No finishes this Friday … I’m not sewing very much and am trying to catch up on Bonnie Hunter’s Mystery “On Ringo Lake.”
PHD in 2018
That’s right! I’m going to be working on my PHD in 2018. I’m hoping I can accomplish this! Do you want to work on yours? You can join me if you want!
When I was working, I would often be asked when I was going to start working on my PhD … I would answer with something vague … I had no intent on doing that much academic work for what? Maybe prestige? I was already at the top of the pay scale – so it wouldn’t pay for itself! BUT now that I’m retired, I figure I’ll work on my PHD.
In the quilty world, PHD is affectionately called “Projects Half Done.” I have looked at my UFO list for 2018 and it’s not a pretty sight. 56 UFO’s!!!! (I did start 29 projects this year and only finished 8 of them, PLUS, when I cleaned up my sewing room and sorted through my fabric, I found a zillion more UFO’s … they are included in the “29” projects from this year. I also have 4 mystery quilts on the go – none can be finished until 2018.
Sew … I figured I would work on my PHD this year. To accomplish my PHD in 2018: I have made my rules:
- to finish Half of my UFOs. This includes quilting, labels and binding.
- to finish EVERY quilt or project I start in 2018 (except for 1 – the Bonnie Hunter mystery that starts in Nov. and runs into the next year).
- I will post a picture of each UFO in progress and completely finished.
These are lofty goals …
It means that I will need to finish 28 UFO’s and not start any new projects!!! Ha! Not start any new projects? That’s a dream … but maybe …. (My one exception will be the 2018 Bonnie Hunter Mystery that will carry into 2019.) Can I do it? We will see.
There are 8 projects in the boxes on top of my filing cabinet and at least 6 project bins on the top shelf of the closet … that’s 14 to start with … I’m not too excited to work on any of the projects on the top of my filing cabinet … so I will work through those first!
Now – if you want to join me in completing your PHD in 2018: Put your name in the comments and a link to either your blog, Instagram or a Pinterest board that you have set up for this purpose. I will create a page at the top of the blog and will enter your name and your link. Periodically, throughout 2018, we will examine how we are progressing on our PHDs. Now – you must follow my rules to get a Quilting Gail PHD certificate!
- You must finish half of your UFOs. This includes, quilting, labeling and binding. If you want to quilt by cheque, you can, that’s your choice. But the UFOs must be totally FINISHED. (Exception – if you have more that 60 UFO’s – you can make the number that you finish to 28 (you don’t have to complete more than me!). Edit: you must have a minimum of 12 UFO’s to complete.
- Every project started in 2018 must be finished. The only exceptions would be any projects (like BOMs or Bonnie Hunter’s mystery) that carries on into 2019.
- You must post 2 pictures of each UFO: One of unfinished project / in progress and one of the finished project. (Either on your blog, Instagram or in Pinterest).
- You must add your link to the comments on this post.
The certificate is already prepared … it might get some tweaking prior to presenting them, but it’s in the works.
SEW – the big question is : Will YOU work on your PHD in 2018?
Link-ups
To see what others in the quilty world are working on wander over to these blogs:
- Can I get a Whoop Whoop? @ Confessions of a Fabric Addict
- Amanda Jean @ Crazy Mom Quilts
- Finished or Not @ Busy Hands Quilts
- Let’s Bee Social @ Sew Fresh Quilts
- Happy Needle and Thread @ My Quilt Infatuation
Happy Quilting
Gail
The 2nd was a block of the month from A Great Notion … I showed it because I knew that at least one member of FVQG had done the same class as me.
This last picture is of the quilts lined up on 4 tables in front of the stage. 
Benartex had a contest on Facebook and I entered a quilt that I had made years ago with their fabric. No, I didn’t win. I didn’t even come in the top half. But that’s OK. Just for entering, I received a very cute charm pack. It’s called “A Moose for Christmas.” It’s in the process of becoming a table runner. This is the first design / fabric placement layout … there’s likely to be many more before I start sewing it together. It’s fun to work with these fabrics because they are so very cute! And the colours suit me and my house.
adhesives etc. but they are fantastic for cleaning your machine. They were on sale … so was some fabric and I looked at the fabric and quickly looked away. And then I was chatting with the gals in the shop and I looked some more and then the wagon broke! In my defence, the neutral fabric is for backing a quilt! The colour is not true in the picture. The top fabric is actually a beige/cream and the bottom is a pretty blue. A VERY pretty blue. A lovely lovely blue. Did you know that blue is my favourite colour? 
Yes, I’m quilting 2 quilts at once. Each on different machines. On my Janome 8900, is the labyrinth quilt that I posted about in March. Really? It doesn’t seem like that long ago. I’m still deciding what to quilt – so for bits of time, it’s just sitting there. Then, on my Janome 6500, I’m doing outline quilting on the quilt that is using this fabric: 
You don’t see the glue or moisture when you use flannel. When using cotton, it shows up – big time! You can definitely see where the moisture comes through. This is OK. It usually disappears by the time it’s dry. If the glue is super heavy or not diluted enough – you’ll still see it after it’s dry. This is OK – just take your time quilting it and it’ll wash out. (If you don’t wash your quilts before giving or using them, then don’t use this method.)
And when I attempted to sew them together, even when I pin – the joining sides end up looking like this the picture to the right.
Quilting Gail 