Work, Work, Work (but somebody's got to do it)!

I have been working on several quilting projects the past couple of days. I am always working on the UFOs that will be coming due in our UFO Challenge. (If you don't know what that is, check back in the archived blogs.) I finished two of those pieces--the Friendship Star Christmas Table Runner and the Blue and Yellow Lori Smith Basket Quilt. I'll be posting pictures of them as they come up in the challenge. Just an update--the new UFO assignment has been chosen. Mine is to finish three Christmas Tree Table Runners (like the one I have pictured below). I had already worked on them some, so the tops are all sewn together. Yesterday, I cut the backings and battings for all three and got them all pin basted. I finished the straight machine quilting on two of them. Now, I have to do the free motion quilting and make the bindings.
I have also been working on my quilt guild program (Glorious Gadgets)--gathering gadgets, reviewing pricing for those, and checking on places where those may be purchased. I also have done some work on a paper-piecing class I may be teaching for the guild using a pattern I created using EQ6. I have a whole new respect for pattern writers!

I'm working on gathering things together to work on at the Spring Mill Quilting Retreat this coming weekend. I'm having a hard time narrowing down my choices of projects (there are just SO many to choose from). I want to work on my The Quilt Show 2009 Block of the Month Quilt--Stars for a New Day. I just printed March's assignment for that quilt; I have to make one hundred and forty-four 2-inch half-square triangles and sew them into pinwheels! I also have to make eight more sawtooth stars. Actually, I have 17 sawtooth stars done (so I'm finished with this month's assignment for those). I have the pieces cut for the remaining 55 sawtooth stars required for this quilt. I would like to get some of those sewn at the retreat. I also wanted to work on a quilt called Wave Runner. I have gathered most of the materials (thanks to the donation of some black and white fabrics from some great friends that are really into stash reduction these days). However, in reading through the pattern, I think there is a mistake in some of the measurements. I really don't want to cut into the fabric until I know for sure. I have emailed the pattern designer with my question but have not heard back as of yet. I'll be sure to post pics from the retreat (if I remember my camera).