Starting Over

What's that date on my last entry? Nearly a YEAR!?!?! And you know what? I still haven't quilted Janice's quilt. I am so ashamed. Really. And depressed as all get-out.

The only thing to do, after I get over my crying spell, is to get with the program -- again. Beck and I have nearly cleaned off the cutting table. We moved the keyboard into the kitchen and now just have to find homes for the books and other things still on the table. We've decided to use that table primarily for cutting fabric. Beck can put her sewing machine up on that table once we finish cutting all the fabric for our current projects.

I need to start small since I tend to get carried away with all my Grand and Glorious Ideas. I have so many UFOs to choose from. Here are a few I can think of just off the top of my head (which is throbbing from a stress headache right now):

• Charity Quilts: I have enough Happy Blocks already sewn to make 2 or 3 charity quilts. All I have to do is select the ones I want to use, sew them together for the basic quilt, then choose some fabric for borders & binding. I may even have already cut some border fabric for at least one if I remember correctly. Plus I have plenty of fleece to use for backings, so that's not a problem.
• Janice's quilt - just needs to be quilted! I have the backing and batting - just need to lay it out, pin baste itm quilt it and put on the binding.
• Quilts for Tina, Tracie & Berry. I need to cut more strips of Jim's shirts and be sure I have enough muslin for foundation square. Then just take the time to sew the strips onto the muslin. Not that hard. What's wrong with me? Never mind; don't answer that. I'm damned near suicidal as it is.
• Sylvia's quilt in memory of Michael. I'm pretty sure I have all the fabric cut. I think I've sewn most of the star blocks. I just need to pull it all out and see where it stands. Mike died in July. I want Sylvia to have this before then!
• Baby quilt for David's newest - now that he's almost a year old! I have the fabric and the pattern - just got to cut and sew. He'll need a crib quilt now that he's grown some.
• My Spring bed quilt - the top is sewn - just need to quilt it, bind it and put it on mybed already!
• Rebecca's bed quilt -- ditto!
• Karen's bed quilt -- ditto!!
• Blocks from my BFA buddies - They just need to be put together. I'll need to cutting sashing & cornerstones for them, but that wouldn't take long if I'd just get off my ample derriere!
• Linda's blue and white quilt. I bought enough BOM fabric from a local quilt shop to make 2 quilts by the pattern they had chosen. Turns out I HATE that pattern. So I'm adjusting it and now have enough fabric to make 2 king size quilts and at least one charity baby quilt. I made a good start on putting the blocks together and may already have almost enough blocks to make the quilt top for Glenn's sister Linda. She's retiring soon, so now would be a good time to finished the darned quilt! Not to mention I wouldn't mind having one of my own.
• My kitty quilt. That one's more involved than these others, but I really want to do it.

How to prioritize? My blood pressure is climbing higher and higher just thinking about all my failures. So I just gotta grab a project and get with it. Any project will do - just DO SOMETHING!

Okay, here's the NEW GRAND & GLORIOUS PLAN!

1. Finish clearing off cutting table.
2. Cut strips from Jim's shirts
3. Choose patterns for Tina's & Berry's quilts.
4. Pick fabric and cut strips or squares depending on the pattern
5. Sew the tops for those quilts.
6. Sort Happy Blocks and decide how many quilts they will make. Start sewing them together using them as starter and ender strips while working on quilts for Jim's kids.
7. Pull out fabric for Michael's memory quilt - see what I've done and decide how to proceed.

That sounds do-able. Now if I can just make myself DO it!