Posts Tagged ‘UFO’

I forgot to remember.

Written by Diane Harris on March 8, 2022. Posted in Blog, How-tos and Ideas, Quilt Lifestyle

While I was traveling last month, a book arrived in the mail. According to the invoice, I ordered it while I was away from home.

It’s a great book full of intriguing quilts.

But I don’t remember why I bought it.

I keep paging through as if that will remind me but so far, no luck.

Then there are these strips, about 500 of them, cut 1-1/4″ x 4-1/2″.

They’re all stacked neatly together as if for a project. But I have no recollection of what it was. A few of the strips are narrower and a few are shorter. Was I just careless or was there a reason?

No idea.

And then I have these brand-new rolls of 2-1/2″ strips from Robert Kaufman. Why did I buy them?

One is greys and grids by Carolyn Friedlander and the other is beautiful neutral solids.

They really are lovely but I have no hint of what I planned to make with them.

Do any of these look familiar to you? Maybe someone else will recognize what I cannot recall. 😳

Quilt on,

UFO Clinic for Quilters

Written by Diane Harris on March 3, 2021. Posted in Blog, Classes, How-tos and Ideas, Inspiration, Quilt Lifestyle

I had an idea the other day and I decided to go for it! I’ve hosted a UFO workshop many times in person but I wondered about doing it virtually. I think it will work!

You’re invited to join me

Join me for an informal two-hour session and get help with a UFO (that’s quilt talk for UnFinished Object) that has you stalled.

About this Event

I’ve helped scores of quilters regain momentum to finish UFOs and get their sew-jo back. Whatever the problem is, I can help you figure it out and start moving toward completion.

Maybe it was ugly fabrics or a technique you didn’t understand. Perhaps the instructions were unclear or the method was too difficult—or maybe you just need a cheerleader to urge you forward.

I’ll be happy to do what it takes to move your UFO into the finished pile.

I’m in! Take me to registration.

A 10 person class will make it possible to help everyone. I will ask for your patience as I work out a system.

I can’t wait to tackle your UFO together!

Click here to register.

This session is an experiment and is priced accordingly. Future sessions may be priced differently.

The Katy Coleman Miracle: Part 2

Written by Diane Harris on October 31, 2020. Posted in Blog, How-tos and Ideas, Inspiration, Quilt Lifestyle

If you missed Part 1 of the Katy Coleman Miracle Quilt, catch up now.

I promised my thoughts about Katy’s finish.

To say that I was overwhelmed when I opened the box Katy sent me would be an understatement. I was floored.

I wasn’t expecting her to spend this much time on my rejects! I greatly admire her spirit of adventure and her willingness to invest.

I love the details. Aren’t those trees wonderful? And I loved hearing about Katy’s thought process (see the first post). She has harnessed the power of letting the work guide you. She’s an artist.

I’m a grandma too, so I can imagine how much fun it would be to collaborate on a project like this with a grandchild.

I’ve enjoyed the quilt for several months, but now it’s time to send it back to its forever home with Katy and company.

Thank you, Katy Baatz Coleman, for jumping in wholeheartedly and for adding so much creative joy to the world around you!

Quilt on,

Quilts in the Doghouse

Written by Diane Harris on April 18, 2020. Posted in How-tos and Ideas, Quilt Lifestyle, Trunk Shows

I’m not going to talk about the pandemic. We’re all frustrated. So…

Let’s Talk Quilts.

I’ve been finishing up some things the past few weeks. I have a lot of UFOs squirreled away in closets and cupboards and it would feel great to be done with them. And, BONUS, some of them can go into trunk shows! I have extra time because my engagements with guilds have been cancelled for April, May and June.

Two quilts I finished this week gave me pause. One was My Christmas Album, above. It’s a great design by Tina Curran with fusible applique and a border of Christmas sweaters. But when I took the final stitch, I didn’t feel anything good. I felt all manner of royally ticked off.

President’s Blocks, Part 3

Written by Diane Harris on January 30, 2020. Posted in Blog, How-tos and Ideas, Quilt Lifestyle, Trunk Shows

Hello and welcome to Stash Bandit! I’m Diane Harris and it’s nice to have you here.

I’ve been telling the story of some blocks I received in the late ’80s.

Read Part 1.

Read Part 2.

This takes us up to The Rest of the Story, in the words of Paul Harvey.

When the quilt top was finished, I still had the other half of the Nine Patches left over. It seemed a shame to throw them away.

All of those fabrics had been cut into patches for me. The stitches had been taken for me. The blocks had been gifted to me. I just couldn’t pitch them.

I brainstormed for what to do. Making another quilt wasn’t sensible, but using them in this quilt was. I toyed with creating a border but decided to sew the halves together into wonky Nine Patches.

Only one of these has a signature. It belongs to Lorena, my renegade friend who had to sign one name in each white patch, of course. Two of her names are on the quilt front and two landed here, on what will become the back. (If you knew Lorena, you’re laughing.)

For the quilt back, I set the new wonky Nine Patches into columns with scrappy pink setting triangles and sewed the columns together. Lengths of two more pink prints went down each side to make it big enough. And now we are ready to quilt.

While this is no masterpiece, I had so much fun making it! It brought back memories of so many people and our happy times together. There’s even a block from one person whom I didn’t really care for, but I’m glad she’s on the quilt. Funny how time softens the edges.

These blocks have stayed with me for around 32 years as a UFO of sorts and as soon as the quilting is done, they’ll be an FO instead! What a victory! I guess it’s never too late.

In case you’re wondering, these are the names found on the quilt.

Kathleen Ernesti, Donna Rector, Ellen Boyle, Gloria Nelsen, Penny White, Velesta Halbur, Sandra Renli, Wilma Amen, BJS, Doris Volk, Joyce Pick, Shirley Anderson, Maxine Kraemaer, Sue Sindelar, Sandy Eckert, Inger Hansen, Lavonne Hornik, Mattie Niewohner, Daytime Friendship Quilters, Mary Goetsch, Lila Brown, Marilynn Heller, Julie Deering, Carol Monk, Elsie Acklie, Joan Waldman, Lorena Edna Marie Kouba, Peggy Haas, Genelle Trowbridge, Shirley Hassler. There’s an unsigned block from Sherry Stuifbergen.

I can’t wait to reimagine another long-stored project, but right now I have my mind on Dresden Plate quilts. My next two programs will feature my Dresden collection and I want to have some new things to show. All of that upcoming. Until then, keep on scrappin’!

I’m a quilter who loves everything about the process and I enjoy sharing it with others. My energetic trunk shows are lively entertainment for your quilt guild. I’d love to come to your city so give me a call and Let’s Talk Quilts!

President’s Blocks, Part 2

Written by Diane Harris on January 26, 2020. Posted in Blog, How-tos and Ideas, Quilt Lifestyle, Trunk Shows

In case you missed Part 1, you’ll want to catch up by reading President’s Blocks, 32 Years Late. I have an idea for reinventing blocks I received from guild members more than 30 years ago.

The blocks are 9″ (give or take) Nine Patches in ’90s blues and muslin, with signatures in ink or embroidery. I have about 40. I’ve decided to create blocks like the one above by slicing the Nine Patches 1/4″ to the side of the diagonal center and joining them with a big red triangle.

President’s Blocks, 32 Years Late

Written by Diane Harris on January 23, 2020. Posted in Blog, How-tos and Ideas, Quilt Lifestyle, Trunk Shows

I was president of a quilt guild in Norfolk, Nebraska for two years in the late ’80s. We were babies then—as women, as quilters and as a group. But we did figure out that it’s nice to do something for the president at the end of her term.

I’m not sure why I thought muslin and blue Nine Patches would be attractive, but that’s what I requested when the members offered to make me “President’s blocks.”

UFO Bonanza: One Down, Many to Go

Written by Diane Harris on December 28, 2019. Posted in Blog, How-tos and Ideas, Quilt Lifestyle

I’ve continued sorting my UFOs and there are several I am really excited about. A couple of ideas have evolved along the way. (If you’re not a quilter, a UFO is what we call an UnFinished Object. It’s a project you started but didn’t complete.) Here are the takeaways so far.

It will be more interesting, more challenging and more fun if I finish these projects creatively. In other words, they won’t necessarily look as they might have five or 10 years ago. Blocks, borders and units may be put into other quilts entirely! This gets me jazzed in a big way!
If I work on UFOs all year, I can create a new program for guilds with the finishes. How much fun would that be?! I need to come up with a catchy title. The working title is A Year of UFOs, but that’s not clever enough. If you think of something, please let me know!