Monday, December 13, 2010

The 2011 PhD Challenge !

So when Ms. Sarcastic Quilter mentioned she was joining Myra's PhD (Projects Half Done ) challenge a few days a go, I thought smugly  "Well I dont need to do that because I dont have that many WIP's".

You know how this story goes. You start a quilt . It holds so much allure. And at some point - you stall. It might be because nothing is going right, you might move onto something you love better, you might realise that the colours are all wrong. Whatever . The  project that started with such promise languishes in a drawer, on a chair , or somewhere dark and nasty where you can't see it- but it remains unfinished.

So, I sat down and counted my works in progress (and I use that term loosely ) I have four. There is no way I'm finishing that many WIP's before New Year right? Not even if I started now and didn't go to work for the next two and a half weeks. Yes I know -it's mega scary because there's less than 3 weeks left of 2010 and some of that is Christmas. 

So I hightailed it over here and decided to sign right up. Myra is hosting the challenge which runs from January 1st to June 30th , and you can decide how many PhD's you want to finish. And while it's important to commit, and give it your best shot, nobody is going to crack a whip if you don't get all of  your PhD's finished  because this is about motivation and fun.

The genius of my plan is that  now I can ignore the quilt that must not be named until at least March because I officially have until the end of June to finish it. Nothing like buying yourself a little more time to finish something that's been lurking round so long it could almost legitimately be called vintage.

So to keep it all honest , I'm posting my PhD's  here (with pictures ) so I can celebrate when I get things done. I'm thinking Tequila shots might also be a nice way to mark the end of each finish.  Who's up for that?


First off is the Windmill quilt, which until immediately prior to this photo being taken had been living on my sewing room floor for the last three weeks.


and was coincidentally being used as cat bed. Nice.


The much maligned Windmill quilt needs many seam repairs, the back needs to be finished, and it needs basting, quilting and binding.  I am ashamed to say I started making this quilt in January 2010. I've decided I'm going to love this quilt and give it the finish it deserves. Or possibly bitch and whine about it for a bit more then pretend the cat ate it. It'll be fun  to see what outcome I choose.

Sadly Christmas is upon us and this quilt will not be finished in time to be part of the celebrations. Sorry half finished quilt - there's always next year.  I started making this in August 2010.  It needs a pieced back , basting , quilting, and binding.  In re-looking at this quilt , I think  it really needed green instead of spots. But finish it we must...


This Shoo Fly quilt has been sitting around since Christmas 2009 when Mr. P bought it for me as a gift. The top came finished (it's apparently vintage) and the back is ready to go. (I made that up)  So  all it needs is basting,  quilting and binding. I actually really like this top which may be why I have avoided it - I dont want to stuff it up. But it's no good to me sitting there like this ...unless I want to use it as a tablecloth , which I dont. At least if it's a quilt it wont get gravy all over it - although in this house anything is possible.


And these little bits are part of a Snowball Quilt Challenge that  I think started in about May 2010. These fabrics are really sweet and I think it'll look darling put together but I just ran out of the motivation to get any further than this. So  a fair bit of work to do on this one.


So if you have PhD's, WIP's ,UFO's or anything you hate the sight of  but desperately want to finish , please come join us at the PhD (Projects Half Done ) challenge. There will be lots of other people like you trying to finish leftover projects. I'll be one of them...

P.S. If you want to see my Christmas shopping/handmade/thrifted gear it's over here. (unless you're family then you're banned ) It's so cool being able to ban your family from your secret blog...I'm giddy with the power.

16 comments:

Unknown said...

'Good Luck'
Cheers.

Marg said...

Me me me, I'm the one down the back jumping up and down, you should just be able to see my hand bobbing up and down behind everyone else's heads. (I'm short) Tequila shots, oh yeah!!!
That sounds like a great idea, I am going to think about it first though as I do have commitment issues. Being a procrastinator won't help either.
P.S. I still love your snowballs and I'm glad I'm not the only one who didn't finish the snowball quilt, although in my case I like to call it the f#@! snowball quilt.

quiltygal said...

Not sure about the Tequila...but I sure have a shed load (literally) of ufo's...I might just have to mosey over and put my name down ...at least we can keep each other honest...Love the Churn Dash...think it's one of my fav patterns....

Kris said...

Ahhh, no.

I don't want to commit to actually finishing anything! Now, if you come across a group that's into starting something new each week I'm in! (I may never finish anything ever again.)

Kate said...

Good luck with your PHDs (what does that mean anyway?) They will be great projects once you get them finished. I'm still on the fence if I'm going to participate or not. Maybe one or two projects wouldn't hurt?

Mistea said...

They're all gorgeous projects and you should have a choice when the weather cools down if you get this lot done.

Participate - I think not some of my PhD's are teenagers already and you know what kind of attitude they can get when you try taming them!

Enjoy

Paulette said...

Okay, I just signed up (or left a comment to do so anyway). I have five things (really six, but I don't want to get too carried away) to get done. Eek!!

Lisa said...

Before we moved I had a couple garage sales and sold some quilt tops I really didn't like but didn't like them hanging around either. I still have many projects I'd like to finish but don't have time before the new year, may have to try this out.

BTW, I love the way Kashmir 2 turned out!

Kirsten said...

Well I will think about it..but it always puts so much stress on me to commit to something like that, I mean even writing down my ufos already puts pressure on me.
But I sure am proud of you joining, and I am afraid your going to like the quilt whose name shall not be mentioned and I will never get a hold on it...bummer

Michelle said...

I will be joining the challenge Mrs. P., but I can't possibly put all my PhDs on there because there are too many.

As for you being ashamed that you've got one you started in Jan 2010, the one I'm currently working on is well over 10 years old. In my defense it is hand-pieced and hand-quilted. But I've got one flimsy that is older than that, and I've just had a hard time deciding if it needed more borders. Last summer I decided it didn't, but that's as far as I've got with. :-)

Can my shots be ouzo please? ;-)

Sarcastic Quilter said...

Oh, I am so annoyed you scooped me on advertising the PhD challenge that I'm not even hosting!

LOL

I love your snowballs and was just wondering about that quilt the other day. I have many more WIPs to add than you do but frankly, I pushed hard and got the 6 I committed to last year complete in 6 months so I'm going to really focus this year and see if I can't do the same. Then, just then, I "might" be complete on WIPs.

Now, just don't ask if those WIPs were new or old projects. lol

As for tequila shots, I cannot join you with that particular practice. My body still remembers some college incidents none too fondly and I don't want anything to be lost by performing the action. However I will gladly toast to you with my 7 and 7! :D

Elizabeth said...

Well, you know me. If you think it is cool and do it, then I follow. I've been pondering my Ph.D's all day, thinking about which ones I want to commit to finishing by June 30 and wondering how much I can pack in. I'm terrific at starting, but terrible at finishing, so I think this is a good thing.

You are going to do fabulously well, I'm certain. I can't wait to see them all finished, because they are awesome as Ph.D's.

One of these days I'm going to get my act together and be the instigator of some fabulous quilt-along or finishing commitment type thingie. For now, I'll just have to follow along. Again. Sigh.

xo -El

Lisa said...

NO!! The spots are perfect!!! I love that quilt! I think red with white spots should be the new tan/off white. It goes with everything. It's the bestest fabric in the whole world.

I was just telling my mom that I have a LOT of stuff I owe people- quilts, bags, whatever... plus my actual WIPS are, like... many and varied. I don't even want to know how many there are. I will have to check this out. But I tend to shy away from commitment so I might not join. Oh, I don't know, maybe I should. Maybe I NEED to do that...

And I hate tequila. Not too big on shots period. Did I ever tell you about the time I did a flaming shot? Apparently you are supposed to blow it out first... I had to drink shakes for a few days after that.

thea said...

I'd like to get in on it too -- not so much for the tequila but rather to finish up these projects. I've got a queen-sized pinwheel quilt top that I just love, but I haven't taken the time to get the backing or binding .. I really want to finish it... just haven't. Then I have the one for my daughter that I just tore apart because I didn't like the way it was coming together - it's made from her prom dress and some minkee. Then I have the one I am making for someone at work -- I just cut out the pieces last week. Then there's the new one for my niece's baby who hasn't been born yet. (I haven't started that one so it probably doesn't count.) Do the other quilts and projects in my head count?

Helsie said...

What I love is saying that I'm working on my Ph D !!! Surely that will impress people who think my brains have disappeared ( they HAVE !!) Yep I have a few so I am elligible.( Projects that is - don't know about the brains !)
Cheers
Helen

Brenda said...

You know, compared to me and my friends you DON'T have very many undone projects. Also - If I've got the quilt top done - It's not on my "list" anymore - somehow they all get quilted I guess. It's the getting the tops together that throws me and so I start another (and another, and another) Good luck and thanks for being inspiring!