NYE Mystery

Well, I wasn't going to start a new project this year, in fact I had made a new years resolution to bare my quilting soul. Kim had asked for everyone to post their New Year's quilting resolutions. So to put the pressure on me, and I do succumb to pressure, I was going to pull out everyone of those UFOs, take a picture of it in its current (dilapidated) state and post it on this web page for the world to see were they to come looking. I was even going to pull out the ribbon projects.

A ribbon project is how I store my twinkle in the eye projects. You know those as the ones you have all the fabric for, pulled together with the pattern and all tied up with a ribbon. They are actually like little guilt presents. If I keep them in a closet, then there is not quite so much guilt but the guilt is there.

If there is a picture, it is much more of a confession/commitment than just a list in the sidebar of ones blog for me. I am taking pictures of these projects today and hope to get the whole ugly confession out there on the world wide web before midnight on New Year's Eve. And to start the story here is my oldest UFO:


I started this one the morning the Columbia space shuttle broke apart. National Public Radio was playing in the background and it took me a moment to realize that they were reporting actual events as they were happening. It was to be a full size quilt but it still needs a row on either side to be wide enough, then borders, quilting and binding. So that is number one.

But back to the tile of this post. I was not going to do another project but Ann Smith on a Yahoo group announced another NYE mystery and I could not resist. I have done a couple of her mysteries before (one of which will show up in the UFO confession I think) and she always does such wonderful projects, stash scrappy friendly and is the most encouraging designer out there in my humble opinion so I am hooked.

I was going to do the queen size, must use stash, must use stash but it called for five plus yards of background fabric. That took me a while to put together. So here is where I started. That Robert Kaufmann print will be my border and I found enough cream fabrics to make the six yards I need for the background. The medium and dark would be that Robyn Pandolph and Moda Marble. Cool, it sounded like a plan. Then I slept on it.

This morning I thought, why not make everything scrappy so I started pulling fabrics, must use stash, and here is what I came up with so it is a go. I have been buying those salmon colored fabrics every time I see them for a couple of years. I love the color and it must be out of fashion in quilting circles because it is hard to find, but as Ann always says, "Of course it will work, it is your quilt."

Today I cut, tomorrow I post pictures of all the UFO's and New Years Eve I add one more to the list unless I can make it all the way through. George, my quilting partner seems to approve. But then he approves of all things quilting. Wish me luck!