What Am I Working On?

I'm sure this list is a rather dynamic one and the topic itself is definitely not limited to the projects shown here.  And, as a general rule, they likely should have been finished ages ago, but I am sticking with the "better late than never" motto.

Due to my recent "studio" do-over, I am now more aware of the projects I have that need to be finished.  Thankfully, they are all still ones that I love and actually want to complete.  I'm sure if I dug deep enough though, there would be some in a Rubbermaid bin somewhere that would deserve the phrase, "What was I thinking!?".
 

Currently, I am trying to fight my binding-blues.  It is the very last part of the quilt making process (besides the label I suppose), and I hate doing it.  I even have ladies offer to do it for me.  If I sew the binding on, they will complete the hand stitching.  Still no beans.  These two projects (Jo Morton patterns and Civil War fabrics) have been in various stages of complete for a while about 2 years (ACK! There, I said it!).  Yes, the binding just has to be completed.  The plan is to take these with me on a brief trip to Kelowna that is coming up very soon.  Cross your fingers they will be done when I get back!

This pretty stars project has been complete in my mind for some time now.  It is a challenge quilt pattern from Kathleen Tracy's Yahoo Group, "Small Quilt Talk".  The problem is, there used to be several more blocks.  Did they vanish into quilter's cyber-space?  Did they get damaged and I had to throw them away?  Where exactly did they go.  Well, you see I was reading this post over at Lizzie's blog and my heart sank when I heard about a recent (and ongoing) tragedy that has affected her life.  She is making a comfort quilt for a dear friend who is dying and was asking for donations. 

"Sure!" I said, thinking I had a few strays to send along.  Well, once I started looking for the strays, I remembered that they had already been donated to another cause.  So, the next best thing was to steal some pretty star blocks from this quilt and send them to a new home.  Since then, the original design has changed quite a bit, and I have had to adlib to come up with something just as lovely.  When it's finally finished it will be called "Sue's Stars" in honour of Lizzie's friend and the friendships we all cherish and hold dear.

This fall leaf is a part of a block swap I am participating in.  I need to make 34 of them, send them off to the swap hostess, and then in return, I get 34 back, but all different from the other participants.  I'm rather excited about it since fall is my favourite time of year and I have yet to complete a fall quilt for display in my home.  My stack will be completed tomorrow (Tuesday 28th) so I can mail them away for arrival on time in the USA at their destination.  I have all the individual pieces finished, I just need to trim the HSTs (half square triangles) before I can add them to each block.

This little number is made out of 1.5" squares from my scraps jar.  I save pieces in my scrap basket and then when I have enough time to spare steal (OK, stop laughing,), I cut them into 1.5" squares, and 1" strips.  At various time I save other sizes too, but just these two for now.  This project is being finished as leaders and enders to the various other quilty things being sewn over the summer (and now fall).  Every time I would have needed to cut my thread to start again, I sew the seam between two little squares instead (in the chain piecing fashion), and then I can detach the piece I would have otherwise had to cut my thread for.  And little by little my little postage stamp quilt gets a little more complete!

And then I have Mount Dosomethingwithit.  Every time there is a piece of fabric pulled out of somewhere, a new purchase is made, backing fabric is bought, or fat quarters just fall out of nowhere (too bad the fat quarters stored on my hiney can't just fall off!!), I have been a bad girl and just added them to this Rubbermaid bin.  Yes, there is actually a Rubbermaid bin under there!  However, here inlies the problem...  That spare stolen time, it seems to get used for more important things like piecing and pressing than putting away!  So I am now counting Mount Dosomethingwithit as a part of my "works in progress" (WIPs) since technically who knows what treasures I'll find in there!  In fact, that nice light brown/beige woven plaid in the front of the bin is a quilt that needs to have the quilting finished on it!

So, now on to other things.  Unfortunately I don't think I will have any spare stolen time until tomorrow.  I had better work fast though, I need to pack the van for our Kelowna roadtrip too!

Happy stitching!