Making My Own Rules

Now that I'm back in sewing mode, I'm trying to stick with my finishing one UFO for each deadline finish. The only quilt I've finished this year is the night fairy quilt for my youngest granddaughter, and technically, it was a UFO, but I'm counting it as a deadline quilt. 

I had cut out 11 placemats back in October, and I never got them finished. No piecing was needed, just quilt and bind, and it was more than I could do. Since I'm making my own rules, I decided to count those placemats as one UFO.

TA-DA! All finished, and there are 11, because there are two of the beach cats in the lower right corner. I have SO many novelty fabrics in my stash from my scrub top making days, and I'm always looking for ways to use them. I back a lot of kids quilts with novelty fabrics, and that's gets rid of the bigger pieces, but it gets trickier as the pieces get smaller. I make kids placemats 12"x18", so a twelve inch WOF piece easily makes one placemat, and I strip the remaining bit for my scrap user system. I do save 6.5 and 4.5 inch novelty squares for I Spy quilts, but I normally don't cut those squares until I'm dealing with scraps. I could probably make two dozen I Spy quilts from what I already have cut! I can whip up an I Spy quilt really fast if I need to, and I have!

Next project on my docket is making towel bibs for Mr. LJ. I routinely check thrift stores for hand towels in good shape. I have nine I purchased a while back that are in boyish colors.

The printed towels are really fast to make up, because I don't bother doing any applique on them. The solids will all end up with something added to make them more fun. I plan to cut the holes and ribbing today, so I can sew them up later this week. Sometimes, if I find a great sale, I'll buy new towels, but honestly, you can find some almost new hand towels at thrift stores really easily, and they cost a lot less. They are just going to be covered in food, so is having a new towel really necessary? Towels make great bibs, wash up great, and the hand towel size is my favorite, because it covers almost the whole baby, protecting their clothes much better. I always use the clean side of the towel to wipe the baby up afterwards, and it just works great!

We've got company coming for a week or so, but after that, and after I get the bibs done, I can start a QUILT!!! It's been so long since I pieced anything, I am beyond excited!