Joy in the New Year

I joined the Joy in the New Year challenge at http://tallgrassprairiestudio.blogspot.com/ in the hopes of finishing up some UFO's. I committed to 3, and got 2 done (kind-of). The one that took hundreds, perhaps thousands of hours is the Coral Reef Quilt. I had gotten to the point that every time I work on it, one song went through my mind over and over..."this is the quilt that never ends, it just goes on and on my friend". I managed to get the binding on by the deadline and was happily admiring the finished product, when I discovered one section of fish that weren't quilted. Drat! I'm still considering it done in 2009 and will have time to finish the missing sections during today's football games.

The second challenge that I consider done is Whitney's purple quilt that she started a couple years ago. It has been sandwiched with batting and ready to quilt, but she hasn't had the time or inclination to finish. Again, not technically finished as I need to help with binding, but getting a teen ager to do anything over Christmas break counts as a completed project.

The 3rd project I'd hoped to finish was an original design, Tetons National Park block. The individual petals of the lupine slowed down the progress originally. Did get many done. Unfortunately, I also decided to re-do the Lupine leaves as I think the way I did them made them look too thin. Knowing that I didn't have time for the fix and the finish, I didn't work much on this project.

I have grand quilting goals for 2010 including 8 that have a July deadline, so I can give them out at one of 2 family gatherings. I also have 4 more quilts I hope to finish by the end of the year, but don't have to be done by July. Several of these are surprises in that either the recipient doesn't know it's coming, or they know they are getting a quilt, but not what the design is. Pardon the cryptic nature of the list.

Persian Rug Quilt (original design): Machine Pieced, Machine quilted (long-arm) - Done

Rays of Sunshine (zig-zag, Crazy Mom Quilts): Machine Pieced, Machine quilted - Done

Double Irish Chain (traditional, scrap): Machine Pieced, Machine quilted - front & back pieced

Aspens (adapted from stained glass pattern by Shannon & Torlen): Raw Edge applique, machine quilted (long-arm) - design phase

Garden of Stiches (Lisa Bongean); Hand Appliqued, machine pieced, hand quilted - 1/4 quilted

Fall Colors (orginal design): Machine Pieced, Machine quilted - designed

Kaleidescope Hexes (adapted from multiple sources): Machine Pieced, machine quilted - continually redesigning

Joseph's Coat (Don't Look Now): Hand applique, hand quilted, pieced back - 1/2 applique done

2 English Piecing projects in fushia, lime based on historical patterns : Ellen Ross, c1880, Michigan State University Museum ; ?Taylor, c 1876-1900, Kentucky

Fremont Petroglyph Hunters - applique - researching

Ponderosa Pines - machine pieced, machine quilted - designed

Plains Indians beadwork - researching

Oh, and there's the Monet quilt that I have most of the fabric for, but am making for my own entertainment, so it doesn't have a place on the list, except perhaps as a reward when I get the July deadline quilts done.