a little push to get those quilt UFO’s (Un-Finished Objects) done. All quilters have them. Some are out in the open; some are hidden away. Some cause frustration; some are presumed to never again see the light of day. No matter the reason, a quilt UFO is a nagging reminder that a job wasn’t finished and that someone might be missing out on a really nice, homemade gift. To help solve this dilemma with our guests, Road to California 2018 instituted its first class dedicated to finishing those pesky quilt UFO’s. Titled, Goodbye UFO’s-Hello New Projects, it was led by acclaimed Road teachers, Pat Yamin and Stevii Graves. Of the class, Pat remarked, “We wanted to bring back community sharing in this class; sharing what each other was working on and sharing everyone’s different levels of experience and use of techniques to get the projects done.” Students were encouraged to bring work they started from home or what they began in classes taught during Road. Sewing machines were provided so that there would be one less excuse for quilters not to finish their project.
What else did the class offer to encourage quilt UFO success?
A quiet, dedicated time to work.
A cell phone free zone to avoid distraction.
Rewards for showing up (everyone got goodie bags filled with sewing gear from Primm USA) and for hanging in there (throughout the evening, students won door prize giveaways donated by Pat and Stevii).
One of the door prize winners was Gwendolyn Humphries from Victorville, California. She has been quilting for 3 years when she found more free time after retiring from a career as a Speech Therapist for the San Bernardino County Schools. Gwendolyn signed up for this class because “I have a lot of stuff to finish. I knew Pat could help me if I got stuck.” Gwendolyn has been to Road to California the past 3 years and “loves it.” She said she loves trying new things, especially new machines, when she takes classes. Fontana, California resident, Angelica Reyes, took Lee Chappell Monroe’s Blooming Dresden class and was looking forward to having quilting experts Stevii and Pat share their knowledge in helping her finish up the class project. Do you have any quilt UFO’s waiting to be finished? Try these class reminders: ]]>