Infinite New Starts

My plan this year has been to work on UFO's, bust scraps, and make deadline quilts (gifts for occasions). I'm using UFO's for my deadline quilts when I can, and when I can't, I'm allowing those new starts, trying to use stash but even buying new if I need anything.  Other that that, new starts must be scrap based to get my fabric stash where I want it to be. 

I have spent a good portion of 2019 and 2020 working on busting my scraps. My scraps have gone down considerably, but not gone by any means. The thing is, everything I make makes more scraps, so I've realized that  by concentrating on using scraps, I actually have the possibility of infinite new starts! Maybe if I hadn't fallen way behind on using scraps, I wouldn't be here, but I bet a lot of quilters are in the same place. I haven't tackled my strings at all, I still have three sizes of strips to use, and I have ongoing leader/ender projects with smaller squares. 

My biggest current project is making quilts from my late sister's clothes, and I'm saving the scraps for right now in case I miscounted. When I'm done I'll be tossing all the clothing scraps, so at least that won't add to my scrap stash. Well, if I have any denim left I'll probably add it to my denim stash, so maybe a small addition...

In this pic I have the pieces for two rag quilt from her shirts, which I haven't started sewing at all. I finished all the pieced blocks for her husbands quilt, and that's the pile in front. I'll be getting that onto the design wall as soon as I have a chance. 

The last quilt that was on the design wall is now a completed top, and it's hanging in the quilt closet. I love it when I get to make a quilt that is all scraps, with no yardage used at all. 

I made a couple doll quilt tops this week too. The HST's in the bright colored top were bonus HST's from a quilt I made about 8 years ago! For some reason they didn't get put where I normally put bonus HST's, so when I found them earlier this week, I whipped them up into a doll quilt. Christmas will be here before I know it, and I have a couple granddaughters that could use a doll quilt. The green/purple/white doll quilt came about because when I was cutting my big scrap squares that were languishing into smaller squares I use on a regular basis, I realized I had a lot of squares in those two fabrics. They matched pretty well, so I took them to my studio cutter, used the QST die, and cut these blocks in nothing flat. 

I had a bunch of black larger squares as well, and I combined them with a couple charm packs I had hanging around, and I'll get a baby quilt out of it. I've already got that quilt into rows, but I'll put up a pic when I've got the top done. 

I was supposed to be working on the giraffe baby quilt this week, which I didn't work on at all! The mess in my sewing room hit critical mass for me, and I couldn't stand it anymore. I had too much stuff out, so I put several projects away. I sewed up what I could, which resulted in the above quilt tops, plus the one I didn't show that's in rows. The giraffe baby quilt has all the pieces on a nice tray now, and the quilts from my sister's clothes are still out but at least they are piled more neatly now. Once I get the baby quilt finished those quilts are my next priority.

I can only stand so much mess before it completely derails my progress. I always work on multiple quilts at once, so I'm used to that, but I probably had 15 projects in view, and some of those I likely won't work on again until 2021. It was time for a clean up. My favorite way to clean my sewing room is to finish projects, or at least get them to quilt top stage and hang them in the walk in closet. With Christmas ideas in the back of my head, I knew so much of what was out wouldn't realistically get worked on anytime soon, so I feel better having put some projects away, even knowing they'll be UFO's. 

It was a good time for a clean up, because I won't be sewing the next few days. Tomorrow morning I need to go get a new cell phone. Mine is four years old and can't hold a charge. I even tried a new battery, but it's not much better. It's just time to bite the bullet and get a new one. I already ordered it, I just have to go pick it up and have the data transferred. 

Tomorrow afternoon I'll get one of my grandsons, who is 1, and a granddog for the whole weekend! I'll be having fun playing Nana all weekend, but won't be sewing, and my guess is I'll need Monday to recuperate, so I doubt I'll be back in the sewing room until Tuesday. I have a few little things I could do upstairs after the little one is in bed, IF I have the energy to do any of that. I'm not going to pressure myself, I'd rather just enjoy my weekend with the little guy!