Generally, I like to call my unfinished projects WIPS, or Works in Progress, not UFOs. This is because I actually like having a catalogue of things to pick from when I get the chance to sew. It doesn't stress me out - usually. But this, this project must definitely be called a UFO.
I've been quilting for 16 years now. This project is 15 years old.
Going again into the Way, Way Back Machine this project started in 1999, when people were all up in arms over Y2K. Quilters, of course, put their positive spin on it and started swaps. Put 25 mini charms in an envelope, repeat that 80 times, and swap them out. Bang, 2000 charms!
These days people call it Scrap Vomit. I call it a bag of envelopes I found buried in my garage.
(To find out what else I found in my garage check out my Instagram feed. Oh boy. #thingsifindinmygarage)
The smart people with their Y2K swaps took the charms as they came in and sewed together the 25 into one block. Then they were able to quickly put the quilt top together, and keep things manageable. I, of course, wanted to get all fancy. I have sketches and math on trying to figure out creative ways to put my top together. And that's why they are all still in envelopes.
Now it is time to move this into the WIP stack. But me, being me, I need to catalogue all of this first. Into my sketchbook will go the addresses as I unpack. And then I think this will become my next Leader/Ender project. Let's hope it doesn't take another 15 years to finish this!
Update: I found a book where I wrote down all the people I swapped with! Now to just get these organized in piles.
Did any of you participate in a Y2K swap?
12 comments:
Not only did I participate I collected charms in two sizes! And like yours they marinated for a long time. I finished the first one last year and the next is still waiting its turn. Some day these will be historic quilts from the first wave of internet swaps so I do intend to finish the second one.
I wasn't sewing at the time, so, no. would love to see yours when it's done. Fun!
good for you to finally work on it, there seems to be a lot of time and postage already invested in the project.
That's an old WIP, for certain! lol. My oldest UFO is from 2004, I think, and I would have finished it but it's been in storage since 2008... Oops. :-)
Good luck getting it sorted out!
I didn't participate in a swap, but I made a Millennium quilt with two thousand tumble blocks from two thousand different fabrics. I finished it about three years ago with the help of some wonderful quilters from all over the world sending me fabric. I had used every fabric in my mom's stash and my stash, but I still needed some more fabrics.
I did a couple of block swaps and have 2 great millenium quilts. Didn't do the charm square swap though.
I'm a newbie to quilting--this sounds wild and crazy! 2,000 pieces all coming in the mail--YIKES! Was the idea that when all the electronics came to a halt on Jan 1, 2000, all that would left to do would be to quilt itty bitty pieces by candlelight? LOL
I didn't participate in the Y2K swap but I relate to your comment that you wanted to get all fancy instead of taking the simple route and just doing it. That's me all the way. I want to design my own instead of following the crowd and thus somethings just don't get started let alone done. Have a good weekend.
This last two weeks I have been tackling the bags and boxes in my sewing room (in my spare time, it wasn't quite bad enough to take two whole weeks!) and I ended up colour sorting my scraps with the intention of making a scrap quilt. I have Sunday Morning Quilts to help me!
Even though I knew they were in there somewhere, when I finally came across my Y2k squares I loved them all over again! I once again laid them out to try to find a pattern I like. I cnt decide! Now I've resolved to sew them together in colour groups to at least start the process! I agree with Susan M, these squares will be the historic quilt reminders of the start of the internet generation. I'm so glad I was part of it.
My y2k charms all got trimmed to a consistent 2.5 (3 inch squares was a goal that many missed - myself included, no doubt) inches when the scrap vomit phenomena hit a couple years ago. They are all in a bin with other very old or very ugly 2.5 inch squares waiting to become scrap vomit quilts. I've made seven of them so I am not in a hurry to work on them just yet.
I'm still working on my Y2K quilt !
It will be finished one day...I am determined
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