At Long Last…Finishing a Cherished UFO

Good day everyone. Thank you ever so much for stopping by.

I was visiting with a friend the other day. She asked me about my recent projects; she wanted to know what I had been working on. It took me a minute, but I was struck by the realization that I haven’t created anything of value since my son died.

It took a question by a friend for me to realize that fact.

A few months back, I began an owl-themed, pieced and machine embroidered quilt for my daughter who is very fond of the furry, flex-necked, night hooters. I used a fabric collection which I liked. It was called Boho Owls.

So…nice fabric, right? Cute, colourful and a little whimsical. I was particularly drawn to the feature fabric…the teal was so pretty and who didn’t love the purple.

I began making her quilt, combining nine-patch squares with appliqued and/or embroidered blocks. As I worked, I thought, hmmm….it looks okay, I guess. I mean, the colours are good together and the my pattern isn’t bad. Surely, I will like it better when it’s finished. So, I kept stitching and piecing and embroidering.

Quilt top done! I laid it out on the floor and stood back to take inventory. Did the colours really mesh together? Was my pattern actually working? Did I use too much of the deep green fabric? Right then and there, I decided…I really do hate it! I couldn’t stand the sight of it. So, believe it or not, after all the work piecing, machine embroidering and appliquing, I threw the quilt top in the garbage. Kinda shocking, eh? I’ve never done that before.

So, instead of diving back into that empty creative well inside my head, perhaps a better way to go was to finish my one and only UFO (unfinished object). My All About Bears quilt top that is.

I really love the basic pattern. I particularly loved the hand work involved. Each appliqued bear or bear part on the block was outlined with a blanket stitch – using black embroidery floss.

Sashing stitched between blocks, rows stitched to each other. Quilt batt sandwiched between quilt top and flannel backing. Let the free motion, machine quilting begin! That I know I can do.

So this quilt is under my needle and is actually almost complete. It’s going to cover my nine year-old granddaughter’s bed at her home. I feel a tremendous satisfaction in actually moving forward to get this quilt finished. Sometimes, it really is prudent to focus on finishing up the past before moving onto the future. My true hope is that soon, I will be able to create again. It’s likely more time has to pass.

Kim