Time To Regroup

Well it's the end of January and I should be showing my challenge finishes on this post but alas have none to report.  I realize that I need to once again adjust my expectations and figure out what I need to do different to get from here to there. The three weeks I spent on jury duty ended up throwing me for a loop more than I had anticipated and I should have planned better to work around it.  While corresponding recently with another quilter I realized something:  last year, whatever I did get done, happened when I was able to FOCUS on a particular project.  Many quilters choose an operative word for the year, and I think this one needs to be mine.  So here are the project updates:

Myra's PHd Challenge

I had intended to to work on the Denim Blue Lagoon quilt project (see item #1 in this post) for my sons to fulfill the first finish of the PHD projects.  I thought it would help even more to join Brenda's (of the Scraps & Strings blog) new String Thing Along.  However, I still haven't worked with the boys to sit and sew the strings for me, so nothing was done on this one.  So next month will be a new chance to try.

My back-up plan was to finally start quilting the UGRR/Pioneer samplers.  But I was still unsure about how I wanted to quilt them.  I've since had a chance to review my "Quilt Whisperer" coursework from 2010 so I feel a little more confident to start "staring my quilts down" and come up with a plan.  This is why I need to have a plan C for when A and B don't pan out!  Perhaps February will be more productive.

Judy's Patchwork Times 2012 UFO Challenge

Judy's number for January was #5.  My projects were to be to quilt Safari Stars and to make the WAK Triptych.  This is the project I most wanted to get done so I am really surprised I didn't do much work on it.  Again, I wasn't prepared for not having the kind of time I usually have to focus on a project.  I did get the first two borders attached around the fabric photo transfer pictures for the Triptych but that's about it. I think the other issue is that the spots these were supposed to hang in when finished have been temporarily taken up by these:

Maybe after the Superbowl on Sunday, I'll be a little more motivated to try to get back to these and get them done.  Meanwhile, I'm really anxious now about what February's number will be since I already need to do so much catching up.

Chronicles BOM

Some of the fabrics for the last Chronciles BOM kit came in but the main red fabric is still MIA.  However, Homestead Hearth is expecting it in in February, so now it is not nearly as long a wait as it was when we were first told this before Christmas.

NewFOs at Cat Patches

I hadn't planned to participate in this since I have UFOs to attend to.  But it turns out the way to get me back to the machine is to throw a new project at me!  Fortunately the two (!) I chose were minis so it took a quick three days to bring them to the flimsie stage.  The first was a mini Twister in Reproduction fabrics:

You can read more about it here.

*Updated 2/1/12
The second, I can't reveal until tomorrow:  I couldn't resist Lori's new doll quilt-a-long called "Pink Lemonade".  I already have my post made but the reveal is tomorrow so I'll update the link when I post it.

You can read more about it here.  The good news is that when both of these are completely done I can actually check a decorating biggie off my list:  I've wanted to make a few mini quilt projects for display behind my Featherweight machine.  I've been collecting ideas for the last year but these two sparked me enough to get me moving and I am happy about that.

I am looking forward to getting into a better groove in February!