UFO Month Winner

Thanks for all who played with me during UFO month in March. All told I got 10 and a half (I'm SO close to being done with #11) projects off my list during the month, many of which are being put to good use already. I didn't finish everything on my list, but I'll get to them. The only really long-term UFO I have left (I think) is the crochet baby blanket I've been working on since I was pregnant with Carter. I'm just not motivated to finish it because 1) I'm more excited about other projects and 2) he already had a favorite blanket to love (thanks, Grandma!). It'll get done someday, right? So, I put all the names in a bowl, one entry for every reported project (including lists for those who posted them).

And I let Allison draw a name out...

Yay, Sarah! Email me your address (yes, I should still have it, but I'm just not that organized... I think an organized address book will be a project for my 30's) and I'll send you a $10 gift card to JoAnn's! Thanks for playing, everyone! Maybe I'll host another challenge here soon. Or I'll get really ambitious and host a sew-along... hmm...

UFO Month Linky

THANKS FOR PARTICIPATING! I'll draw a winner a little later today... one entry for every project you finished and posted/told me about during the month. Come link up your finished projects! Remember, one UFO Month participant will win a $10 JoAnns gift card!

UFO 10: Hemmed jeans

These jeans have been on my list since late last September. And they only took me about 30 minutes to finish, so what the heck have I been waiting for? Especially since these jeans will serve me much better now that I can wear them instead of just letting them take up space in my drawer... especially since my favorite jeans have now official been relegated to "work only" jeans (you just can't save them after they've sprouted holes in the side seams and knees).

I found them for $9 on clearance last September. They were a nice color, a good fit (at least directly after washing... the joys and downfalls of stretch denim...) and you can't beat $9! But being only 5'5", I'm on the short end of the "normal" jeans length range, which means that these things were nearly 4 inches too long.

No before photo, but here's the after photo

Can you tell they're hemmed? If you look closely you can see the fold... I used a method that keeps the original hem intact. You can find a tutorial for it over here at Sew La Tea. Worked well... I haven't trimmed the extra off yet, but I'll probably take it off with my serger. Easy, peasy, done. :) What have you finished or gotten off your list lately?

UFO 9: Quiet book

Let me preface this by saying that this was 75% done before I started finishing it up last week. I organized a quiet book page swap in my ward last fall, which is where all the pages in the before picture came from.

Before:


After:

This has been a UFO since mid-December. It took me about 12 hours (major guess... I didn't really keep track and I worked on it pretty distractedly when I did work on it) to finish it up.

And can I just say that if I ever add more pages or do another book, I will DEFINANTLY do it with heavy-weight non-fusible Pellon and not felt. The pellon elimates a lot of steps taken to keep the felt from getting destroyed quickly. The pellon was SO easy. I found mine at Walmart for $1.77/yard. You draw on it, color with crayons, cover with absorbant paper and run your iron over it. The iron and paper will remove the wax from the images leaving only the color behind. Cut it out and use it! Velcro glues to it beautifully and it doesn't require any extra stabliazation. I used the pellon for the make-a-face and counting snake pages (see them below).

Love this page! :) Not all the pieces are showing, but you get the gist...

UFO 8: Grapevine Wreath

Its about time I got the Valentine's wreath off my front door! :)

Before

After

This hasn't been a UFO long... maybe a month or 6 weeks? I got the grapevine base fairly recently and have just been waiting for I don't know what to get it done.

It took me about 3 hours to do, that that included a lot of time fiddling with the placement of everything to make sure I liked it before I glued anything. I wasn't sure it the felt butterfly was too... something. Too much? Too big? Too whimsical? Too "doesn't go with the flowers"? But, looking at it from the end of my driveway, I acutally like it a lot... what do you think? Is it too... something?

What are you workin' on? Finished anything up lately?

UFO 4, 5, 6 and 7...

I've been working...

UFO 4: Pink stripe skirt

Before

After

I spent about 3 hours finishing up this skirt, but SO much longer trying to find the rolled hem plate for my serger so I could roll hem it. I never did find it and I got tired of waiting, so I resorted to a machine blind hem (I'm lazy). And can I just say that my machine's blind hem is completely backwards from what I think it should be, which drove me pretty crazy. Just one more drop in the "I want a new machine" bucket...

This skirt has been a UFO since before Allison was born. I'm gonna guess about 5 years. Amazing that the thing still fits me! Acutally... I had to take it in, which was way nicer that how my other skirt turned out...

UFO 5: Red slinky knit skirt

No pictures. Why? It was an epic FAIL! I got this 90% done and decided that there was absolultely no way I was ever going to like this. It had been a UFO for a little over 7 years now. I started this skirt before Brian came home from his mission. And my body now doesn't even begin to resemble my body then. So, I delcare it to be finished... even if finished means it hit the trash pile. Because at least it no longer physical and mental clutter for me to sort through, right?

UFO 6: Fit Allison's black skirt

Again, no pictures, but you wouldn't even be able to tell what was done if I had taken some. I had this cute skirt for Allison which would not stay on her behind-less body. I took two little darts in the front and now it doesn't fall down. Success! It was a UFO for maybe 3 months. Took me all of 10 minutes to do, and that included convincing Allison to stop what she was doing long enough to try it one... twice. Its done, and she's worn it 2 of the last 3 days... and has it laid out to wear again tomorrow. I think she's pleased...

UFO 7: Line Carter's Curtains

Before

No white lining...

After

Pretty, white, light-blocking lining! Yay!

This one has been a UFO about a year, but its been a low-priority project. We have a (ill-fitting, girly) black-out drape up in his bedroom, but these ones fit the window and are much more boy. It took me about an hour to line them... 90 minutes if you count pressing time.

How about you? What are you working on?

UFO #3: Easter Baskets

I remember having these neat, reusable, fabric Easter baskets when I was a kid. I always thought they were so clever. I even still have mine (its the green one in the before picture), and I've wanted to copy it for my kids of a while now. This was a UFO for just a few weeks when I started cutting fabric, then got a little distracted.

Before:

These were UFOs for about 2 weeks (a baby UFO, if you will). It took me about 6 hours to finish both of them.

After:

And look... they collaspe flat for easy storage! Love it!

I used plastic canvas inside to give it shape, and I'm a little disappointed at how flimsy it is. If I did it over I would use a heavier/sturdier plastic canvas or used thickish cardboard like my mom used in ours. But, overall I'm pretty happy.

By the way, can you tell Allison picked her own fabric? Doesn't pink with pink flowers just scream "3-year-old little girl"?

What have you been up to? Finish any projects lately?

UFO #2: Peeps Wreath

This project fell into "I bought the stuff and haven't touched it" category and was major mental clutter. I'm glad its done... turned out cute!

Before:

After:

I love that its silly and whimsical. I roughly followed the tutoral posted by Gerbera Designs on Tried and True. I opted for glue in addition to the toothpicks

This went unfinished for either 3 or 11 months. I bought the peeps on clearance after last Easter, but I didn't get the wreath form until around Christmas time. Take you're pick. It only took me about 90 minutes to finish it, and that included indecision about where to put the bow. :)

How about you? What have you been working on?

UFO #1: Nauvoo Temple Cross-Stitch

Here's my first finished project for the month!

Before

After

*Wow! Its amazing to look at the before and afters! I was never sure this would end well before the detail backstitching was in!*

Getting it framed will be another project (maybe someone should host a "get it framed and on the wall" challenege. I can't tell you how much stuff I have that needs frames...).

This was a UFO for nearly 8 years. I don't remember when I started it exactly, but I was 20 and in Nauvoo when I bought it and I'm pretty sure I started it around that same time (I must have been tired of crocheting). 8 YEARS!

It took me maybe 10 hours to finish it. I worked on it during prime time TV mostly. Made me feel less useless during that time... haha! Looking at the picture I realize that I forgot the put the words in at the bottom... I'll do that during Grey's tonight.

What have you been working on? Happy finishing!

Crafter's UFO Month: guidelines & my list

Who's ready to join me for UFO month?

Here are the guidelines:
First, Post a list of your current UFOs that you'll be trying to accomplish this month. You can post it in the comments or on your own blog and link up here below.

For each UFO you finish, you'll do a blog post (or post in the comments if you don't have a blog). In each post please try to include:
*A before picture (as in what your UFO looks like right now)
*how long its been a UFO
*how long it took you to finish it
*an after picture

I'll post a Mr. Linky tomorrow that you can link your individual project posts up to. It will stay at the top of my blog all month long.

After the month is over, do a summary post. Let me know how you did and what you accomplished... and how you're rewarding yourself for finishing some UFOs. When the month is over, I'll do a drawing for a $10 JoAnn's gift card that I'll send to one UFO Challenge Month participant.

I, personally, have a ridiculous number of UFOs. They jump out of nearly any closet or drawer that I open and attack me yelling "finish me!"

By the way, I consider mending projects to totally count, becuase they inflict the same kind of mental & physical clutter as any other UFO.

Anyway... here's my list, in no particular order:

Pink stripe skirt
Peeps wreath
Quiet book
Mending/fitting black skirt for Allison
Fitting/lining white skirt for me
Refashioning a sweater dress
Red slinky knit skirt
Grapevine wreath
ABC wall (which I might change all together...)
Carter's crochet baby blanket
Line Carter's curtains
Nauvoo Temple cross-stitch
Easter baskets
Easter dress (items purchased, this is low priority since Easter's late this year)
Dress shirt (again, only have items purchased)

I'm SURE that I'm missing something off this list. If I can accomplish "enough" (who knows how much that is) this month I'll reward myself with starting a new project (of course!). Probably 2... I want to do my award ribbon keepsake quilt and decorate Allison's room (for which I have a full vision).

How about you? What's on your UFO list? Be sure to link up!