started it, but I need to decide if I want to stick with my thread choice before I continue (I have one block done, I haven't decided if I like it or not).

So at this point I am working on the binding, and I am about halfway done.  I laid it out on the floor, and bam! The Quilt Inspector came from the other room..... immediately!  How do they know?





I'm going to update this one as done.
Previous post about this project: http://melissadevin.blogspot.com/2014/08/old-post-7312013-finished-quilt-top.html

UFO Progress For February

I finally had the urge to do some sewing today.  I planned to do a few strips on my Navajo Code Talkers quilt, but instead decided to figure out the cutting on the disappearing pinwheels.  Let me be the first to NOT recommend doing that block  It would have been much easier to do it the typical way as this way is not any faster AND everything is bias (meaning the stretch factor is pretty terrible).  I will work my way through this one and never do that method again.



BTW.... we had a delivery of Girl Scout cookies dropped off. Terrible things those are! But so yummy with coffee :)

After cutting 10 blocks (of 20), I had an epiphany of what I wanted to do for a neighbor's 2yo daughter who just had heart surgery.  Kevin suggested balloons or something along those lines a couple of days ago, but it hit me that I had a partial quilt top that I could finish up and it would be perfect for her.  Stretched Star in batiks and hand dyes.  I started it probably 10+ years ago, and originally the plan was it would be a baby quilt for a daughter I hoped we would adopt.  It is a cheerful quilt top.



I love the fabrics.

I wanted a Minkee backing so a trip to Joanns was in order.  I didn't want to overly quilt it since I feel it needs to be soft and comforting, I am pleased with how it turned out.  The outside border has rows of hearts, very appropriate.




I'll deliver it tomorrow or Monday, when she is discharged from the hospital.

When I was preparing the binding, I was a little blinded by both the fabric and nail polish! As I did my nails last night I didn't realize how bright the pink polish really was.  My polish almost works well with the batiks in general, how's that for planning?


Last step is to make a label.  Tomorrow I plan to return to the disappearing pinwheels again and get them off my table before the get all stretched and unusable.

UFO Checking in....

February is a short month, and just yesterday I realized that I haven't been working on any UFO's.  I do have two bed-sized quilt sandwiches ready to go, but I am really not up to working on those.  I think I may pull a smaller wall quilt from the pile and get to work.  I will scroll through my list and choose--but I am sort of thinking about the chicken round robin.  It would make a good center for a larger quilt though.  Decisions.

I have been working more on my new project, Navajo Code Talkers, and at this point I have five more center parts left to do and then it will be sewing strips to finish.

What have I really wanted to do instead?  Gordon explains that well...



He is a puppy of leisure.

Major bedhead:


Such a good boy :)  Anyway.... I am ready to start seeing spring pop up!

A January Finish

Today I finished up something from my UFO list, too bad I didn't finish up more this month but this is one less item in my UFO bin!  Woohoo!  The colors are not totally true in the image, but I think the picture I have of it in the previous post as a top is much closer.  This wallquilt measures about 30" square.



The back:
I like to show backs just because you can see the quilting better.  No fun, scrappy pieced back for this one. I used a piece of Kona muslin that was in a scrap pile along with a perfect sized scrap of batting.



And my youngest sweetie.  For those wondering (since it is "Blue Friday"), he does have a Seahawks shirt on under his OSU sweatshirt.  I know, it's orange like the Broncos, but it is most definitely NOT Broncos fanwear.  Go Seahawks!! :)



#47 on my UFO list is officially finished.

Quilt UFO: "Bluework" Teacups

I came to the realization that I am close to the end of January and I haven't finished a UFO yet.  After sewing a step on the pinwheels for the tulip top, I pulled out a quick-finish top from a container: #47 Tea cup bluework iron on top with Mary Engelbrieght fabrics wallhanging.

It's cute, and it was quick to make up.  I'm not sure why I put it aside and it has been unfinished all these years, but it is currently basted and ready for quilting.  My plan is to finish it up this weekend.  I used to have a great spot in the kitchen to hang these types of quilts, but we added a second china cabinet and I lost my quilt wall.  Perhaps that's why this has been unfinished.

Field of Tulips Quilt

I attached 352 squares along two edges to add some width.  I like how this quilt is coming along, but currently I need to add about 20" more to make it closer to a queen-sized quilt (my goal for this one).  I will be adding a single row of squares along the top and bottom as well (making the length 92"), but I am currently trying to decide what to do about the width.



One thing I am considering is looking through my UFO bins for some blocks that would fit and are of a flower theme to add for width.  Or, I am considering making a single block style (maybe as a 9" block) to put on either side.  I was thinking a traditional block, not too fancy... maybe like a churn dash or something along those lines.  I was also considering some type of pieced flower block as well that could be used.

OR..... What about windmill blocks to give it a more "Dutch" feel? hmmmmmmm....... Now I will have to search for a somewhat simple windmill block that I could do several of without too much difficulty.

This seemingly simple and easy quilt has had a ton of re-do's, undo's, etc... I'm surprised I can still do my math :)

UFO List Project: Easy Strip Tulips

This project is part of #31 and 32 on my UFO list.  #31 was actually two small wall quilt tops (top and bottom sections), and #32 was already quilted (ugly) with a binding attached (middle section).  I ripped it all apart and then reworked all three projects to fit together into one.  At this point I think I am going to add a checkerboard border to add width to the sides, and a not as wide checkerboard along the top and bottom as the length is good for a bed quilt right now.



I painted the blue background fabric probably around 2002/03, and at this point all I have left is a small strip.  The checkerboard will likely have a different blue mixed in and I have some of that green from the tulip stems/leaves left that I will add in as well.

The blue fabric has some sparkly white in it that was suppose to be clouds.  I like that it isn't as heavy as a Fairy Frost fabric, but still has the sparkle.

As normal, I have no plans for this quilt yet, but it will talk to me more as I work my way through it.

My UFO List

I decided that I need to figure out what I am going to do with the unfinished projects I have put aside for various reasons.  So, I made a list while going through two bins.  I am positive I have others, but I am not sure where they would be.  Here's the list:
UFO List
1. Orca Bay: ready to quilt
2. Ocean Waves: ready to quilt
3. Starry Nights top
4. Civil War Sampler top
5. Hippy Circles: top, may need more
6. Snail Trail: square top, may need more
7. Color block star wallhanging: top
8. WASIQ block exchange 1: top
9. WASIQ block exchange blocks: many! 9.5” enough for at least two quilts
10. Christmas scrappy String-X top: top needs length
11. Chicken Round robin: top may need a few borders
12. 12 crown of thorns cat blocks
13. Older (early 1900's) appliqued tulips: top
14. Older (early 1900's) blue Pineapple Cactus: top
15. Ugly Fabric Challenge: blocks
16. Ugly Fabric Challenge wallhanging: top or add to it
17. Misc. orphan blocks: enough for a top, but they don't really go together
18. 4 large blue and yellow 3-D geese blocks
19. Wonky Lone Star: partially together
20. Kuna Mola blocks: 11
21. Amish Ohio Stars: 12, 12” black background
22. QFT Square in Square signature blocks: 19, 5”
23. Friendship stars: 6.5” along with some split rail blocks
24. 1999 QFT HST Signatures: top
25. Disappearing 9 patch: top, may need more
26. Trip Around the Garden/World: top, needs one more round
27. Stars and Stripes Sampler: 1-2 blocks done
28. Grandmother’s Garden, 18 baskets, one flower.  Maybe just finish baskets
29. 17 SWAN swap blocks: 12.5”
30. Small Baskets applique: 12 blocks, 4 finished 7”
31. 2 Tulip wallhangings: top, take apart make 1?
32. Tulip quilt wallhanging: partially quilted, not squared but binding attached. Unquilt add to other tulip wallhangings?
33. QFT Christmas ornaments signature swap:  abt 4.5”
34. WASIQ hatchet block signature swap blocks: abt 4.5”
35. Daniel photo top: kind of ugly, take apart?
36. Tea pot wallhanging: top
37. Satin 1 patch quilt top
38. Blue house wallhanging: top
39. Asian slice and dice wallhanging: top
40. Star/applique border wallhanging: fons and porter I think.  Cute
41. Adoption quilt blocks: top, could add more to make a kid’s quilt
42. Christmas/angels wallhanging: top
43. Partially handquilted Ohio Star wallhanging
44. Hoffman challenge fabric wallhanging: top
45. Pink background, wedding ring: top, either wallhanging or make larger with other blocks
46. Sawtooth Stars, baby quilt size: top
47. Tea cup iron on top with Mary Engelbrieght fabrics wallhanging: top cute
48. Batik Stars?: top, fullsize to queen size
49. Batik WASIQ round robin: top large, full size
50. Outer space: top, kid bed sized
51. Town Square Sampler (Eleanor Burns): top bedsize
52. Baltimore Album Blocks:12” 9 finished, 3 in process
53. Old Glory: one or two appliqued blocks finished
54. Cats in my Garden: one block finished, one started (embroidery)
55. Love is a Work of Heart Applique quilt with Deb, Julie, Nikki: 9 blocks
56. Hexagons, grandmothers flower garden: layout not yet decided, 49 flower blocks

Since making this list, I have taken #31 and 32 and am attempting to work them all into one quilt.  The problem is that I painted the blue fabric I used for the background, and I am out.  I am putting pieces together to try and work it out.  If I get this together, I can edit those two numbers into one and maybe a quick finish.  Of this list, I could probably make quick finishes of at least 6 items.  Some things have just sat in the bins for so long because I wasn't sure if they were done, or like my Jane quilt, I got tired of it.

I will revisit this list every month or so and see if I can't get stuff marked off.  I didn't bother adding some of the junkie stuff I tossed out.  My quilting has sure changed over the years!