WIP or Will

January 05, 2023

While I was looking in my stash for potential table topper backings, I found my long-lost 12th Hawaiian Punch block!!! For the last four or five years, I thought perhaps all I had was 11. Turns out I had taken that 12th block on a road trip back in about 2016, and upon return, the missing block did not return to the rest of its family.

The turquoise block snuck out of my project bag with its needle (still attached) and spool of blue Sulky thread to hide behind my gradiant batik stash, along with fat quarter remnants (and the white yardage I'd used for the Hawaiian motifs and QAYG backing!) from which this naughty child and its cousins were initially carved -- neatly folded fabric stacks I have not touched or even looked at in many a moon.

Now all 12 blocks and the mariner's compass I plan to use as a quilt centerpiece are reunited under one roof (the spare bedroom) and ready to slowly but steadily make their way into final placement. This is kind of what I envisioned back in 2012, before I had cut out all the Hawaiian motifs.

Ten of my Hawaiian Punch QAYG blocks have been finished for at least one and quite possibly two decades. I saved the final two blocks for last because they were my favorite colors in the entire project. You'd think that might have motivated me to get them finished faster!

When the turquoise block became lost, I couldn't even find a photo of it to prove it had even existed. I had several photos of 10 finished blocks and two photos of 11 blocks, one unfinished. But no photos of all 12 blocks.

Whoever heard of a fat quarter bundle with just 11 colors? I knew I had to be losing my mind. I was so sure I'd cut 12 Hawaiian motifs, but it was so long ago, before my blog and before I realized the importance of documenting my quilt progress along the way. Perhaps there had been only 11; perhaps that's why the project got put aside so long ago.

I thought I'd have to find a coordinating fabric in a new color and (hand) cut a new Hawaiian motif. I even considered designing my own motif, inspired by the many snowflakes I've designed since 2009. When that didn't get done in a timely manner, I dug out one of my four Hawaiian motif booklets and began searching for just the right hand-paint to complement the existing nine blocks. Thankfully, I never got around to selecting a new 12th block.

My 12th block and I kissed and made up upon its rediscovery. In fact, the reunion was so joyous and so earth-moving (for me, at least), I'm surprised it didn't make the evening news!!! My wayward block was SO close to being finished, how could I not just finish the darned thing on the spot??? No matter what else I had on my plate to occupy the waning hours of 2022!

As much as I wanted to, I did not finish my prodigal block that day. But I finished it in about two hours earlier this week. One down, one to go!

The final block went with me to my mother-in-law's last year, but ended up using that week to work on (and finish!!!)my snowflake skirt. I did get a bit done on the purple block, but too much hand-quilting remains to finish in one evening earlier this week.

But I'm making progress! I have some self-imposed deadlines for myself this year, including the Home on the Range quilt I cut out to teach my mother-in-law to quilt two years ago now, which she has confessed she does not want to make. She loves the fabric, but she says she is too old a dog to teach a new trick. (Her words, not mine.) I wanted to finish it for her for Christmas, and now I'm hoping to finish either by Mother's Day or her next birthday. Or next Christmas. This year, for sure. Perhaps the WIP challenge will help motivate me to finish all the rest of the WIPs on my list this year. Stop laughing! It can be done! I think I can, I think I can, I think I can...

Here is my WIP list for the Ravelry Winter Quarter: