"Buttons and patches and the cold wind blowing,
The days pass quickly when I am sewing"
~Author Unknown

Friday, June 1, 2012

Of strawberries and stacks of projects.....

Back in April, Bep and I had our SAL day and finished our strawberry pincushions. These are pincushions that are specifically made for our quilting.
We sewed the strawberry shape and stuffed them. We added a crown made of wool felt cut to look as real as I could make it. We first pierced a kebab stick (Jos cut these to the size of a spool of thread for us) through the felt and well into the strawberry filling before tacking the crown here and there to the strawberry. The results is a pincushion which stands in the spool ready to hold any needles and pins as you quilt.


Our lunch theme this time was a typical Dutch sandwich (Bep made a "broodje gezond" which is tomato, cucumber, lettuce, boiled egg and cheese on a brown roll) and a typical American sandwich (I made a chicken club sandwich on ciabatta bread). We had our SAL day at Bep's this time due to the weather as she would have to bike to my house in the rain. Unfortunately, we had no SAL day in May since she is away on vacation. I missed our day as we have a fun new project to start on once again!


As you can see, I really do use my strawberry when I sit down to quilt. I am working this weekend on hand quilting a doll quilt. It is nice to be able to park my needle and know where I put it. *wink*


It has been a busy week sorting through UFOs in my quilt studio. I have been grouping them together according to stitching, quilting or finishing UFOs. I added a number to my list for my UFO challenge. It is time to get back on track with them instead of any new starts. And since I have just bought three fabulous charts from The Primitive Hare, I will have to cross off at least three UFOs quickly to be able to start on them. I finished one today and will share it in the next blog post.


It is hitting home that we are already into June and I did not keep my goal up of 2 UFOs a month. To date, I have completed 14 things this year but only 7 of them are from my UFO list. It is not easy to only work on UFOs so I am now going to be thrilled if I can keep one a month as a finish. Many of my projects just cannot be finished so quickly. I have had two people comment recently that my quilt studio is looking more bare so I know it is working to focus on these stacks.

Anyone else doing well with working through their UFOs this year? Do you find listing them and working through that list helps. Or do you just pick up what you feel like it? Or...shock---horror...do you not have any UFOs? *grins*

26 comments:

Catherine said...

Love your strawberries!! So cute! Your sandwiches look really yummy, guess I should start thinking about dinner.
I feel like I am so far behind in the things I wanted to stitch this year. I don't know if I will be able to catch up or not!

Anonymous said...

Adorable strawberries Heidi. You think you feel behind...you should see my own project pile. I think the problem is the list just gets longer and longer because of so many pretty projects out there. I stop to start one and then here comes another even better...sigh. How are you feeling?

Rhonda said...

I have several UFOs including one string patchwork top, that will get tied and be a joint June birthday gift for Nina and John.

Your sandwiches looks delicious, I would like the Dutch one. I never thought to just put sliced eggs on a sandwich, much quicker than making egg salad.

I have lots of supplies, not that many UFOs. now if my mom reads this, she really has lots of projects! enough to keep us both busy for a long long time! She has good taste, so they are good projects too

Anneke said...

you must be joking: no UFO's! I hadn't set any goals in that direction, but I am busy with finishing some UFO's, just because they're bothering me.

Love the look of the doll quilt. And I would be thrilled by finishing 1 UFO a month too. :-)

Jenny said...

Heidi, Your strawberries are just adorable! I absolutely love them. Your doll quilt looks precious and the sandwiches look simply delicious. What a fun SAL day you two had. I am so behind on my stitching this year but some years are just like that and so I just go at my own pace and enjoy whatever it is I am working on. My UFO's are waiting patiently and new projects are there waiting to be started...then again my yarn seems to be calling me to make granny squares....Anyway here is a hug from CA. and I hope you are feeling okay!

Deborah said...

Those strawberries are the cutest. Great job on them. Lunch looked great. I don't really have any ufo's but I don't seem to be getting as many finishes as usual. Life just gets in the way.

Anonymous said...

The strawberries are so precious but I really love the doll quilt. The colors are stunning. Don't feel bad about your UFOs. I think you are doing great. It's just so tempting to start something new. I have finished 2 UFOs in May plus a few new things. If I start something new, my plan is to keep it from becoming a UFO-that's the plan :)! Take care, Heidi!

Cindy's Stitching said...

The strawberries are adorable. really cute. that sandwich looks yummy.

Littlebit said...

I love your strawberries and your quilt! I used to worry about having so many UFOs, but now I say, if it is in my possession, I may as well start it! Lol! How's that for justification? And I get to see everything that is on Paulette's drawing board, so my mental list is...well, lets just say I need a couple of more lifetimes.

Ginny said...

Those strawberries look almost good enough to eat! What a great idea to put the stick inside it!

Your doll quilt is lovely. I really like the colors you chose for it.

I would like to finish some of my cross stitch UFOs. I had started to finish one, but got sidetracked by two (new) quickie projects. One is finished, and the other nearly so. Guess it'll be back to UFOs for me. Unless I decide to start on Christmas ornaments!

Lida said...

No Ufo's?? How dare you ask! I have at least twenty or more projects to finish! Cross stitch, stitcheries and quilts, they are all screaming for attention and I am not allowed to make one stitch for at least two weeks more! But I will go on quilting by hand and machine as soon as the doctor allows it!
Lovely strawberries, hugs
Lida

Jantine said...

Great strawberries! You are really focused on finishing, well done!
I have so much UFO's I can't count them ;-0, but I am too on my way to finish some!

Susan in SC said...

Love the strawberries Heidi! Let's not talk about my UFO's which I swear multiply behind my back! Your quilt is very pretty.

Anonymous said...

The broodje gezond is a new combination to me. Sounds great. and the strawberry pincushion looks great.
Lillian
lillianscupboard.wordpress.com

Nancy said...

I think that strawberry is very cute.
Love the little quilt too. I do not keep UFO's, when I start I have to finish or it drives me nuts. lol.
My squaw is my current project and I have so much trouble putting my Nook down that I can hardly stitch. Not doing so bad I guess, I divided it into four sections and I am on section three.
Hope you are having good weather at the cottage.
Love you, Mom

MarianneD said...

Lovely strawberries pin cushions!
I know,it's difficult to work on your UFO's...I started very dedicated but unfortunately I forget all about them...;-)
Have a nice weekend!

Anonymous said...

Love the strawberry pin cushion Heidi and how nice that you get to spend a day with Bepi. I am like your Mum have no UFOs (except SAL's which I don't count for you only get a part a month so can not finish them)

You would love it over here at the moment so many celebrations for our Queen. I am at Battersea park tomorrow and will see the 1000 ships pass by.

Hope you and Jos are well
Love Hazel c (uk)

Christine said...

The strawberries are beautiful.
I don't talk about my UFOs, that way I can pretend they aren't there ;)

Anonymous said...

Wat was het heerlijk de aardbei te maken, lekker samen babbelen en de steekjes kwamen vanzelf.
Op naar het volgende project!!!!

Liefs en huygies, Bep.

Rhonda said...

I like the strawberry pincushions! Those sandwiches looked good, too. :)

Julie said...

Lovely strawberries.
I have 2 UFO projects that have been tucked away for quite a while, they might come back out one day!

Pondside said...

Well done, with the UFOs, even if you haven't met your personal goal...I'm impressed!
The strawberries are adorable!

barbara said...

Everything is so very lovely, Heidi!!

Rowan said...

Your strawberry pincushion is lovely and I'm sure you'll be really glad of it when you are quilting. Most of my UFOs are so old that I've practically forgotten they exist! These days I tend to start something and then finish it before starting anything new. One day I might even delve into that ancient pile and finish one or two of them such as the patchwork doll quilt I was making for my daughter now aged 32:) At this rate my granddaughters will be too old for it as well!

Rowan said...

Your strawberry pincushion is lovely and I'm sure you'll be really glad of it when you are quilting. Most of my UFOs are so old that I've practically forgotten they exist! These days I tend to start something and then finish it before starting anything new. One day I might even delve into that ancient pile and finish one or two of them such as the patchwork doll quilt I was making for my daughter now aged 32:) At this rate my granddaughters will be too old for it as well!

Annie said...

Charming strawberries, delicious sandwiches and beautiful doll quilt ! I'd like to live in Holland to share all this with you. I have UFO. A big quilt almost finished for years !