It's September!
Well, we made it to September. I don't understand why I feel like "[sigh] it's finally September" and "yikes, it's September already" at the same time. Anyone else feel this way? Time is standing still and moving forward simultaneously. At home, I don't have a sense of what other people are doing and how they are handling these times. The internet is only marginally helpful.
The odd thing I miss, and it's not something I did all the time, is sitting in a coffee shop, writing, and watching the world go by. My thought this year had been to make that a bit of a habit. To get out of the house and see people. COVID-19 squashed that idea. I've found plenty of other things to keep me busy, like the stack of blocks from the 100 day Challenge. Still, I long to be out in the world among the peeps.
Quilting and Motivation
Some more about motivation. If you'd like to read long, get The Motivation Myth by Jeff Haden. I've been pondering what he said regarding why the traditional methods of working on goals don't work. He mentions this idea that motivation doesn't come from will power. It comes from the good feeling we get from accomplishing the tasks that move us toward our goal, the process.
Most quilters I know like some parts of making a quilt, but I love all the parts to the process. From selecting the fabrics, I LOVE fabric shopping. To taking that last stitch that finishes the binding. I love all the parts of quilting. Still, I have an unacceptable number of UFOs (Unfinished Projects).
You Have to Try Something New to Learn
While mom said, "practice makes perfect" and yes, she was a perfectionist. Dad said, "you have to try something new to learn". I think he was making the point that all learning comes from doing things we haven't done before. With that in mind, I've decided to take a different approach with my quilting UFOs.
I've decided to do "one thing" a day on one of my UFOs. Not necessarily a big thing. Sometimes maybe just one seam or one part, but at least one thing. With this thought in mind, I've selected my "Black Cherries" wall hanging. This one has been hanging around since the late 1990s, well, maybe early 2000s, but even then, it's 20ish years. Time to get-er done.
Today, I got the box out of the closet. Hey, I said one thing.
Warm for Winter
Just in time for winter, I finished up Helen's flannel Northwoods quilt. Whenever I talk to her about this quilt she always says "Oh that one" like she doesn't really like it and it was a bother to create.
Oh Helen. I love this one. The flannels are the softest flannels I've ever touched. They aren't cheap thin flannels either. They are dense and soft like velvet. I'm sure whoever receives this quilt from Helen will love snuggling up under it on cold winter days.
I selected an E2E (edge to edge) pattern called "Northwoods" by Kay Oft. The design features pine trees, moose, and bears. Very fitting for this "Northwoods" themed quilt.
#The100DayProjectMysteryQuilt
Looks like we made it…Ha! Now you have Barry Manilow in your head. Today is Day 100 of The 100 Day Project Mystery Quilt. The last block is By Chance. This is a 3" block.
The placement of the triangles and squares in this block create a secondary square on-point, by chance ?
By Chance, Marsha McCloskey, Marsha McCloskey's Block Party, 1998
I've enjoyed making all of the blocks for this project. Next up, I'll start figuring out what to do with 100 blocks. Yes, I do have a pattern idea for making a queen-size quilt however, if you've been making only some of the blocks you may not want to make a big quilt. So, I'll be sharing some short projects to make with just a few of the blocks in October. In the meantime, get started or make a few more blocks!
How do you get your UFOs to done?
Until next time,