Giving ourselves permission
Lately I have spent alot of time thinking about "redirecting" or "repurposing" some of my favorite projects to get them out of the UFO stage and on my FINISHED and ENJOYING LIST.
This morning I ran across this post on Nadine's blog, Friendship Threads. I started working on my GFG in December 1998. There is enough done to say I made a good stab at it, but not enough to be the queen size quilt I had planned for (obviously I had had BIG PLANS!). I love this take along project and have worked on it during several flights, sitting through a few surgery's for my son and husband, and various other times here and there.
I really wanted to finish this up and use it on our bed...but I am rethinking what new life this UFO could have. There is enough done that I can move things around and maybe come up with a table topper or maybe a dresser scarf. I really like Nadine's tote bag idea. I could take some of it apart and make a jacket out of it. 
I could frame some of it and use it as a piece of framed art, it really is pretty and I have enjoyed working on it.One of the struggles I am having with it is that the color theme is no longer what our bedroom is. We had a pink dogwood bedroom when I started this, now we have a blue and yellow bedroom. Our livingroom is peach and green, the guestroom is wild and bright, and you have seen my new black and white kitchen.
We do have a small hallway that I have been considering putting up a quilt rack to display more of my quilts on, where I could change out the quilts/wallhangings often. I could finish it up and hang it there.
I don't think I am interested in doing alot more on this project so I need to decide what to do with what I have done thus far. I have decided that redirecting or repurposing a UFO is a healthy way to rethink some of my UFO's and most of my mother's UFO's.
Ideas??? Suggestions???
16 Comments:
Rethinking is what art is all about. Go ahead and downsize if that's what you feel like doing. No use working on something when you are no longer really interested. It is too beautiful to just toss but downsizing would be the perfect answer.
It's a beautiful piece. Is there room to frame it AND to have a small rack in the hallway? (Thanks for pointing me to Nadine's blog, too.)
I'd downsize it into a wall-hanging for the hall since it doesn't fit your color scheme anywhere else. It's just too lovely to not do SOMETHING with.
It is a tried and true form of completing UFO's! What about appliquing what you've done to a black background and simply making that the quilt....
tote bag would work and so would the jacket if you are concerned about it not going in the house anywhere. Good for you giving up on the original plan though, Pam. You can still enjoy it that way and not the feeling of guilt about getting no further with it. You want your family to wonder what the heck to do with it if you still don't have it done in your 90's??
Hummm - I think I would applique it onto a white background, add a border and do a title in the bottom using those great free-form letters you have been playing around with. Perfect wall-hanging!
But, honestly - whatever you do decide to do with this - it is much better than letting it sit in the back of the closet...
Cheers!
Evelyn
I love bags - you never have enough bags!!
You should do something that would allow you to enjoy it. Whether it's seeing it on a small table or carrying it on your shoulder as a bag.
You could bundle up all but one block and donate them somewhere. Then take the one block, applique it to a background, quilt it and then matt and frame it. When you see the block you will remember what you said in your post. /paula
all good suggestions Pam..kudos to you for coming to this point-I like the idea of you making a jacket-but would you like wearing those colors?? A table topper/wall hanging seem a fun idea to me. thanks for the inspiration!
It's so very pretty it definitely needs to be something. I like your ideas.
We drove through your town on Sunday. Just skirted by it actually on the way between Bandon and I-5. I wish I could remember the way to where my grandfather lived - I wonder if the house is still there? I doubt if I could find the address anywhere. I visited the quilt shop in Bandon for all of 5 minutes - a pretty shop. I wondered whether your town has a shop too? I'll be in Coos Bay in October for a retreat - I hope there is a quilt shop there.
Your work is very nice! I personally don't worry about matching up some things in a room, if I like it, it stays where ever it fits. There are no rules in this world that can't be changed when it comes to your home decor!
Repurposing it is a great idea. I really like Nadine's idea of making a tote bag, or your idea of framing a section for a nice picture.
I like any of the ideas you suggested. I frequently change the size of my UFO's but they usually still end up at least lap quilt size.
Could you use what you have and applique it to a border and add additional borders to make it lap size? I don't remember where but I've seen something similiar.
I really like the flowers. Maybe appliqueing them down to a background, then you can add a vase and make it more artsy?
Perfect notion to modify it. It's so pretty. Would be a wonderful jacket. Or the wall hanging. They look pretty on the black. Or maybe a very large floral with the pink and green/blue etc. in it. Maybe have some of the blocks in conventional arrangement, then applique some loose ones that are leaving the arrangement.
I can certainly understand not wanting to finish it as a queen size, but very glad you are trying to find a way to use it-those blocks are very pretty and somuch work already done.
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