Ami_Quilts (sewingupasto) said:

I did really well last year and finished 10 of my quilting projects.........not too bad. Two of them were not UFO's but started last year as well ......

Wow, Ami, that's really terrific!!  Not too bad, indeed!  That's almost one a month, a heroic accomplishment when you sit there and think about it.

Also, your idea of "moving along things" that you know you have totally lost interest in is excellent.

I call it "having an honest conversation" with yourself where you say "Self, why are you keeping this large bag of blue and green HSTs that you've had since 2003?" and Self answers back "Because I worked so hard to make them" and you answer back "Shut up, Self" and put that batch of blocks in the donation bag.

IMHO these are times when it is perfectly OK to talk to yourself.

Holding myself up as a shining example of organization , I have taken the pages I've printed out from Marcia's Quilter's Cache and slipped them into page organizers and those organizers are on a long clipboard on my sewing table.  Don't want to have them get lost on the sewing table so they stay clipped on that clipboard until I'm ready for the next one. 

I'm not working on these blocks in any particular order ... just as the fancy strikes me. The whole idea behind this weird quilt is that it is a fun project, not drudgery.

I have a special fabric on the way from Etsy. Not sure how I am going to use it but it represents a part time job I had for many years while I was a stay-at-home-mom, a job that helped me keep my sanity.

Monday and yesterday I was at two huge big quilt shops the first one was in Fayetteville Arkansas I was at Marshalls dry good and it was in a huge Warehouse I have not seen so much material in one place as I did that day then yesterday I'm in Columbia Missouri we went up to Hamilton Missouri where Missouri Star Quilt is I think she has like six or seven stores you just go in and out together in and out together and why don't the stores has also a second floor and it covers the two stores down I don't know where Gina gets all her ideas but it's very neat and clever the way she has everything all set up each store has their own music that they is recorded to their own radio station it is so neat the way everything is all set up I was so tired last night I went to bed at 8 I could not stand it no more I walked so much I had a great time today I'm going to meet some bunch of ladies for lunch that I used to have lunch with every Wednesday when I lived here in Columbia and then I'm just going to drive around and see what Columbia has built since I've left it will be 18 years January from Columbia to Tucson Arizona I cannot believe I've been gone that much anyways everybody have a blessed day and love you all

I want to go to Missouri Star quilts someday. Sounds like you are having a wonderful time. 

We are heading back to Colorado tomorrow. The Rockies got dumped with snow the past few days and we are going to take advantage of it and go skiing.

You and your hubby have fun skiing

Love your stories and your blocks.  

Because I had to take time from sewing with my shoulder surgery, I plan to keep the ox in front of my machine even if it isn't the year of the ox so I can get more of these projects completed.  I have several now that just need me to finish the hand sewing part of the binding as I have had them quilted by Carrie.  She has 2 more to do at her leisure.  They have been hanging in my closet for years.  I also have a bin of UFOs to finish or move on. 

Sounds like a good plan.

Were you so overwhelmed with all the fabric that you did not buy any or did you find some treasures?  I've only been to Missouri Star for a short visit.  Bob was with me and we were on a long road trip.  I'd love to go back w/o him so I feel I can really explore.

I really didn't need any material but I did buy a few pieces that were on sale she calls it a sales rack which was $6 in the yard but when you just leave the day before that Eddie huge Warehouse fabric store it was not a sale but anyways I did buy some odds and ends of other things that I need it so I enjoyed it my friend Julie had been there before years ago and she said everything has really been changed to the better so I hope you get to get go back in and check it out it's really nice

Cathy, my friend sent me an email with her painting for 2022's "Year of the Tiger" and her message is:

In the past a few forum members have posted comments about how they have looked for one thing and then happily found another thing that they weren't even looking for. That happened to me today because I found what will most certainly be the largest block for my "Kresge Kid's Quilt" while I was looking for something else but I have to fix it first.

This item was a "thank you gift" made by the inmates at North Central Correctional Institution for the quilt making lessons I gave them. These dozen men were the quietest, most attentive students I ever had in my teaching career; I suspect that the guard standing in the corner of the room was bored silly. 

Anyhow later in the year there was a "Teacher Appreciation Day" and even though I did not enjoy the experience of going back to the prison with nothing to teach (those clanging prison doors gave me the creeps) I went and was very touched by the gift. I discovered today that when they framed the gift they used double-sticky tape and Elmer's Glue to hold the fabric in place. It was obvious that they couldn't use glass (a big no-no in prison) but the Elmer's Glue on particle board was a surprise.

Now in order to include it in my quilt I am going to have to get the glued-down bits of particle board off the back of the Aida cloth.

Patience, Judy, patience ..... spritz with water, wait a bit and use tweezers.

Now I will have something to mark my twelve year "career" with Project Linus on the quilt.