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I’m so glad you are here for this month of fun, friends, and tackling those backlogged projects!
Below you will find the prompts for week three along with my responses. The prompts will go live each morning.
If you want to get the prompts early, you can get them the night before by subscribing to my free newsletter The Creative Quilter. Once you sign up the welcome email will give you a link to get the prompts in your inbox, plus have access to exclusive subscriber-only giveaways.
For more details on other platforms and how to share there, check out this year’s main UFO Trunk Show blog post!
Everything is better when we do it together!
If you’re curious how I responded to these prompts, you can find those on Instagram or in our private quilting group The Quilting Quarter. Or you can get on the mailing list and get them in your inbox!
Welcome to the final week of the UFO Trunk Show! As we wind down we'll have some fun looking at putting our UFO's in order and making plans for next steps.
First up, storage!
- How do you store your UFOs?
- What's your favorite thing about your system?
- Do you have anything you want to change or improve?
- What's your best tip for storing UFOs?
Share your best so we can all learn and grow!
Let's have some fun showing off some of our other UFOs!
- What's your oldest UFO (or finished quilt)?
- Why did you start this particular project?
- Why did it get relegated to UFO status?
- Are you going to keep it?
Share your best so we can all learn and grow!
I’m so glad you are here for this month of fun, friends, and tackling those backlogged projects!
Below you will find the prompts for week three along with my responses. The prompts will go live each morning.
If you want to get the prompts early, you can get them the night before by subscribing to my free newsletter The Creative Quilter. Once you sign up the welcome email will give you a link to get the prompts in your inbox, plus have access to exclusive subscriber-only giveaways.
For more details on other platforms and how to share there, check out this year’s main UFO Trunk Show blog post!
Everything is better when we do it together!
If you’re curious how I responded to these prompts, you can find those on Instagram or in our private quilting group The Quilting Quarter. Or you can get on the mailing list and get them in your inbox!
Sometimes it’s time to let a project go. No decisions today, but ponder. Maybe you have:
- "low-hanging fruit" -- pulls and scraps that you just need to put back on the shelf
- a UFO that you know already you're ready to let go of
- a UFO you're not sure about and could use some input on
Think about your other UFOs and whether some could be let go, then share! If you aren’t going to, maybe share a time you let go of a project in the past.
Orphans are leftover blocks that don't have a home, and they can be a bit tricky to deal with for many people. However, they are often good to make mini-projects with or to swap and trade with other quilters! Think about:
- Do you have any orphans in your remaining UFO's?
- Is it time to let them go?
- If not, do you have a project in mind?
- What's your favorite way to use orphan blocks?
Think about your orphan blocks and what you want to do with them! If you don’t have any, maybe share a time you had some in the past and what you did with them.
Today, we're talking UFO projects that are overdue. Radical question: could you let it go? You might not be able to. But before you automatically assume that's true, ask:
- Does the person I owe this to really want or need it?
- Would they be just as happy with something else?
- If not, could you minimize or simplify it in some way?
I'm not saying you have to give up your overdue UFOs. I'm just saying it's worth asking the questions.
If you don’t have overdue UFO’s, maybe share a time you had some in the past and what you did with them.
Sadly, sometimes we hold on to projects for so long that they become outdated—the quilt project gets old enough that our styles and tastes have changed. Think about:
- Are any of your UFOs outdated?
- Could you donate or give it to someone who’d love it?
- Could you add/change/swap something about it?
If you don't have any outdated UFOs, share a time when you did and what you did about it. Or a time when you updated a quilt to make it fresh!
Sometimes, despite our best efforts, quilts are just... ugly. (Shhhh, don't tell them!) It happens. Do you have one of those? Think about:
- Is one of your UFO's "ugly"?
- Could you donate or give it to someone who’d love it?
- Could you add/change/swap something about it?
If you don't have an ugly UFO, maybe share a time you did and what you did with it, or your best tip for dealing with an ugly quilt.
Today we’re talking about UFO’s we’re conflicted about. The one that you keep changing your mind about. Think about:
- Do you have a UFO you're conflicted about?
- What are the reasons you want to let it go?
- What are the reasons you want to keep it?
- Could you separate the parts you like for another project
- Is there something you could change that would tip the balance?
If you don't have a UFO you're conflicted about, share a time you did or your best tip for dealing with that situation.
Today we’re looking at how we’re doing on our UFO Project so far! Take a look at your progress and share things like:
- How far have you gotten on your project?
- What is working?
- What is not working?
- Where do you need help?
Then see below for the giveaway!
For the third and final giveaway of the UFO Trunk Show I am giving away
... drumroll ...
FREE finishing services, from me! I will finish a quilt top for you, FOR FREE.
I will consult with just as I would for a paying client. Together we'll decide how to solve any problems and the best way to get the top done. Then I will finish the top for you in my private studio and ship it back to you, for free! 🙂
Some caveats:
This is not a random drawing. I will be choosing the project from all submissions
The quilt must be straight machine patchwork only: no Y-seams, EPP, hand-sewing, applique or embroidery
The quilt must be throw-sized or smaller
I am finishing the top only
If no suitable projects are submitted I reserve the right to give away a fabric bundle instead
HOW TO ENTER:
Submit a photo of the quilt you'd like me to finish -- by emailing me or posting on your feed on Instagram (with hashtag #ufortrunkshow) or in our private Facebook group along with:
What size the finished quilt is supposed to be
How long you have had it
How it became a UFO in the first place
Whether or not you have all the fabric, parts, etc..
Any thoughts you have about finishing
You may submit multiple UFOs, but each must be in their own post or email.
NOTE: Please post or email each submitted quilt only once and on one platform. Please do not submit the same quilt multiple places.
The entry period for this giveaway will close at 11:59am (noon) Pacific Time on February 27, 2023.
I’m so glad you are here for this month of fun, friends, and tackling those backlogged projects!
Below you will find the prompts for week two along with my responses. The prompts will go live each morning.
If you want to get the prompts early, you can get them the night before by subscribing to my free newsletter The Creative Quilter. Once you sign up the welcome email will give you a link to get the prompts in your inbox, plus have access to exclusive subscriber-only giveaways.
For more details on other platforms and how to share there, check out this year’s main UFO Trunk Show blog post!
Everything is better when we do it together!
If you’re curious how I responded to these prompts, you can find those on Instagram or in our private quilting group The Quilting Quarter. Or you can get on the mailing list and get them in your inbox!
Does your UFO Trunk Show project quilt have a mistake? Take look at it and think about how you could fix it. Could you:
- Re-cut or re-size? Un-sew or re-sew?
- Change the pattern?
- Take a dart, pleat or other adjustment?
- Cover with a patch or decoration?
- Go forward and trust it will “quilt out?”
Decide how you want to fix your mistake, then share! If you don’t have a mistake, share a project that you did and how you fixed it.
Is your UFO Trunk Show project a little “above your pay grade?” Take look at it and think about how you could make it simpler and easier. Could you:
- Eliminate pieces?
- Simplify the construction method?
- Use a different technique?
- Break the project into teeny-tiny bite-sized steps?
Decide how you want to simplify/bite-size your project, then share! If your UFO project isn’t too hard, maybe share a quilt from your past that was and how you fixed it!
Sometimes a UFO just needs to be smaller. Especially when we have to finish it but cannot get excited. about it. Think about:
- How big is was the quilt supposed to be?
- How small could you get away with?
- Could you use any leftover pieces for something else?
- Could you put them into your scrap bins?
Decide if you are going to make your UFO smaller, then share! If you aren’t going to, maybe share a project that you do, or did in the past.
Pssst…. there’s a subscriber-only giveaway this week! Get on the list if you want to be eligible!
Yesterday was smaller, today is micro-sizing! Could your UFO be made into a runner, doll quilt, placemat, mug rug? Think about:
- Would you want to micro-size your project?
- If so, what project would you chose?
- If not, have you ever done that?
- What’s your favorite very small quilted project pattern?
Decide if you are going to make your UFO much, much smaller, then share! If you aren’t going to, maybe share a project that you do, or did in the past.
Today we're talking about another way to super-downsize a UFO quilt. Pillows!!! Throw pillows, lumbar pillows, pillow shams…. the possibilities are endless. Think about:
- Could your UFO be turned into a pillow?
- Would you want to?
- Have you made quilted pillows in the past?
- What's your favorite quilted pillow pattern?
Decide if you could turn your UFO into a pillow, then share! If you aren’t going to, maybe share a project that you could, or did in the past.
Another great way to make a UFO much smaller is to turn it into a bag or tote! Could be a book bag, market bag, beach bag, messenger bag… the sky is the limit! Think about:
- Could your UFO be turned into a bag or tote?
- Would you want to?
- Have you made a quilted bag or tote in the past?
- What's your favorite quilted bag or tote pattern?
Decide if you could turn your UFO into a bag or tote, then share! If you aren’t going to, maybe share a project that you could, or did in the past.
Today we’re looking at how we’re doing on our UFO Project so far! Take a look at your progress and share things like:
- How far have you gotten on your project?
- What is working?
- What is not working?
- Where do you need help?
Then see below for the giveaway!
For the second giveaway of the UFO Trunk Show I am giving away a pre-cut bundle to make a throw-sized quilt from my Scrappy Classics: Ship Quilt pattern, along with an early-release limited copy of the pattern! 🙂 There are tons of cute fabrics here, many of them out of print. You can see many of them in the picture.
You can enter by doing any or all of the following:
- Subscribing to the UFO Trunk Show list and writing back to any upcoming UFO Trunk Show email
- Posting on your own Instagram feed and using hashtag #uforunkshow on the theme of one of the UFO Trunk Show prompts
- Posting in our private Facebook Group, The Quilting Quarter on the theme of one of the UFO Trunk Show prompts
Every time you do one of the things on the above list it gains you an entry! You can enter as many times as you wish and with any method you wish. You do not have to be a subscriber to be eligible to win this bundle. (A subscriber-only giveaway is coming on Friday!)
NOTE: The entry period for this giveaway will close at 11:59am (noon) Pacific Time on February 20, 2023.
Good luck!
I’m so glad you are here for this month of fun, friends, and tackling those backlogged projects!
Below you will find the prompts for week one along with my responses. The prompts will go live each morning.
If you want to get the prompts early, you can get them the night before by subscribing to my free newsletter The Creative Quilter. Once you sign up the welcome email will give you a link to get the prompts in your inbox, plus have access to exclusive subscriber-only giveaways.
For more details on other platforms and how to share there, check out this year’s main UFO Trunk Show blog post!
Everything is better when we do it together!
If you’re curious how I responded to these prompts, you can find those on Instagram or in our private quilting group The Quilting Quarter. Or you can get on the mailing list and get them in your inbox!
Today is all about saying hello! Leave a comment or share a blog post and share some things about yourself like:
- What do you look like? (Share a picture)
- Where are you from?
- How long have you been quilting?
- What kinds of quilts to you enjoy most?
- What do you hope to get out of joining in the fun of the UFO Trunk Show?
Of course you don't have to answer ALL the questions -- pick and choose what works for you!
Before undertaking a new goal, it’s a good idea to take stock, with pictures! Down the road you will want to see how far you’ve come. Today, take a look at all of your UFOs:
- How many do you have?
- How are you storing them?
- How do you feel about them?
- Which projects call your attention?
- Which project do you want to tackle this month?
Pick a goal that feels good to you! You don't have to finish a whole quilt if that feels too big. You could just finish a top, a row, a block, or just some binding. Whatever works!
UnFinished Objects tend to have a lot of friction—hard to start, hard to get going on again. One way to reduce that friction is to take some small steps to get re-oriented and re-organized. Today, take a look at your pattern:
- Does it appear to have all the parts & pieces?
- Do you remember how the project goes together?
- If it’s missing, can you get another copy?
- If you’re using your own pattern, do you have notes?
- Do you need to double-check your math?
See if you can get your pattern sorted, copied, re-written, double-checked, whatever you need. Then share!
UnFinished Objects can be confusing—they’re often jumbled and we’ve forgotten where we are at. A good way to get re-oriented is to review the parts you have. Today, take a look at the parts of your project:
- Have you already cut everything out or is it a mix?
- Do you remember how the blocks go together?
- Would it help to make a quick test block?
- Do you have finishing parts like sashing or bindings?
- Do you have all the parts you need?
No need to solve every problem today, but make a list so you know what needs to be figured out. Then share!
Since old quilting projects by definition have old fabric, there are sometimes challenges if there isn't enough fabric and no way to get more of the same. Today, take a look at the fabric for your project:
- Do you have enough fabric?
- If not could you add from your stash?
- If you don’t want to mix, could you swap from your stash?
- Can you get more from somewhere like Etsy?
- Would you prefer to downsize the project?
Get your fabric sorted today. Confirm you have what you need or make a plan if you don’t. Then share!
Color is one of the most common reasons a quilt goes UFO. We don’t like how the colors are working and we get stuck. Today, take a look at the color scheme for your project:
- Does it make you happy?
- Does it need to change for you to want to finish?
- Could you add or subtract a color to make it better?
- Could you emphasize or de-emphasize a color?
Decide what you want to do with your color scheme, then share! If you don’t have a color problem, share a project where you did, or a project that you LOVE the color on!
Today we’re looking at how we’re doing on our UFO Project so far! Take a look at your progress and share things like:
- How far have you gotten on your project?
- What is working?
- What is not working?
- Where do you need help?
Then see below for the giveaway!
For the first giveaway of the UFO Trunk Show I am giving away this adorable bundle of fat quarters! It's all prints from Christmas Adventure by Beverly McCullough for Riley Blake Designs, SIXTEEN fat quarters in all!
You can enter by and or all of the following:
- Subscribing to the UFO Trunk Show list and writing back to any upcoming UFO Trunk Show email
- Posting your UFO progress on Instagram and using hashtag #uforunkshow
- Posting a response to one of the UFO Trunk Show prompts on Instagram using hashtag #ufotrunkshow
- Posting a picture of your progress in our private Facebook Group, The Quilting Quarter using hashtag #ufotrunkshow
Every time you do one of the things on the above list it gains you and entry!
You can enter as many times as you wish and with any method you wish. You do not have to be a subscriber to be eligible to win this bundle. (A subscriber-only giveaway is coming on Friday!)
NOTE: The entry period for this giveaway will close at 11:59pm Pacific Time on February 13, 2023.
Good luck!
Woo hoo!!! The UFO Trunk Show is returning for 2023!! This is our chance to work together to tackle all of those UnFinished Objects (aka stuck quilting projects) that are weighing us down and clear the decks for fun, new projects for the rest of the year!
Everything is better when we do it together!
We’ll be talking about:
how to tackle projects when they’ve lost their spark
how to get oriented when re-starting an old project
how to solve the most common UFO problems and get unstuck
how & when to change the plan so you can finish
how & when to let a project go
PLUS we’ll have:
fun daily prompts
a chance to share your progress
a chance to get support from fellow quilters
and of course…. GIVEAWAYS! 🙂
On Email:
If you want to get the prompts early (the night before) and have access to exclusive subscriber-only giveaways, then you will want to subscribe to my FREE email newsletter, The Creative Quilter!
On Instagram:
To participate on Instagram you will want to use the hashtag #ufotrunkshow and you might also want to tag me @simplecreativequilts too to make sure I see your post!
On Facebook:
The daily prompts will also be posted in our private Facebook group is The Quilting Quarter! Of course you will be able to share, too!
On the Website:
The prompts will also be posted to the website each week, and this post will updated with the links. So bookmark (or pin) this post so you won’t lose it! AND you can share your UFO progress in the comments below each UFO Trunk Show post, including this one!
Classic quilt blocks have always been a passion of mine. There’s just something so sweet about making the same quilt block that many quilters have made before me. It makes me feel connected, somehow. To the past, to my family, to other quilters. So it is with great joy that I am going to be exploring (and sharing) many classic quilt blocks over the next several months.
First up is this favorite, the Ohio Star. I like that it has so many possibilities. It is very graphic and bold and with the right color combinations can look quite modern. Or, as I’ve done here, with Liberty of London fabric as the background and a cream star, looks quite traditional. Scrappy works too—as long as you have a clear value contrast, you can use anything you want.
So here’s how you make one.
Read on for all the details!
To make one Ohio Star quilt block, you will need:
Fabric for the star (a scrap 11” square is plenty big)
Fabric for the background (a scrap 11” x 20” is plenty)
Normal patchwork supplies such as thread, sewing machine, iron, pressing surface, etc..
This tutorial makes an Ohio Star block that finishes at 10 1/2” square. More sizes are coming soon!
For one 10 1/2” x 10 1/2:” Ohio Star quilt block you will need:
Two 5” x 5” squares of background fabric (shown here in the yellow floral)
Two 5” x 5” squares of star fabric (shown here in off-white solid)
Four 4” x 4” squares of background fabric for the corners (shown here in yellow floral)
One 4” x 4” square of star fabric (shown here in off-white solid)
You can use dark on light or light on dark or even go scrappy. As long as there’s a value or color contrast between the star and the background, you are good to go.
Pair up your 5” x 5” squares, one star fabric and one background fabric. Place them right sides together and make sure the edges are flush and square. You should have two sets.
Once they are paired up cut each set diagonally and sew together on the diagonal edge with a 1/4” seam allowance. (If you prefer, you can also mark them diagonally, sew 1/2” from the line, and cut afterwards.)
After sewing/cutting, open and press the seam allowance toward the darker fabric. You should now have four half-square triangles!
Now, pair up your half-square triangles! Make sure that you have the darker fabric facing in opposite directions as shown, and the seam allowances nest. Match up the edges so they are flush and square.
Once they are paired up cut each set diagonally and sew together on the diagonal edge with a 1/4” seam allowance. (If you prefer, you can also mark them diagonally, sew 1/2” from the line, and cut afterwards.)
After cutting/sewing, press them open with the seam allowance toward the lighter fabric. Half the seam allowance will face one way, and half will face the other. You now have four quarter-square triangles, or hourglass blocks.
Next you want to trim and square up your hourglass blocks (quarter-square triangles). They need to be trimmed to 4” square. To trim them correctly, align the 45 degree line on the ruler with the angles of the hourglass, and make sure the 2” line crosses directly through the center point of the hourglass.
Now to lay out the block! It’s three rows of three. The four background 4” x 4” squares go in the corners, and the one 4” x 4” star fabric square goes in the middle. Then arrange the four hourglass blocks, which are now also trimmed to 4” x 4” so they form star points as shown above.
Sew each of the rows of the block together, then sew those rows together and voila!
You have now made yourself one Ohio Star Block! This particular block finishes at 10 1/2” x 10 1/2”. These are great to make in the classic two-color style or can also be made with scrappy fun.
For now, I’m using them to make a queen-sized bed quilt using Kona Bone and yellow Liberty of London quilting cotton I’ve been hoarding. I can’t wait to see how it looks when it’s done!
I am working on a pattern for this quilt with all the sizes and details, so if you’d like to hear when that becomes available, sign up for my free newsletter, The Creative Quilter. Plus, in the meantime you will get access to all the patterns I’ve already shared plus any I share in the future!
Let me know if you give it a try! I love to see (and sometimes feature) when people make quilts using my patterns. Use hashtag #simplecreativequilts to make sure I see it!
Plus-block quilts have been all the rage for several years now, and I couldn’t help but want to design one of my own. Believe it or not I actually drafted this pattern and started on the original Crosstie quilt back in 2014!! I finally finished that original quilt earlier this year and decided it was time to write my first “real” pattern (as opposed to scribbles on scratch paper). It’s called Crosstie and the full pattern is available free for newsletter subscribers! So if you want to get your copy, subscribe (it’s free!) and get access to the Crosstie pattern and all of my other patterns for free.
But if you just want to make a block on your own, I’ve got you. Here’s all the details for making a Crosstie quilt block, no pattern needed.
Read on for all the details!
To make one Crosstie quilt block, you will need:
Fabric for the cross (a scrap 8” square is plenty big)
Fabric for the background (a scrap 7” square is plenty)
Normal patchwork supplies such as thread, sewing machine, iron, pressing surface, etc..
For one Crosstie quilt block you will need:
One 3” x 8” rectangle for the center bar of the cross
Two 3” x 3” squares for the side arms of the cross
Four 3” x 3” squares for the background (the four corners of the block)
You can use dark on light or light on dark or even go scrappy. As long as there’s a value or color contrast between the cross and the background, you are good to go.
Once your pieces are cut, your first job is to sew up those side units. Sew one 3” x 3” cross fabric square between two 3” x 3” background squares. Make two, and press the seams toward the cross fabric.
Then, sew the two units on either side of your center 3” x 8” rectangle. Press the seams toward the cross fabric and you are done!
You have now make yourself one Crosstie quilt block! Hooray! For my Crosstie quilt pattern, I alternate the Crosstie blocks with settings quares and put a series of borders to get that kind of hotel-chic look.
If you’d like to have the full pattern with instructions for allll the sizes (seven!), you can! It’s a free download for newsletter subscribers. Just head over, sign up for my free newsletter, The Creative Quilter, and you’ll get access to this and all of my future patterns, all for free.
Plus, let me know if you give it a try! I love to see (and sometimes feature) when people make quilts using my patterns. Use hashtag #crosstieblock or #crosstiequilt to make sure I see it!
In my circle of friends, I am one of only two quilters, and of the two of us, I am the one who is known for making memorial quilts. (Purely by concidence, the other quilter is the one holding up the quilt in the picture above.)
I like to say that I don’t like working with clothing as a quilting material, and that’s mostly true (more on that in another post). But despite my love/hate relationship with clothing, I do love making memorial quilts. They are such a lovely way to capture the heart of someone and to feel close to them after they are gone. And while I did once take a commission for a memorial quilt from a client who lived far away, in general I only do memorial quilts for friends and family, and most definitely, emphatically, do not accept payment for them. I know not everyone has access to a quilter to make this kind of gift to them, and so I would never say commissioning a memorial quilt is wrong. But if you have the chance to have one made as a gift, or as a quilter to make one as a gift, I recommend it. There’s something truly special about that kind of gift, given freely, with lots of love. And so, this particular quilt was made for a long-time friend who’s father passed away.
I’m sad to say that because of life, the universe and everything, that this quilt took far too long to make. I am so grateful that my friend wasn’t in a hurry to receive it. I offered to help her find someone else to make it for her, but she was happy to let me do it in my own time, and this summer I finally was in a time and place where I could complete it.
My friends’ father was a carpenter and built houses for a living, so we chose a house block quilt for her, and I used her fathers’ work shirts and jeans to make the blocks. There are risks to using such a variety of materials in a quilt—the heavy denim and work shirts with standard quilting cotton—there’s a chance that the heavier weight fabrics will pull and stress the lighter weight fabrics and cause the quilt to come apart or the fabric to fail prematurely. But for this quilt my friend said it was worth the risk, and I agree with her. The palette of blues and whites and his shirts and jeans building the houses, the village. It couldn’t be more perfect.
For the pattern I used the Village Life quilt from Cloud 9 Fabrics. It’s a free download on their website. I changed the size of the borders to make the quilt more of a standard throw size/shape. In addition to the workshirts and jeans, I used Kona Cotton in Snow for the background, and then used a cozy flannel for the backing. It felt like the right choice for this particular quilt, to be cozy and snuggly for my friend and her family.
We chose clamshells for the quilting to mimic the rounded shingles you would see on the gable of a house. My quilter, Pam of Piece Love and Quilting, did a great job though we pushed her machine to the ultimate limit having the shells as small as we wanted. For the binding I considered using strips from the work shirts, but in the end I decided to use regular quilting cotton and found this perfect indigo stripe at my local quilt shop. I love how it turned out.
The quilt finished up beautifully, and once it went through the washer and dryer it was crinkly, cozy perfect. I hadn’t ever considered using a clamshell panto before, but I’m a fan now and look forward to using it again. Sadly for Pam, my quilter, I also fell in love with this size. Sorry, Pam!!
I was able to give it to my friend just after these pictures were taken and she said it was perfect. It felt so good to get it done and given to her. It was time for this project to be finished and for her to finally have the memorial quilt she wanted.
I have to say, also, that I don’t usually work with this color palette. Those of you who’ve been around here awhile know that I’m all about color! COLOR! 🙂 But this is so pretty and classic I have to say I kind of fell in love with it, and I’m thinking about making something for myself—creamy whites, denim blues and a touch of indigo. Serene and peaceful and feels like summer.
What about you? Do you love or hate working with clothing? How do you feel about blue and white? Come chat with me on Facebook or Instagram, or drop me a line, I would love to hear your thoughts.
