I love a good blog hop and hops sponsored by Carol of Just Let Me Quilt is no exception. At the bottom of this post are the other bloggers, be sure to visit when you get a chance. I am sure that Born to Be Wild is will generate some awesome projects. Before I show you the one I specifically did for today, I have a few old ones that I would like to share. I expect there will be a lot of quilters humming “born to be wild” all week long!
Drum roll…before we continue I do want you to know that s there is a giveaway (a group of coordinated fat quarters), so be sure to scroll to the bottom and do as I ask to be entered.
Songs often come into our minds when we make quilts. “Wild thing, you make my heart sing” is one that entered my mind when making this quilt. It was from a adored this fabric line, from Island Batik, and this was a project I did when I was an ambassador. It was a double sided log cabin and you can read about the quilt here and a tutorial of sorts on the technique here.
Another favorite project in this category was made from some larger pieces from this line. I called the quilt “Wild Baby” as we all know those babies that have a wild streak in them. You can read about it here.
Today’s project is called a “John’s Wild Things”. It was begun probably in 2000 as a hand piecing project with my son, John, who enjoyed some quilting for a short while. I am not sure why we stopped working on it, but we did. I guess my mother’s dream was we would get back to it, but we never did. So, this was a perfect opportunity to finish it.
The idea was simple. We would sew triangles on the brown squares and turn it into stars. I precut a bunch of the black and brown and the squares. The lines were drawn and all we had to do was sew. In the bag there were 4 completed blocks.
From what was there, I think I knew that it was not going to be a big project, although if it took off I had a lot more brown squares available if it did grow. As I got ready to make the remainder of the square in a square blocks, I realized I had no more of that black. So, the project size was determined.
Because the feature fabrics touched the outside, it was hard to pick a border (with the fabrics on hand), but this orange and some greens worked pretty well. I decided to keep it as a sweet, small quilt and only added one border and the binding.
For the quilting I used frogs – it seemed perfect that there might be other wild things needed to romp across the quilt. You can find the design “Ribbit” for free on the Urban Elements website, it is part of the HandiQuilter Library.
The binding was a favorite fabric that I saved for a long time (and I still have a little left). I don’t know where this quilt will wind up, but for now it will stay with me. Call me sentimental, it’s okay.
John’s Wild Things
Begun in 2000 with hand piece by John McCormick
Finished in 2021 with machine piecing and quilting
30″ x 36″
Pantograph: Ribbit
Batting: Hobbs Poly Down
May 17th
Creatin’ in the Sticks | Vroomans Quilts | Homespun Hannah’s Blog |
Scrapdash | Kathleen McMusing | Just Sew Quilter |
Just Because Quilts
May 18th
MooseStashQuilting | Selina Quilts |For The Love Of Geese |
Elizabeth Coughlin Designs | Quilt Schmilt | Life in the Scrapatch |
Sewing Up My Fabric
May 19th
Ms P Designs USA | Patchouli Moon Studio | Beaquilter |
Hill Valley Quilter |Quilted Delights |Stitchin At Home |
Sew Many Yarns
May 20th
Samelia’s Mum |Inflorescence |
Becky’s Adventures in Quilting and Travel |That Fabric Feeling |
Words & Stitches |Websterquilt | That Fabric Feeling
May 21st
Just Let Me Quilt |Days Filled With Joy |Vicki’s Crafts and Quilting |
Quilting Gail |Lianne Makes Stuff | Quilt Fabrication | Food for Thought
In the comments below, please tell me how old your oldest UFO is and will you finish it? If you have none, tell me your favorite project in the hop. The giveaway open until Sunday the 23rd at midnight.
Coming Up on the Blog:
Tips and Tutorials on the 22nd! – 5/22
TGIFF – 5/27
12″ House Block/s
International Sisters #2
Follow Your Own Path QAL
Linking up:
Free Motion Mavericks
Midweek Makers
Finished or Not Friday/TGIFF
My oldest ufo is a huge star quilt, started in 1995, and still waiting!!
My oldest UFO is also from 2000. The top is all made just needs quilting
So good that you finished that beautiful quilt. Those fabrics are so pretty. My oldest UFO is like 6 years old. ‘Plan on getting it quilted this year.
My oldest UFO is 8 years old. I hope to get back to it, but it will be smaller than I planned, since I have used the fabric from it in other projects. You quilt looks like a good cuddle quilt.
WELLLLLL – my oldest that I have made is from 2009 — am hoping to finish that quilt top in the next week or so — but I purchased a couple of hand quilted tops years ago (one in 2011) and I’m not sure where the other one came from – I have the 2011 top almost done hand quilting – working on it on and off – the other one – not started yet!!
Wow, that is a tough question! My oldest UFO is at least 15 or so years old, and I have every intention of finishing it–several are in line, waiting for me to get inspired. Hee, hee. The quilt you finished is lovely–I like the orange border and green binding. I wouldn’t give it away any time soon either, if one of my children had worked on it as your son did. I would be too sentimental about it. Thanks for sharing!
Wow, but this question made me squirm, After some thought, I realized that my oldest UFO goes back before I started Quilting. I decided before 2000 that I wanted to spark my sewing, I was a fashion sewer at that time), so enrolled in a two day workshop in the city ,a paper pieced iris pattern. Well needless to say I was in way over my head that weekend, and thought I’ll never do anything like this again. Really I hadn’t accomplished much at the workshop. Along came 2003, and a friend included me in her quilting class at the church. Hand pieced and hand quilted, 30 blocks later, a queen size quilt was born, and a quilter was born. Me. After a number of years, I have that pp top done, and the backing prepared. Now to quilt. Yes, I will finish it. and hopefully most of the over 100 projects in the shadows of my sewing boxes. Glad you have finished yours and it is a sweet finish
Thanks for sharing all of your “wild things”. You did a good job on all and you did a good job on finishing the one for the blog hop. I am sure your son will get a kick out of it.
My oldest UFO is about 40 years old. Ugh! I wanted to make my two younger sons each a sailboat quilt. I made one. That was way back when we were still drawing out our pieces with a template! LOL I even hand quilted it. I did cut out everything for the second quilt but never made it. It is still on my list.
Love the quilt! I would be sentimental too and keep it. I do not have UFO’s! I like to finish a project before going on to something new.
Lovely work. It’s always nice to get something done. And sentimental projects are the best.
My oldest UFO is over 20 years old – begun when I was about 12. It’s a pillow panel that I started hand quilting. I finished the hand quilting last year, but haven’t turned it into an actual pillow yet. Unsurprisingly the design doesn’t appeal to me anymore, but it’s the sentimentality that makes me keep it around.
I love everything about your Wild Things quilt. Is that a quilt your son would want now, for the memories?
My oldest UFO is Farm Girl Vintage. I have all the blocks completed but have never taken the time to put them together. When I started it, I was clueless about using the same background, so I have a wild mix of creams and beiges and whites. I finally realized that’s OK and do intend to finish it this year by tying it all together with sashing.
My oldest UFO is a log cabin quilt I started for my daughter about 10 years ago. I look at it every now and then and I do think, I will get back to it some day. Thanks for sharing
Your quilt is beautiful! I love the frog quilting.
I finished my very oldest UFO last year, and I’m not sure what is my next oldest UFO. I need to look at my list. I’d keep this little quilt, too, Kathleen. What a fun memory of sewing with John. Love the frog quilting design!
I am caught up on my projects but I have about 50 patterns for quilts and applique projects just calling to me to get started!
MY oldest UFO was started in 2009 and I just finished quilting it, now for the binding and I can call it finished.
My oldest UFO is a Texas Star quilt that I started in 1992. A friends and I drove an hour to a nearby town and back to attend a two day workshop. The first day was spent drafting the pattern!Aah! No sewing! I finally got some of it done, but then stalled when I couldn’t decide on size. It will now be a table topped…if I ever get it quilted!
Wow, that’s fantastic! I can imagine the warm memories it brings back.
I think my oldest UFO is a crocheted tablecloth I started maybe about 15 years ago. Maybe I’ll get back to it one of these days.
My oldest UFO is 25 years old. It was to be a baby quilt for my son who will be 25 in August. It will never be finished because, being a new quilter, my fabric selections were not good. The fabric is very thin and unravels very easily. But here’s hoping that I can get a mini quilt finished for his birthday this year. He likes the music group Pink Floyd and I found a pp pattern for one of their most popular album covers. It’s already pieced but I have to figure out how to quilt it and bind it. Love your Wild Things. I really like animal prints and have been working on a couple myself.
I don’t have a specific year, but I am guessing it was started in the 90’s, so let’s say 20-25 years old, since it is country blues. It is applique winter theme. Don’t have blues in my house anymore so what to do with it if I ever finish it. Maybe I should just let it languish in the closet until those colors come back in style, hahaha. I love that you finished your project you and your son worked on, and you should hang onto it.
My oldest UFO is probably from 1995! It’s a wall hanging that would work perfect with the Wild Thing theme. It’s a lion that needs to be hand quilted.
My oldest UFO is a diamond quilt that I saw on the internet around 2000. Hopefully, I will finish it sometime.
My oldest UFO is about 30 years old….. So wonky and caddywumpus that it will probably stay that way I think….
My oldest UFO was started in 2007. I started it while at a friends house and never finished it. I no longer have any of the fabric and the sewing is just terrible! haha! I was in the very beginnings of sewing and didn’t even know what a 1/4″ seam was at the time.
The fabrics in the log cabin block and wild baby quilt are perfect for the hop. Always nice to finish a UFO. My oldest one is a Patchwork Party 2007. It was a learning project and I did complete all the blocks and pieced the center of the top and have the borders pieced but never sewed them on. I admit that I have a stack of UFOs in my closet. Need to get them done someday … 🙂 Pat
Most of my UFO’s are stuffed in a box somewhere, but I am sure I have some 20 year old UFO’s out there. I decided to go through all my blocks that I made that were 8″ or under and make them into purse flaps for the purses I sew for the Sew Powerful Purse Project, so I ended up with over 130 flaps just using up those misc. blocks and I still have more blocks that I haven’t sewn yet. So glad I was able to use those blocks for something worthwhile. Now I am slowly cutting the rest of the fabric for each purse and sewing them the purses. I love those wild animal prints you used in your quilt.
Very wild, indeed! I love the sentimentality of this quilt, Kathleen! The quilting is the frosting on the quilt!!!
my oldest UFO quilt is a baby quilt I started for a friends baby. The baby is just about to finish collage . . . . But I also have a smocked dress I started for my niece when she was a baby – she is 24.
The oldest UFO is over 10 years old…it is country barns with small quilts embroidered on them…still have 7 small quilts to do out of 20.
This is such a treasure to have finally finished. I love all the jungle prints in it and how you quilted it…awesomely wild! Thank you for sharing! I have five or six UFOs waiting for a finish someday.
Your quilt is wonderful and the frogs are just so perfect popping up throughout. I’ve been routing around my UFO’s over the last few months and I believe I have at least one from between 2000 – 2005 and several from 2010 on.
My oldest UFO is 8 year old. For some reason, I signed up for EVERY free BOM on the internet when we first moved here, thinking I could finish ‘at least’ one block on each every month. BIG mistake. I WILL finish them, though Im not sure when.
Thank you for sharing all your projects. They are each so different and quite wild. I love the frog quilting on John’s Wild Things.
I am pretty sure my oldest quilt doesn’t go back further than 2010. Yes, it will be finished. I DO have one that was the start of a mystery BOM. I loved the first few blocks and then… It will be finished, just not as the designers intended. Thanks for the chance to win.
My oldest UFO is from ten years ago. It is made from camping themed fabrics and just needs to be quilted.
One of my oldest ufo’s is a Christmas themed quilt–I think it was ready for quilting–now need to find it!!
Now I have the song Wild Thing stuck in my head.
So glad you finished this quilt because it is lovely! Absolutely love the frog quilting design.
My oldest UFO is about 31 years old. I rescued the quilt top from my house after it burned, so it is a little singed and discolored, but I kept it as a pattern because it was one of my first designs — teddy bears and bees.
My oldest UFO is from my first quilting class in the 90s. Gorgeous fabric. I really need to finish it !
Lovely borders and great colours for the wild design. Hope you have it on show every day, it so deserves to be seen. My oldest UFO, probably some blocks from a BOM way back in 2009 maybe, and I could not decide how to sash them and arrange them. Maybe this year will see them made into something!!
I think my oldest UFO is 42 years old and was a sampler quilt that I started when I was learning to quilt. We used sand paper and plastic templates, drew around them, cut with scissors about 1/4 ” away and tried to make these less than perfect blocks. The fabric is poly/cotton and not so pretty. I should just put the blocks together and donate the quilt but I think it is not something I’d want associated with me. Must be my humility project.
Hi Kathleen! You bet I will call you sentimental but it’s not like that’s a bad thing. I’m glad you’re hanging on to this cutie. I’ll bet John remembers those quilting sessions with a smile and may have even wondered what happened to this piece. Now you can tell him that you’ve finished it off quite nicely. {{Hugs}} ~smile~ Roseanne
My oldest UFO has got to be 20 years old…and yes, I do keep whittling away at my ufos so I do hope to get to it one of these days!
The fabrics you used are definitely ‘wild’; loved the realistic lions; just what a boy would love. I have gobs of UFOs and have been working on them for the past several years. Yes, I do plan on finishing them all – I hope to have enough time!! I just sandwiched a quilt I started in 2011 – only a short 10 years ago!
Great looking shares for the hop!
I love your quilt and especially love the frog quilting. My oldest unfinished would be about 21, I will finish it when I find all its bits, maybe I should give it a 21st party.
My oldest UFO is so old I can’t remember exactly when I started it. But I know where I started it. So my best guess was I started a log cabin table runner at North Country Arts Workshop in 1998 in Bemidji MN. All it needs is the binding.
This is very embarrassing, but my oldest UFO dates back to the 80s. It is all hand sewn, and some of the hand quilting is done. Then life got in the way as my 3 girls grew. Besides making almost all their clothes, I made costumes for musicals and formals. Then I started sewing for the grandchildren and got into smocking and heirloom sewing for the girls and pj’s for the boys as well as costumes. Now I am back into quilt making, but not wanting to pick up that UFO to finish the hand quilting. My colors have also changed, so if I am really honest with myself, I probably won’t finish it. But I still hang onto it thinking “someday”………..
I hate to admit it, but mine is from 1982. I was a quilt for my first born, that I never had the time to finish. I still have it. (Shame on me!)
Wonderful wild quilt! Love that you have frogs hopping across it! 🙂
Wild thing, I think I love you! =) That is a wonderful finish and I really like the quilting panto.
Hmmm… probably 2020. An EPP quilt that I’m slowly hand quilting as the mood strikes me. Great projects.
My oldest UFO is from 2002. It is halfway hand quilted and I’m considering making it a jacket.
What a special quilt “John’s Quilt” is. Filled with memories and love. You have some very cool wild life quilts, and they all speak to my heart!
My oldest UFO is from 1978! I started to learn to quilt by hand piecing a Grandmothers Flower Garden – why???- cause that’s what Mom suggested. I still have the cut out
pieces and every so often take my little kit out just to enjoy the memories of Mom and me.
Oh my goodness! My oldest UFO is from either 1989 or 1990, still not finished. It is on my list to finish, maybe this year. It needs more quilting and a binding. The most amazing part is that I still have the fabric set aside for the binding, LOL.
I think my oldest project is at least 25 years old. I have 2. Both were BOM from a company called Ben Franklin Crafts. Yay for your finish, and love how it turned out.
Great projects! I know how it is to finish up an old UFO, I have several of those and when one gets off the list it feels so good. My oldest UFO is from 1999, about a year after I started quilting. It is a Yellow Bordered 4 patch quilt, as in each 4 patch is bordered with yellow. I was buying my fabric from Walmart at the time and they always had this one yellow print I used and then they just didn’t have it anymore. I tried to find it online, but people offered ridiculously high prices for it. In my stubbornness to only use that one yellow and not pay more than $20 a yard for it, it became a UFO. I think it’s about time to mix up my yellows and get this one finished! 🙂
Well, Kathleen, since you asked so nicely, let me tell you that I have no UFOs. I do have some audition blocks, orphan blocks, leftover blocks and so on. Once they reach a critical mass, I will make an Improv Quilt like Pandora’s Box. As to when, lets’ see, after the Positivity QAL is over, I will reassess my block situation. Trust me, I will keep you posted 😀
I probably only have a year old UFO, when working with Michael Miller fabrics last year I got some Christmas gnome fabrics way too late, so I’m slowly working on that project. It’s EPP and is a good portable project but I just haven’t felt motivated lately, maybe in the fall?
My oldest UFO’s are from the 80’s! And I fully intend to finish them! Thanks for the inspiration! Beth
This is great Kathleen! I love the sweet memories of special times contained within it. That frog design is a great one too. My oldest UFO is probably 20+ years old egad, a stack n whack and although I think of it from time to time tbh I am not sure I will finish it.
Hi Kathleen. Love your quilt and the memories tied up in it. I will confess to having parts of a UFO from 2007. It was my first quilt ever and started at a quilt retreat. Barkerville Spools was made from 3” pieced spools (hundreds of them ). I never did make the quilt after finishing the spools. . Instead I have used some of them for spool borders in other quilts. I checked and there is still over 200 of these lovely spools so perhaps I should finish them up to at least flimsy stage and see what else I can do to make it mine
What a relief that must have been to finish after all this time. Beautiful finsh.
So cute!! love all the animal prints!
I would likely NEVER give that quilt away, if I were you, Kathleen!! Nice job on finishing up that UFO for the Hop. My oldest UFO? The oldest that I can recall off the top of my head is 22 years old. I will finish it… Eventually!! Thanks for offering a chance to win a prize.
Very cool quilt and perfect for this hop! xx
Love, love, love the frog quilting! So fun, and a great choice for an animal/wild themed quilt!
Hello Kathleen,
Congratulations on getting such an old UFO finished. What lovely memories you must have of stitching with your son. My son would have been a disaster with a needle, so I’m really impressed that you had a project going with yours.
Wild Thing, The Troggs, 1966. They were from Hampshire. Remember it well. Showing my age.
Thank you for linking up with Free Motion Mavericks!
Love, Muv