Tying Up Loose Ends

It came to me this afternoon as I was...well, tying knots...that 2008 has a theme for me. The theme is "Tying Up Loose Ends."

When I woke up this morning and considered how I wanted to spend my day, I remembered the "UFO" in my closet -- that quilt I began a year and a half ago when I first decided to take up quilting. "UFO" of course stands for "Unfinished Object." It's not the only UFO in there, but this was very close to actually being completed before I abandoned it in favor of newer, more exciting projects.

The problem with this quilt was that I was a bit too confident in my nonexistent quilting skills when I began it. This was the first quilt I ever attempted to make! I diligently shopped for fabrics and cut out neat little 5 1/2" squares. I arranged them in a simple pattern, measured full-size quilt dimensions, and created a quilt top with nicely matched corners. But then it was time to actually make it a QUILT. No problem, I thought. Top, batting, backing...got it. I soon realized it was a bit more complicated, because when I tried to sew it all together, the layers slipped and slid all over the place.

Here's a piece of advice, if you aren't a quilter but have thought about trying: don't choose a full-size quilt for your first project. Start with something smaller, like, say, a pot holder. Or a placemat. I did that AFTER this project was stuffed into the closet. I went on to make four twin-size quilts, a baby quilt and two small quilts for the wall. But this thing taunted me from inside its box every time I opened the closet.

Fortunately there's more than one way to quilt a quilt. I tied it. Simple enough, I took embroidery thread and tied little knots on every corner, about 5" apart. I finished it today! And for the binding, I dug out the small scrap of cream-colored broadcloth leftover from the backing (it was buried in a bag, way back in the depths of my cluttered closet) and had JUST ENOUGH to make binding with 17 inches of binding left over!

Here is the finished product:



Looks kind of nice, doesn't it? I'm insanely proud of this thing.

I decided it's time to finish up all of the UFO's before I start something else. Let's see...there's a patchwork fleece quilt in there, and a scrap Irish chain, and a pinwheel quilt yet to do. A few weeks ago I finally finished assembling a crocheted granny square afghan I began making in 2004 - those blocks traveled to Florida and back, keeping me occupied in the car. It looks marvelous and I'd like to start another...oops...after I get the UFO's done!

But there are other loose ends to tie up this year besides craft projects.

I have to "settle an estate," as the phrase goes. That means I have to dig up info on every account my mother held and either pay it off or collect what she had coming to her. And pay her taxes. And have all property probated to my ownership. And pay the attorney to do it. And, basically, pack up her life into boxes and dollar figures, for storage and investment. Close it out. The End.

On a more positive note, I get to finish my college degree, the one I started 22 years ago! Granted I won't actually be finishing it this year...maybe 2010 if all goes well...but there are still many knots being tied here. Actually applying for and registering for college is a big one, a very significant step. Just finding out what I need to do in order to earn that degree is, I think, putting me halfway to the finish line.

We will try to complete a lot of projects that were begun and abandoned. Like that pool. And the garden. Home repairs. Many good intentions.

The point, of course, is that just like it says in Ecclesiastes to everything there is a season. I'll add a verse. There's a time to begin, and a time to finish things...before beginning anew. New beginnings are a lot more fun, but completion is gratifying.