Article continues below this Ad
Let’s chat Unfinished projects, that would be a UFO in ‘Quilt-Talk’ .. I have thoughts… many thoughts! Read on!
I’ve had lots of discussions over the years about how to handle UFOs. Sometimes several things happen and I then feel the frantic need to get them under control
This week when I chatted with Lindsay on my talk show she mentioned ‘Did she have the passion to work on that quilt’. I have not been able to stop thinking about that. And then because I’m getting ready for new things, finishing up things, my own work area became crazy and I needed to address it.
So first.. I want to say if you do not have an unfinished project … most quilters may want to take your pulse…. wink! Most of us have many that have not been worked on for.. cough.. awhile..
When I got my projects out to reorganize the storage of them yesterday I found the two above.
How did I decide if they are worth working on?
- When I found the top group of Cozy Christmas blocks, I got SO excited! I’d TOTALLY forgotten about that project. I love the big scale blocks, the darling fabric and that a TON Of blocks are DONE already. Enough i could set them without making many more .. STATUS? KEEP
- Then the second group of coney island. Again I got VERY excited to see the coney island fabric and I’d TOTALLY .. again.. forgotten about that project. BUT.. not many blocks done. And I started to think about it and realized that I was not feeling the love to make more of those blocks. They are to be stars. But I just was not excited when making them. BUT I love the fabric… STATUS? DO NOT CONTINUE with this pattern. BUT since I like the fabric, I’ll find a new project for it. And the pieces already done? I have a box of orphan blocks They eventually will be use for .. something.. but it’s better to have them in there than a whole project not being worked on.
Leave me a comment telling me
What is your BIGGEST Issue when dealing with a UFO
and would you like me to do a series on UFO Busting?
- Find the Cozy Christmas Fabric HERE & you can still get some Coney Island
- Read my newsletter HERE.
- Listen to my chat with Lindsay
- ENTER my Fabulous Friday Giveaway & Download my free Button club patterns
- FIND all my UFO Posts from this year and many prior years
168 Responses
I have quite a few UFO’s. I have a tendency to get distracted with a new pattern I like and start it before finishing what I was working on. I also have a few tops done that need quilting and some not started projects. I have the pattern and the fabric but haven’t cut yet. I would be very interested in a series on UFO’s.
I have so many unfinished projects that it’s just ridiculous! I think I’m ADD when it comes to Quilting! I’m always off to a new project! I just can’t manage to see the project through to the end before some other quilt has me all wound up! I need a good UFO busting class. I have Quilts that just need borders, and some that all the blocks are finished and I just need to put them together.., you name it! There are piles of unfinished Quilts! Help!!!!
Sounds like you’ll be doing a series on UFO’s. Looking forward to it. Right now I have a goal to sort through a cupboard or a drawer (just one a week) in my sewing room and to be really tough and clear about what will be kept and what will go to a new home. Not necessarily UFO’ but stuff. Wish me luck.☺️
I am in the middle of getting some of my UFOs done. I have decided that my husband’s family is getting some of them. I have been lucky this semester that I am only teaching two days a week. I am off two days that my husband isn’t home so I have been using those days to finish up the tops. Some I found in a stash of tops that I have finished but never given to someone so they re going to someone else. Now to get them quilted.
I have a pile of blocks that although the colors all go well together, they’re all different sizes and look like a hodgepodge when put together!
For quilts, my problem is doing the binding. Long time UFOs either stay as UFOs until I get to them OR I pass them onto someone or charity. Tips to finish UFO’s would be great.
My biggest issues with UFOs is that I start projects and then don’t take/make the time to work on them. The other issue is I start something and find that I don’t have the actual skill to finish it.
I did make a list at the beginning of this year and my goal was to work on each project for at least a month & if I didn’t enjoy it, I would give myself permission to let it go & see if I could find a new home for the project or repurpose the fabric. That did not work as well as I hoped because I had one project I had to finish. It is now done except for putting on the binding. That will have to wait until after I get back from my cruise.
I would love a UFO busting challenge or ideas.
What I have done with an UFO top I don’t like no more is donate to charity or a quilting group who will finish it for charity. No more money invested but someone will benefit from it.
I have about 18 WIPS….(works in progress). It seems that I get so excited about starting a new project, that I put the current project aside. It’s not to say I won’t ever finish any of them, but I get close to the end then start something new. Sometimes I hit a glitch and my skill level, or lack of confidence prevents me from going any further. I did participate in the APQ2017UFO Challenge and made progress on a few of my projects. I like the idea of UFO busting
As for me, I only ha e one UFO. I make quilts for specific purposes and people typically, although I g ave a nook full of patterns I want to try. So, UFOs,are not an issue for me.
Thank you for the tips… I need to go through my UFO’s and make some decisions- to finish or not to finish. I also have several tops that need to be quilted and bound – do those really qualify as UFO’s? I did get my time in and qualified to use the long arm at my LQS… I do have appointments set up for both November and December. I am going to try and get in once each month until I get caught up on my tops- and then just go in as I have a top done needing to be quilted. But then I am adding to the pile with two tops; having just finished the Children’s Library Quilt and working on the Grandma’s Kitchen. Isn’t that the way things go LOL. I may never get totally caught up on the tops. Oh well, at least I am enjoying my hobby…
You did do a UFO busting series this year and I did good for the first 4 months and then life got in the way as well as your web site. I’m not complaining. But now I have 2 more UFO’s – the solstice and the children’s library that need to be quilted, plus I also enjoy going to local classes – add another 2 OFO’s. But I’m not complaining. It’s fun. And now I’m doing the neighborhood one. My addiction is never ending!
If I no longer love an unfinished project, I donate it to a quilt guild. If it’s a mistake I’m holding on to, out it goes. I did the same with fabric that I am not in love with. It’s liberating, I tell you!
I always finish a quilt that I don’t like…then I donate it. It is out of my hair and yet I have the feeling that I did something good out of it. I can then forget about it and move on. A totally FREEING feeling that I can do whatever I want without any feeling of something hanging over my head from a previous project.
Oh yes please do something on busting UFOs
UFO help is needed in my house! 🙂 I start projects but either run out of the “Right” fabric because I miscalculated, changed the pattern size or thought I can get that any where! Then it sits. And piles up. And laughs at me. And taunts me. Then the biggest stopper is quilting the top….I can not afford to send them out so I don’t quilt them together. I want to quilt my own tops.
Yup…UFO for 2018
I am as guilty as everyone else, I have several ufos. Yikes. So the other day I pulled out two that I really want to finish and hung them on my sewing room door and I am going to work on them until they get done. Not much is left to do anyway. Then I will pick two more until I get them done and try really hard not to take on to many new projects. Please help. Problem is all those wonderful new projects just waiting to be bought.
My UFO busting sometimes goes to the wayside because a new idea on the internet catches my eye and I begin planning for something new and exciting–should I even have read this article?? “wink, wink 😉 ;)” I did start on some UFO busting in January and it went well for a few weeks, finishing some holiday projects(one was about 18 years old), so I’m waiting to make another UFO busting list for January–nothing like procrastination!
My UFO’s are quilt tops that need to be sandwiched and then quilted. It stresses me out to try and think if what to quilt and on top of that is that I’m never satisfied with my quilting. Yes, a IF I busting video/article would be a fantastic idea.
Ufo’s are great, they are a challenge to me..
Blocks I don’t like, cut them up and sew back together in a totally unrelated way.
A flimsy I don’t like.. again cut it up, strip it and mix the strips into a totally
different order, add some brights in between if it needs brightening up, or darker strips if it need calmed down, Cut that flimsy into strips and then into smaller strips and sew together into chevron pattern, Last week I cut up a full size flimsy that was a friendship star pattern, I first cut it into ” new block sizes, then cut each square kitty corner both ways.sewedthe new pieces together inside out from what they had been, and now I have a new flimsy that is a more ” modern” look, and there are “NO” stars anywhere.. use your imagination, it is fun once you convince yourself that you can just cut it up LOL, just think of that flimsy as if it was a whole piece of fabric !!
I have a stack of UFOs! Two reasons they aren’t finished
1. A block is not right 🤦🏻♀️ I’d have to “reverse sew” the completed top, flip the wonky block (why is it always in the center?!?) then piece the top back together. Ugh!
2. Haven’t a clue what quilting design will enhance the piecing. 🤷🏻♀️ I have a domestic sewing machine, which is fabulous, but wrestling larger quilt sandwich is exhausting. (I guess that’s actually 3 reasons 💁🏻)
Pat, I’d love for you to address these UFO busting reasons
My biggest issue is actually getting to the quilting. Several tops done…just waiting for their “bottoms”!! Why? I think mostly because I’m scared…what if I ruin it? What if I pick the wrong design? I’m not good at FMQ (yet!), on and on…I’m at that point now though that it’s time…I think!
I would love you to a busting on UFO’s I must admit I have too many, but when I take one out to finish it I don’t like the colors so I play around with different colors then can’t decide to leave it alone or finish it, sometimes I finish it and look at it and say not bad, I finished one way to go. I just finished one the other night that I found sitting for over a year, all I had left was binding two colors to choose from so I played with them and finally picked the one which I like and then it was done, YEA
Thnks Pat for all you do for us
I know when I started each UFO I was excited about the block & the Fabrics. Something along the way distracted or unsettled me. Neither one of those is a reason to not finish. I currently have double digit finished Quilt tops and I don’t know how many blocks only UFOs. I have made a contract with myself and it is working. I allow myself to start a new Quilt only after completing one of my UFOs. This has become so exciting for me I’ve actually skipped starting new and finished a couple before moving on. For me it’s all mind set. Get yourself in a position of reminding yourself a finished Quilt is better than a perfect Quilt and you will be surprised how you can work through those UFOs! Oh, and no matter how much you dislike the finished Quilt, I will guarantee someone you know will love it!
A friend of mine told me she has 114 UFO’s (she owns a quilt store and has to make a lot of samples for classes and such). I’m afraid to count mine! I definitely would like a UFO series, Pat!
Ufo busting is a great idea , I have a quilt on the frame now since over a year and for some reason can’t get myself to quilt this 😣
My biggest hurdle is deciding how I want to quilt the project. Even small things like pillows, table toppers, etc. Yes, a series on how to get them finished would be great! Our Guild has had prizes for finished UFOs for almost 2 years and I still don’t have much done. New things always grab my attention.
Maybe consider finishing it and then donating it.
Oh yes! UFO’s are a chronic problem/challenge for me!
I start so many quilts and really only finish a dozen or so a year because I like to do all my own quilting… which takes time.
I have UFO’s with names and trying to get tax deductions. I can also give you just as many excuses. If a pattern goes smooth then my Quilt does….if not I get frustrated and put aside. Motivation is by biggest hurdle. Right notw I have just as many tops that need quilted and I have set a goal to finish these before starting on the UFO’s. I just joined your group and have my eyes set on the Soltace blocks…BUT after I finish these tops and maybe one UFO. Any help you can give, I’m all ears.
I collected UFO’s mostly as unfinished class projects. When I stoped working full time and started longarm quilting, I had the time to finish most of them. But there are a few that I don’t care to do and have put them away for now. Someday I will find a UFO swap and send them off to someone else. Or donate them to my local quilt charity. Life is too short to work on something I won’t enjoy. Yes the money was spent, I won’t get it back, but I don’t have to waste my time as well. My problem is working on too many ideas at the same time. They aren’t UFOs as much as WIP. Works in progress. 5 tops to quilt between customer work, the hand appliqué top (down to the last two blocks), the cute Santas wall hanging I am designing for Christmas, the sewing machine cover with the four seasons using wool appliqué that I haven’t tried yet. That is just within my line of sight at the moment. My brain has more ideas than my body can keep up with.
I have too many UFO’s, our quilt group decided to have challenge of the month projects. When I chose which ones to work on I was very vague so I could chose based on my time and what things were going to keep me from Quilting. (Trips, visiting my grandsons, working outside in gardens and fall cleanups. I am still pushing myself but in a more relaxed way.
I am getting things done and feel better about it.
Working on UFO would be a great feature to share.
Hi Andrea, why not put a barn star (I forget what they are called) on the big wall you are looking at? Just a thought. Also, burn some lavender scented candles in your new space and ring some bells to change the energy in the room. You are so lucky to have your own space….I use a 5 ft dining table!! 💖💖😊😊 Jilly
My issues with UFOs is time and money. I may have started a project that I really likes and was excited. Then life happened and I couldn’t get back to it. Another life happening and I needed to start a baby quilt, then Christmas/wedding/birthday happens, this new quilts. Out of sight, out of mind and the original UFO is every old and the excitement is gone. Now my adage is out with the old, in with the new and the ufo is still hiding in a bin under some bed or in some closet. I also would like to see a ufo busting.
I move to a four seasons climate, and then schedule cozy time to during a snow blizzard to CLean up the stash or work on a UFO. Put the gas fireplace on, cup of hot chocolate: yummy- and quilting. Springtime I make some UFOs into baby quilts for all those ladies who found something better to do in a blizzard. Summer, I move quilting to the covered porch, Those crazy lazy days of summer. Fall I’m running around like a wild women getting ready for craft fairs, quilt shows, and what not. So “just” doing UFOs year round, I really take care of UFOs. So call on me for advice. I must confess, I don’t know where the new fabric came from. It must have walked in during the dark of night.
I have been unwell for a couple of years, so my UFO goes back 2 years. Since finding this group and Pat Sloan, i have my mojo back and have 4 underway. But, I have tried to make a rule that I finish my ufo next before starting another. Not sure how I will go tho…..not too worried about it…trying to understand that this is in my hands whether I finish it or not….😊😊😊
I saw a good idea this year for UFOs. It was to get them out and number them 1-12. Then each month over the coming year a number was selected and sent out. You then had that month to work on that UFO. People were asked to post the ones they finished each month. If you didn’t finish or didn’t start one that month no big deal.
As my sewing room has been pulled apart for most of the year I’m looking forward to trying this system next year using a number generator to choose the number for the month.
This system was meant as an extra to any other project you were working on.
The fact that I have ‘ufo’s’ is troubling for me. And the lack of motivation to complete them. This lack also prevents me from sitting down to my machine to do any thing. That being said, yes, please do a series on ‘UFO busting’.
Thanks,
Jane
UFO 1. Problem: I have all the fabrics but lost or never had the pattern. It tak s so much ch effort to calculate what i can make with the collection of fabric I have.
2. The pattern is too time consuming for the results. I like the fabric but not the construction of the blocks.
3. I like the fabric and pattern but another project is more important to finish and the UFO falls to bottom of pile.
I usually eventually finish #3 problems, but 1 and 2 get me stuck.
I would love for you to do a series on UFO busting. My biggest UFO issue is getting bored with a project before it’s finished and so I start a new project.
UFOs – I have many. some of them had been put away in a need to tidy up for some family event that we were hosting. Some had been forgotten and a couple are because of a passing comment made by another while working on them – no harm intended, but it did wound at the time. This year I moved house and got a bigger sewing room in return. All projects are together and easier to access, ie: I don’t need to move mountains to get them out due to better storage. Unfortunately, I need to do something about ‘the vibe’ in my new sewing room. It just doesn’t have that nice comfortable feel that my previous room had and the view out the window is of a very large tin shed!! I have finished a few UFOs this year and some new starts got completed too, but I keep on procrastinating about just going into the room and starting – not sure why. I would like to have an UFO series, I think that would be just grand. 🙂
I have a lot of UFOs! I see a fabric I like. I look for a pattern. Bang! they are purchased. I already have how many started. Nothing stops me. So many unfinished projects! Help!
A series on UFO busting would be great. I mostly sew quilts for charity. I love the excitement of starting a new project, then getting those blocks made, maybe even sewing them together into rows and/or a top without borders. I hate to sew those borders on. I know, just an hour or two and I would have a finished top that would be ready to go to one of the charity machine quilters. Why, why don’t I just finish them before I start that next fun project? Almost every new year, it is my goal to get those tops done and out of here. That usually only lasts for two or three projects, before I get side-tracked by a fun, new pattern. I won’t even begin to count how many UFO’s have, as it is just toooooo depressing. But, come January I am going to work on them. Really, I am.
I started an art quilt almost four years ago for my niece. I still love it, I haven’t forgotten it. It’s my work…and it needs to be finished. I think what’s holding me up is working out the tweaks in it and putting on the horses’ hooves. I plan to applique them, but I’m not very experienced with applique. Also, I had a solid black (likely satin for it, but I’m not sure I love it. I bought a bag of silk scraps that has enough black silk for the hooves…and something’s still holding me up). I’m not sure what’s holding me up, but I technically gifted it to her last Christmas, as motivation to finish it. I’d better get to work on it. Also, I need more affordable ways to obtain backing, or reminders…because backing doesn’t seem to be as exciting as Halloween paper piecing using good Halloween fat quarters…Thanks for considering this post.
My biggest UFO is binding and quilting it. I’m still practicing this but it leader mrs quandary because I don’t have these techniques down yet.
My biggest issue is I feel that I spend the money so I need to finish it, sort of a guilt thing. Yes I would like a UFO series
Well, I used to feel guilty? stressed? ashamed? whatever … about my UFO’s but it’s easier to reform my thinking than to deal with UFO’s I no longer love. My new thinking is: I quilt for fun. It’s not a job. No one is making me quilt. If I don’t want to continue with a project, so be it. Maybe I’m unsure and I’ll let it marinate longer and take another look next year or maybe there’s no doubt in my mind, I’m no longer excited about this project. Into the orphan block box with the lot of you!! Pulled fabric returned to stash! I don’t look at my UFO’s very often and, many times when I do, the excitement is rekindled and the project finished. The best time to revisit UFO’s is between projects when contemplating what to do next.
I do have issues with UFOs. I get that I can decide not to finish something but what do I do with it then? I need some help with how to deal with half finished projects and blocks. I would love a series on UFO busting.
Put them up for sale!
My biggest issue with UFO’s is that one I have–a finished quilt top, that I really dislike! I love one of the fabrics, which the biggest pieces are made of, but it is totally overshadowed by the colors of the other pieces. I’m not sure how to salvage the fabric I like, but I also know I will never finish this quilt, and don’t want to sink any more money into a quilt I don’t like.