The Challenge Picks up Speed

We're nearing the mid-point of our guild's UFO challenge and it certainly picked up speed today with one member completing 12 quilts and another completing 8 quilts.  What's even better are the variety of quilts we have seen - some more recent UFOs and some that have been languishing for years in closets and under beds.  The other interesting thing is that quilters are giving themselves the freedom to do something different than they had originally planned - either by using a quilt block as a medallion, changing the size and layout of the quilt blocks, or using some other creative way of completing their projects.

So...the tally is the Batik team with 63 UFOs completed and the Calicos with 74 completed UFOs.  It's relatively close in numbers but the amazing thing is the total number of UFOs completed to date and the energy around getting some of these projects completed.  This challenge has really stirred things up in a good way. 

Here are just a few of the quilts completed and displayed at May's meeting.

Cathy had two different Christmas themed quilts.  She had made one into a beautiful table topper and was going to use this block on the back but liked it so well it became a quilt all its own.  The center ribbon square was one she received from a block exchange - but whose block it was remains a mystery.

Ruthanna's Sunbonnet Sue.  The quilt top was one she purchased from the auction of Judy McClure's quilting related items a few years ago.  Ruthanna hand quilted this - didn't take too long, she said!  Beautifully done, too.

Jan had these two quilts - very pleasing to look at.  What made these particularly interesting were the beads she had incorporated as she was doing the hand quilting on them.

Kay (she moved - sorry she's so blurry) finally completed this quilt that had been laying over the back of her couch for a few years.  Beautiful piecing and wonderful hand quilting.

June with her daugher, Valeri.  June has this wonderful quilt and Valeri's holding a picture of their cat on the quilt.  Valerie claims she'd get more quilting done if it snowed in Texas!

Another of June's quilts - for the wall above another daughter's bed.  What a wonderful gift.

Joyce completed several quilts that will make their way to the Quilts of Valor program.  Joyce prefers to make up her own patterns.  Look at the sawtooth border - isn't it wonderful?

Alice completed this quilt.  What a wonderful variety of stars in the quilt.  She pointed out that she ran out of the blue fabric for the sawtooth border so substituted some of the maroon fabric randomly.  What a great way to turn a potential problem into a nice design solution.

Lena (she's standing to the right outside of the picture)  used this gorgeous Lone Star quilt for practice machine quilting.  She echo quilted inside the diamond shapes.  The corners have a variety of quilting designs that she freehanded.  While she says some of the corner shapes are better than others, it all adds up to a striking quilt.

 

Rosemary actually completed two quilts using this 9 patch design that makes an Irish Chain.  What a pleasing color palette.  Rosemary's quilting is just beautiful, as well.

Another of Rosemary's quilts.  The colors in the border are picked up in the various blocks in the body of the quilt.  This was a half square triangle exercise.  The gold colored cornerstones also add a punch to the quilt.  Rosemary had apparently started with those being all black but realized it needed something to add that zing.

Heifers on the hill - a fun quilt.  Rosemary shared the story of her daughter being given directions to her grandfather's (I think) home in the country that included turning when she reached the heifers on the hill.  The year the heifers weren't there resulted in a wrong turn.

This was just a small sampling of the quilts displayed.  Congratulations to those who have completed so many UFOs.  And for the rest of us, including me, we need to get sewing.

Cheers!
Margaret