Wip Wednesday--At Least Some Progress

I tried really hard to get back to the schedule I have written up for myself on getting projects worked on, but it didn't work very well.

Thursday is set to be any UFO and I decided to get out the hexagon flower table runner that I worked on at the last quilt retreat.
I ended up very frustrated, to say the least.  If you remember, I had already started hand embroidering the blanket stitch around the edges of the flowers since I didn't have a sewing machine with the blanket stitch.
Since my new machine has the stitch, I started sewing the blanket stitch around a flower.  It looked good, so as I sewed (like a dummy) I was stopping to take out the hand embroidery.  Well.....in the end, the stitch was totally whacked out.  It worked fine on my sample cloth, but I am assuming something about going through the layers including the applique paper, didn't work.
UGH!!  As you will see in my photo, hours and hours later I decided to just try a straight stitch around the inside and outside of the flower.  Worked fine on the outside, but even the straight stitch through the layers of the flower didn't work right.  My thread kept breaking  :(
I will plug along with it, but it's put up again for awhile.

Sunday is to be my day to work on rugs.  Saturday instead of getting out hexagons, I chose to try to start yet another rug. (Yes, this would be why not much gets done and I have so many UFO's)  I had looked through a book titled Upcycled T-Shirts that a gal at quilt guild had.  I swore that inside I had seen the idea of making a latch hook rug with t-shit strips instead of the yarn pieces.
It turns out that the idea must have come to me while I was looking at the book, because although there are lots of cool ideas in the book, this wasn't one of them.
I will cut the rest of my strips down to bits before I put this away yet today, but so far it looks like it will be a neat rug.

Monday was our community sewing project day at quilt guild.  I sure thought I was going to get a lot further along on the 2 pink quilt tops I had made.  I only ended up getting the smaller pink one sandwiched and tied.  So, Thursday's will really need to be my day to finish these as they do have to be done by the meeting on February 22 when the agencies that are receiving them will come to our meeting to pick them up.

UFO's:

Rectangle quilt
challenge wall hanging
Hexagon quilt
Emerald Island Fusique table runner
Five and Dime quilt
Brown half square triangle table runner
3 sets of doll blanket, pillows and rug--plus more to sell
Hexagon flower table runner
Wall hanging for quilt guild
yo-yo's that need to be made into projects
black and white rail fence quilt
Arkansas Crossroads scrap quilt
T-shirt latchhook rug
Rainbow colored locker hook rug
T-shirt toothbrush rug

2015 Finishes:

Locker Hook Rug
re-do binding on blue and peach patchwork
9 lined fabric bags
yellow crazy quilt lined bag
Pink hexagon table topper
Blue hexagon table topper
Yo-Yo Table runner
GoodNight Irene quilt/wall hanging
Fractured Pineapple quilt
Charming Stars quilt
Challenge quilt for quilt guild
Autumn wall hanging
18 Hot pad bowls for Christmas gifts

What will be my first 2016 finish?

Here is the Upcycled T-shirt book for anyone else who is interested in making cool things with those t-shirts:



I am linking up with the following blogs:

Making a World of Difference One Quilt at a Time -- Book Review

Making a World of Difference One Quilt at a Time:  Inspiring Stores about Quilters & How They Have Touched Lives is by Ruth McHaney Danner,

Ruth quilts for several charities, most of them going to her quild's community outreach, but some are also featured in her book.
She knows that one quilt can impact the recipient as well as the quilt maker.
Her advice if you are looking for charities to quilt for is to just keep your eyes open.  Needs are everywhere.
She says the greatest joy of making a quilt for charity is thinking of the person it will go to as you are making it.
Her hope for anyone who reads her book is that they will read it to the end, and then get to work.  To find a way to give of themselves to help others.
Ruth wrote this book first of all because she loves quilts.  She's been making them since she was a child and as she's grown older she's realized that her greatest joy is making them to give them away.
She learned how to quilt from her mother and grandmother.  He grandmother quilted out of necessity and her mother for pleasure.
Her favorite aspect of quilting is the hand quilting.  She finds it both calming and therapeutic.


I loved reading this book and the stories.  They touch your heart.  There are 55 stories in all.  Each one ends with what she is calling the Binding Stitch.  This is where you can get more information on the charity and/or the group.

The quilt guild that I belong to does a community project each year.  Each year is a different project and a different charity.  It's not always quilts, although this coming year it is.  It's a wonderful feeling to know that what you are making goes to a good cause and the people receiving will truly be appreciative.  It's also the togetherness of other quilters all working together.
Our guild also constantly makes Quilts of Valor.

I also meet monthly with ladies from my church.  We simply call ourselves the Zion Lutheran sewing club.  We make many quilts that go to the Domestic Violence Center, but we have done lap quilts for the Good Samaritan Home, stuffed animals for First Call for Help, dog beds for the animal shelter, and others.

I have made just blocks that I have sent to several blog owners for quilts they put together for charity.  That one is always fun!  One block  was going into a quilt for cancer research and I was able to personalize it with a note to my dad who died of cancer almost 20 years ago.

This book is such a joy to read.  I love reading inspirational stories.  Even if I wasn't a quilter, I would love this book.  I am sure if I wasn't a quilter, this book alone would prompt me to start quilting, or at least to find a group where I could help out.

Ruth is also the author of What I Learned from God While Quilting.  I have added it to my want to read list.  I am including a link to it as well.



Disclaimer:  I received a copy of the book as well as additional information for the purpose of this review.  I was not compensated in any other way and any opinions are my own.  Post does include affiliate links.