Jane Austen and Remakes

Jane Austen does it for me. No questions, no tip toeing around it. She just does it for me.
This time of year I pull out my Pride and Prejudice DVD and glom it. I tend to prefer the Colin Firth / Jennifer Ehle version, as does the rest of humanity, but I have been watching the Matthew Macfadyen / Kiera Knightly version these last couple of years since it's alot easier to suck someone into watching a 2 hour movie vs a 5 hour series...

Last Christmas I was giving new material. I got this:

I loved the Hugh Grant / Emma Thompson version but after seeing this one on PBS I could not believe I found a superior version. Hattie Morahan owns the role of Elinor Dashwood. there is so much open emotion revealed by all of the characters that I will never watch the Hollywood version again.

Talking about remakes, I'll be watching this one next:

I own the Ciarán Hinds / Amanda Root version but after watching once I couldn't really figure out what the big deal was. I could not really relate or sympathize with the heroine. BBC remade it at the same time as the Sense and Sensibility one. I loved it. Sally Hawkins made me feel for Anne Elliot and Rupert Penry-Jones allowed me to see Capt Wentworth as a man really hurt by Miss Elliot's betrayal. If you feel for the characters the Happy Ever After is so much sweeter.

Now, on to a matter left unattended for too long...

The unfinished Pinwheel project is headed off to Mary at the Quilt Hollow.
Looking forward to seeing what you make of it.

A UFO vs a WIP?

What makes a UFO? Is it the project that has been sitting around for more than 6 months? or is it more the project that you put away knowing that it has stopped inspiring you?

I vote for the later. I wrap up the year with three WIPs but I was determined that I would not end it with any UFOs. But I admit that with just a few weeks for years end, I have one. This is a project that has stopped 'doing it' for me. It's a project I started quite revved up about but just dwindled to nothing.It's a project I know I will never finish.

Earlier this year Rachel Griffin from p.s. i quilt, had a Pinwheel quilt-along and many wonderful quilts were born out of the quilt-along. But, alas, not mine.

I honestly think this project was doomed from the get go since I was not in love with the fabric. I wanted to make it with Sanae's Freebird line but my daughter chose that line to make hers (which never flourished either) and I went ahead and picked up Blackbird Designs Garden Party.

I actually followed along until the very last two blocks. One was not something I liked so I decided to substitute it and then Rachel took a break of her own and I lost my rhythm. When she popped back and said, chose your own pinwheel for the last block... I had moved on. Summer was super busy and I never looked at this project again.

Following in my "No UFOs" in 2010, I am going to do something with it... I'm giving it away. Don't want it, Won't finish it. And it's not hanging around!!

So... let me know if you want it. I have 12 blocks completed. You can see them in this post: Pinwheel sampler. They are all the right size (no wonkiness to them) and the rest of the layer cake with the scraps are all part of the bundle. You take it all. One thing that is missing is the background fabric. Here is what really clued me in that the project was a UFO: I used the background on another project!

It's a solid background and although the original solid was a P&B textile solid, I believe you can find a match in the moda solids or the kona solids by Kaufman. Since there are a few blocks left to make (I believe 4) you could probably scatter the mixed backgrounds among the existing blocks and it could pass. If you want to look for the solid, I have a few swatches in the scraps that might help match it.

Anyway, cleaning out my craft room in preparation for my holiday guests proved to be a treasure trove of interesting finds (old fabric collections, old quilts, etc.) but this one was a thorn in my side and I refuse to put it away!!

Leave me a comment letting me know you want it, and if I get more than one person interested, I'll do the Random number thing on Friday.

Have a great week!!

Progress starts by organization

As I mentioned when I signed up for the Charming Girl's Quilt Club, my goal for the month was to organize myself so I could determine what UFO projects I could tackle and get out the door. This is wha tI did today and I feel so much better!

I have alot of UFOs but most are close to completion so this is a good thing. A few of the projects I plan to take care of in the coming months:



My Mariner's Compass quilt that only needs a border before being a completed top (then it can be quilted!)


My Argyle Quilt that needs to have the rows sewn together and then a few borders before the top and be called completed.


A table runner that needs a couple of small borders (this one will probably be out the door this month)

A have more but I think I'll start with those. If you want to see all my UFO's feel free to check out my Smugmug Gallery called Projects

I hope to quilt a few of the lap size quilts I have completed as well so it promises to be a quilty year! Yeah me!!

Getting around to Doing

I have been thinking on ways to get my projects out the door (or off my UFO list) and I think I have been doing fairly well. I joined the Guild, I've added a few quilty blogs to my google reader (serves as inspiration) and now I'm joining the Charming Girls' Quilt club.


Kelly over at Charming Chatter is hosting a quilt club that promises to be somewhat of a challenge, but that I hope will clear some of the UFOs I have in one of the plastic bins in my closet. I don't have many projects but those I have, have been sitting in the bin for a while.

The idea is to post about the project you expect to finish during the month by the 7th of the given month and then report at the end of the month as to your progress (hopefully you will have finished the project by then). I don't think I've started and finished a project in a month in a very long time but I have many UFOs that just need a little motivation to be called finished.

This month is a bit of a bust since I have actually been helping my daughter on a project of her own but I still think I might be able to get some work done to move some of my projects forward.
First I really need to pull out my UFO bin and take inventory as to where I stand on each one of the projects. I know I have a top that is missing a border and another that needs the rows sewn together. I have another one that needs some applique and a baby quilt that needs a few more rows added to be called complete. Then there is my pinwheels and posies quilt and a hawaiian quilt wallhanging that needs a flying geese border. These are only a few of the pieces I'm looking to finish so I need all the motivation I can get. Then I won't feel so guilting about starting all those new projects I have playing in my head.

I also need to bite the bullet and decide what to keep and what to giveaway. I have a few quilts that will never be called finished because I just don't like / want them anymore. Those I am just going to giveaway. Get them out the door to someone that will finish them and love them.

So my goal this month is to get organized so that I can actually work on the projects I need to finish.

If you are interesting in learning more about the Charming Girls' Quilt Club, you can read all about it here: Charming Girl's Quilt Club

The Potential for a Quilty Weekend

So I'm putting my jealousy for those going to VQF aside and am determined to have a quilty weekend of my own. My parents (who are visiting from Puerto Rico) and my sister/housemate are heading down to San Antonio for the weekend leaving the house to me. I'm thinking this is a great opportunity to put together the Rag quilt I have been working on since all it needs is to put the quilted blocks together and throw it in the wash to make it raggedy

I have a few other projects I want to tackle like the Pinwheel and Posies quilt I had started for Alba but has now become a 'just because' piece since Alba recieved her quilt last Xmas. I also have a few other UFO's in my backstash as well as a few Kits I would like to start.

I'm debating whether to start a new project or work on one that has lost it's appeal. Some of those kits are great weekend projects and I'm all about instant gratification but I thik if I add a few more hours on some of my existing projects I might see more substantial results and get the piece closer to finish.

Oh what to do, what to do?

Work in Progress...

It's been a while but I'm still alive and kicking. I was telling my sister Brenda that I could either update the blog or quilt. Hmmm... tough choice. NOT!

Sorry guys but if I'm on a roll I can't just put on the breaks to update, thus the long time between posts. But I have tons to tell you all!

First an update on Alba's quilt. The quilt previously known as Alba's quilt will now be known as Pinwheels and Posies. That is because Brenda found one of my unfinished quilts among her stash and enlisted JoAnna to finish the quilting. This lead to Alba recieving a quilt much sooner than the one I had started for her.

I made the top when I worked with Bethany Reynolds on her second Stack n Whack book (I was one of her testers) but never got around to quilt it. JoAnna took care of that with great talent and efficiency. Brenda then wrapped things up by binding the quilt during her trip over the holidays.

The label read: Hands united to bring lots of love and faith to Alba Delgado's heart. Completed November 2008 by Sandy Mercado in Texas, Brenda Mercado in NH and Johanna Martinez in NH. (yeah I spelt JoAnna's name wrong!)

Anyway, here is a pic of the quilt

and a close up of some of the quilting!



I am still working on my Pinwheel and Posies quilt but with no specific recipient it has been pushed to the end of the current project list.



Here I was completing the pinwheels. I have since finished all the pinwheels and I'm framing them in the square within the square layout. Then I will be moving on to make the posie block.

I have made a resolution to finish the projects I recently started before I start on a new one. I have 3 projects I want to start (three kits!) but I still have a rag quilt to complete and the pinwheel quilt.

Secret Pieces

So I started a quilt last summer and as most projects it has fallen into that huge UFO pile.
My layout was simple and promised a quick return on investment (time investment that is).
It was a simple rag quilt that didn't need much quilting because I was using Flannel as the backing.

Here is one of the blocks

Some of the other blocks had some button hole appliqué on them and each block is 17.5 inches yielding a decent full size quilt.

Goal: To finish the piece by Christmas.