UFOs - a fail and a new start

As you may know I am participating in a UFO challenge with my quilt group.

The number drawn for November's challenge was #12.  I nearly cried.

Have you ever had a UFO that has been hanging around forever.  The quilt seemed like a good idea at the time, but now it's just kind of an albatross hanging around your quilt stash.  That's how I felt about #12, the denim I-Spy quilt.

Original animation found at hawaiireporter.com

My denim I-spy quilt was born when my kids were little.  They loved to play I-spy so I thought a quilt they could throw on the ground, use for a picnic blanket, get dirty, etc would be great!  So I started collecting denim and novelty fabrics.  I have a ton of denim and tons of novelty scraps.  My friends and family have been helping for years.  I told them if they had any novelty scrap that was at least a 5 inch square to send it my way.  And I had tons of friends giving me old worn out or otherwise unwearable blue jeans.

So what's my problem?  It took me years to get to this point and my kids are no longer little and no longer into playing I-Spy.

I put this UFO on my list in hopes that it would motivate me to finish it.  Then to add even more incentive, our group decided that with Christmas going on it was just too much to choose a UFO for December so the November quilt would get two months to finish.  Great timing right?  Two months to work on my least favorite item on the list.

Well my planned failed!  I didn't even touch the thing!  So here's what I've decided.  I'm not going to finish the denim I-spy quilt.  I've decided to just redo my thinking and make a denim patriotic quilt instead.  I think it is something I can finish without a great deal of time and no more worrying about an I-spy quilt my kids are too old to enjoy now anyway.

I will figure out something to do with the novelty scraps, I'm just not sure what yet!

This month #3 was chosen.  I'm really excited about this one!  I'm not 100% sure what direction it's going to take yet but I have a pretty good idea of what I want.  Wish me luck.