Where did the year go? Back in January, I finished up my Temperature Quilt 2020 top and made plans to piece a backing. I planned to add a temperature/color key to the back. If I paper-pieced one digit each week, I'd easily have the backing done to finish the quilt by the end of 2021. I suspect you can guess where this is going.
There you go. What you see above is all I got done on this project this year. What can I say? My priorities shifted. I've had my most productive quilting year ever, and enjoyed every minute, but this quilt back was not part of that.
At this point, the whole project is sitting in a box on a shelf, sending me reproachful glances every time I grab a different box. It's interfering with my enjoyment of those other projects. Every time I think I should be working on that backing but I don't feel like it, I lose my enthusiasm for the whole project. That's just not right, because I was so excited about this quilt!
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| Temperature Quilt top 2020 |
So, I have decided to simplify my plan. As my very wise daughter pointed out yesterday, it's my quilt. I can change the plan if I want to. Plan changed! I may or may not add a key to the label, but I'm definitely not piecing or appliqueing all those numbers. I'll piece my color strips together to make a quick pretty back and get closer to a finished quilt I can toss on the couch and be happy with again.
I settled on this layout.
Let's see if I can get the backing pieced and the quilt basted by the new year. I almost said finished, but honestly, I really don't want to set this quilt up for more disappointment!
I'd love to hear about any stalled projects you've had, and how you got them moving forward again.
I have a ton of stalled projects--and for various reasons--but mainly because I either lost interest and didn't like how it was looking or I reached a snag!! I have sometimes donated to people who finish these objects for charity giving...at least that made me feel better...
ReplyDeleteAnd I plan to do more of that as I can no longer handle tugging big quilts through my machine...
I hope your Christmas will be Merry and bright...hugs, Julierose
I understand completely how projects get stalled and your daughter was right to encourage you to finish it however you want. Hopefully that will help motivate you to get it done, but if not, well, it will be there whenever you do get motivated to finish it. I like the new plan for the back, too! Have a wonderful Christmas!
ReplyDeleteWhew! Thank goodness, as we now know you are human with that PhD hanging around. Oh how I can relate with how many I have. Something about another shiny object that comes round and distracts me!!! Just a thought ... what about doing some embroidery to get those numbers in place? Merry Christmas ... look forward to seeing where your creativity takes you in 2022!!
ReplyDeleteI, too, pieced a temperature quilt in 2020. Last week, I sewed on the outside border. It took only two hours! This week I’m piecing the back from the leftover fabrics. My goal is to have the backing done before the new year. I’m not sure why I got so stalled with it.
ReplyDeleteLove your temperature quilt. I hope to use that design in a planned scrap quilt.
Martha H.
I like your revised plan for the back! I try really hard to not have stalled projects, if I did start something new the old one would be forgotten until????
ReplyDeleteI used to have a lot of these stored here and there. Guilt and a lack of storage space finally made me tackle these in a variety of ways. Some I donated, some I finished. One I still have ,a JDL design with an inset Mariners compass inside a paper pieced square quilt. Too much money and time invested to trash (yet)!! But it doesn't fit well together. Merry Christmas !
ReplyDeleteI had a revelation this year about my UFOs. I have been trying to follow Quilting Gail's (https://quiltinggail.com/2021/12/23/announcing-phd-in-2022/) guildelines for the last few years for finishing UFOs. But this year, while I was looking at my list, it seems that I have had some of them on my list for 3 years! I list 12 then I draw a line for the new ones. I did complete some of my UFOs but I completed almost all of my new ones (mostly squirrel chasing). So, I decided to refrain from starting anything new until I finish up what I had started. I purpose to finish the existing 12 UFOs before I start on any other UFOs. So far I have resisted any new projects. We'll see.
ReplyDeleteI swear you haven't been working on that quilt that long. My stalled projects are all promised to people - and I hate that they're taking so long. There's some projects I really want to get to, but am not starting them until I finish the others. Not really helping, but I'm making small progress...
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas!
I started that same pattern this year and made it until May. I started every day then once a week, then two weeks- which was WAYYY too many to do at once. Discouraged, I put it away. Maybe I'll bring it out again for 2022 and do a combined COVID temperature quilt! And you are right, it is MY quilt. Go ahead and finish it a you like!
ReplyDeleteI hate when that happens. I love that you have pivoted to get it done. You could put the "key" in the label - easy peasy. Good luck with forging ahead!
ReplyDeleteMy machine has a built in alphabet, which includes numbers. Would it work to embroider the number range onto a strip of the relevant colour? If your machine doesn't, perhaps you know someone who has a machine that does? Just a thought :)
ReplyDelete