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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
One of my problems is deciding on a back for the quilt. Often feels like making a second quilt. Also took on some patterns that were beyond my skill level; finished the blocks but isn’t going together well. Have put it aside a few times and each try can’t make it work. Spending most of this year working on UFOs. Making a dent but would love help.
My biggest issue is layering the top, batting, & backing. It’s an extremely painful & time consuming process that I postpone on and on and on. Once I get started I will slowly & steadily make progress, it’s just the getting started. I’ll bet this is an issue for many quilters.
My biggest issue with UFO’s is me! haha I get bored easily and if I’m not working with my friends online on the same quilt as we inspire each other to do it, I tend to put it down. Now if it’s a quilt for someone and I can’t wait to see their face because they are in aww of my work, I can get it done fairly quickly. This past summer I started two twin sized quilts, pinwheels, easy right, well it got so hot upstairs even with the air on, I took a break. Then I got to thinking, I’ll be she thinks they are never coming!! haha So in 3 days I whipped out 30 pinwheels. Layer cake and then 10″ sq I cut out. Anyway, soon they will be off to the longarm. Now for those older projects, finishing up fences for BMN and another I can’t even speak it’s name. haha It’s been way to long. But that is my goal for this year. I started out so nice with UFO list on APQ and in April I was ahead one. Now I’m not sure where I’m at. Afraid to look, Nah! I have 4 to bind but will wait for colder weather. Anyway, I like quilts that excite me. BMN, Splendid Sampler, Secret (botanical) gardens (have fabric can’t wait to start), Dear Jane, a barn quilt to finish up and then a couple for my grandsons and daughter. Okay, i’d better get going and sewing!! Toots!!
At our quilt meetings each month, we have a “free table” set up for any member to drop off items they no longer want or desire to finish. The only rule is that whatever is not taken by the end of the meeting, has to be retrieved by the original owner to be dispose of. It is amazing how often an item left on the “free table” turns up at another meeting finished and wonderfully transformed into a quilted treasure from the gal who saw something she liked in the item left on the free table and felt she could use. Someone’s discard becomes a treasure for someone else! This way the “guilt” from not finishing what you invested in is offset by gifting it to someone else to use.
I have over 23 UFO’s and I went on a retreat recently and a co-quilter had her hers on a list all typed and everything and as she completed then she drew a line through it.What a feeling f accomplishment I think to draw the line through the completed UFO’s.
A series on UFO busting would be fantastic. I think my biggest issue is time management and prioritizing
I tend to get a bit of the “OH, Hello, new shiny project” going on if I try to be project monogamous. So I deal with the UFOs by trying to have about three quilts in progress. One that I’m getting to the quilting stage, one that I’m doing the piecing on and one that I’m designing and cutting for.
My big issue is the backlog from when I quit quilting for about 10 years. The ones that were from 1930s fabrics (vintage and reproduction) are still things I want to finish. There are a couple block of the month ones that I still like the fabrics, despite the age. I’m trying to do one of the ‘keepers’ in between my ‘new’ quilts. I consider those four or five quilts to be Works in Progress despite how halting that “Progress” may be.
But there’s a few true UFOS that I’m not in love with the colors any more, or there are construction issues from when I was a beginner. I have actually taken one top apart down to the blocks to see if I can re-work enough of it to make it worth while. I’ve actually saved a couple of block patterns from the Solstice QAL to use as focus blocks and plan to set it in sections. That will help with the odd sized (over AND under sized – so I can’t just trim them to fit easily) blocks that caused the issue with the original top.
I would love to see a series on UFOs.
I could definitely use some UFO wisdom!
I am looking at an unfinished quilt right now arguing with myself about what to do.
The fabric is so pretty and I saved that jelly roll for two years before I cracked it open!
Now all those lovely strips are sewn together, cut and blocked – almost a quilt top.
Thus the dilemma. I’ve invested time and money 💰. I have these beautiful quarter inch seams, but the end product is just plain unattractive to me..
No matter which way I rearrange those blocks, it’s just not appealing.
And to top it off, it’s a seasonal quilt that will only come out in October.
Ugh! What to do? What to do? I wish there was a UFO donation site OR a UFO trade program!
I have quite a few UFO’s and orphan blocks. I would love a UFO busting class 😉
Can you remove the section you like, to maybe make a table topper or pillow, and redo that section with other fabrics that will work? Or cut the top down… and make a baby quilt for charity from the usable parts and strip cut the rest for your scrap bin…?? Just an idea!
Can you donate the quilt top to a community quilts/comfort quilt group at your guild, or a guild? They are usually very happy to finish up a quilt. Though I know it’s sometimes hard to part with them, even if you don’t like them. Can you cut it up and make place mats? Or, make it a dog quilt? Good luck!
I have several tops waiting to be quilted and a few tops waiting to be constructed. I tend to agree we need to give ourselves permission to NOT finish a quilt, and then the question – what happens to it? I read on a blog somewhere that the author would make about 12 quilt tops a year and some would be duds, I tend to agree some are duds. I would really appreciate hearing ideas on this topic.
I have 57 UFOs
Every time I get 1 or 2 tops finished I seem to have added 1 or 2 more.
57 appears to be my constant.
Some of them are all the blocks just needing to be sewn together. Others some cutting done and fabric with patterns in individual boxes
Several are many block pieces cut, no pattern (DUMB). Have stared at them a lot, no idea. Think will cut strips for a string quilt.
That’s my UFO saga
I found that joining the APQ challenge got me on the road to finishing some ( about half of them- an illness got me off track). My biggest problem is fighting the desire and excitement of starting a new project before finishing some. I’d love a UFO buster series- when I identified a dozen for the challenge there were at least a dozen more I could have added- not to mention a few carry overs
I have many quilt tops that need quilting. Most patterns have great instructions but leave you hanging at the end by simply saying quilt as desired.
The photo on many patterns never show the quilting clearly to replicate. Now with the free motion madness it has maybe become a bit much.
I have a tiara, bought books and rulers and now get overwhelmed at the unending designs to use and can I really pull it off. I have decided to simplify my aspirations and just finish the things…..I have told myself I should unsubcribe from every quilting site and store until I get caught up so I will not be tempted to purchase more projects. As it is I could quilt for years with my stash. But who am I kidding…maybe a good new year resolution to only finish projects? GladI am not alone.
I like to have about six or eight quilts going at a time. It keeps me from getting stale. I try to complete at least two quilts a month, time allowing. I love your QALs as they’re so well paced.
I love your comment “I quilt for fun. It’s not a job.” This is exactly how I feel as well, so I have lots of blocks or tops that just don’t do it for me enough to continue on them. I haven’t given any away yet (altho that’s certainly an option to consider), just in case some years down the line I change my mind and want to finish them (in the case of the orphan block(s), I probably won’t have any more of that fabric, so those will possibly just become a scrappy? We’ll see…). I have 5 quilt-tops’ worth of blocks from BOMs I’ve done in the past…enjoyed making the blocks, but the supplied fabrics aren’t interesting enough for me to piece together & quilt. Maybe someday, tho… 🙂
I classify my UFO’s. If it is from a class, not to crazy about it, I toss or donate. I had learnt the technique, maybe I might make another. I also have some that got put aside for various reasons. After our move discovered a wall hanging that I had fused in a class on a cruise ship. I love it, decided to handquilt it and it will be going up on our bedroom wall. I guess we all need to evaluate our work as to why and what were we doing.
My biggest challenge with UFO’s is finding time. For the last six years I have been watching our small grandchildren so they are not in daycare, too young. By the time they leave, usually around 4pm, I start my dinner, cleanup after, and am too tired to work on things I would like to.
There use to be a time when I worked on just one project at a time. As you said, someone would take my pulse. Lol. But now sometimes it’s a matter of deadlines, gifts, holidays, or a longarm job that get me side tracked. I e also discovered in the past that when I put a project on hold, I loose incentive to finish it.
I like your idea about re-organizing your UFOs and falling in love with them again. I especially like your idea of using unused fabrics from a UFO to do another project. I’ve also developed an orphan block collection, mostly made up from leftover blocks. I’m now feeling that it’s okay to have UFOs set aside somewhere. Because you know that they’re there! So when you’re in a spot of ‘what to work on next?’ you can go to that UFO collection and see what inspires you to finish one or more projects!
As NIKE likes to say…just do it!!!
I have three: One seems less than perfect and I need to find a good backing for it. I don’t have a place for the second – a set of squares & I’m not looking forward to making the blocks match together – can’t really sash between. The third is minus five blocks, but I have an answer for that one. It will become two smaller lap quilts, one for a friend and the other for charity. EACH has a problem that I need to work out — and no set place for it to find a home. The backings for the third was just purchased and washed. The next step will be layout. Hopefully that will inspire me to layout #2. #1 is small- that will just take willpower!!!!
This has been my UFOs year. I had. About 15 quilt tops pieces but not quilted. I rented time on a few long arms and was hooked. Next challenge is going to be to get the binding on. I am setting a target of December for that. I find setting a goal date to help. I also have been making some smaller cute little quilted bags in between finishing these quilts. I find it motivating me to keep going when I enjoy the sensation of spfinishing a smaller project. Can’t wait to feel the joy of finishing off the bindings. I will be ‘happy dancing’ all around the house. Break it down; set goals; and reward yourself as you reach them !
Earlier this year I had 10 UFOs…I had that many piled up because I had hoped to be purchasing either a mid or long arm to do the quilting by now..We had paid off a car and I was putting back the amount of a car payment each month toward a machine…then we realized my hubby’s pickup was not going to pass inspection this year without dumping huge sums of money into it…I started pin basting 2 or 3 of those tops at a time and decided to just do the quilting on my mega quilter …I have 6 of those tops completed now and the binding on (one being one of my solstice quilts) I am hoping to get to the other 4 before Christmas so I can gift to my siblings. Bottom line most of us just need motivated to finish projects . I finish for my customers easily, not so much myself
My biggest issue with UFO’s is I start to finish one and there is something more important that comes up…I know what is more important that quilting?? Well in my case it was the timing of my daughter having her second child. I needed to get the burp cloths and car seat cover finished. Now what has kept me from completing the quilt I was almost finished with is the holiday sewing is coming up and I have projects to make that will be given as gifts. I need to get organized and get to doing. And I do believe I would enjoy seeing how you handle your UFO’s
PS The quilt that my mother gave my husband and I was a UFO of hers I fell in love with it and I bought the batting and backing and paid for the quilting (cal king size)and she finished binding it
Yes, please! on the UFO Busting series! I find I get to the final steps and just can’t seem to finish the quilts. I have so many that “just” need borders attached, quilting and/or binding. But by then, I am already on to the next thing. Love the idea of an “orphan block” bin… going to start one!
Borders can slow me down too, so for my charity project last year, I used Pat’s Cobblestones pattern, no borders. All my quilts finished 72×84 or so, just 12″ blocks (42 of them, typically). For charity sewing, pick fun fabrics and a fun pattern that doesn’t stress you out to finish!
Hey, but I have a 80% machine quilted quilt in my stash that just needs a few hours of quilting to be done…so don’t think I’m judging. GRIN.
I think several of my UFOs emerged as unfinished when I hit difficult parts that I wasn’t sure about my next step, or didn’t have the skill level (yet) to finish it as I envisioned.
As far as backing, I shop the clearance racks (often 50% off) whenever we travel by quilt shops, and buy 4-5 yard pieces to have ready to go! Also, I’ve used sheets from Walmart lately (as an experiment) to see how they quilted and you know what–they quilted like a dream! So, for $15, you can get a king sized sheet. Honestly, I still use quilt fabric on the back most of the time, but in a pinch, it’s a good deal.
Perfect! That’s about how I handle the stash of resources I have. UFOs are just “potential projects” if I am wondering what to do next.
I have a stack of unfinished projects, but I don’t feel the burden of calling many of them “UFOs” anymore. I have been using Stephanie Palmer’s Quilter’s Planner for the last two years, and cannot wait to get my 2018 copy soon. Just by deliberately planning and scheduling my sewing activities, I am so much more productive, and also in the direction I actually want to go, rather than the direction I “should” go.
I learned it’s not okay to “wish” that I were making more original art, but spend all my time replicating patterns. I also learned it’s not good to “believe” that I “should” be making more complicated patterns, when what brings me true joy is sewing simple quilts in lovely fabrics.
We each have a limited amount of time on this planet. And I have very different wants, wishes, goals, and vision than anyone else. It’s pretty important that I work out for myself what exactly it is that I want, set my own goals, and accomplish my own vision. After all, who else is going to do that?
Managing my minutes, hours, days and weeks so that at the end I have actually worked on the things I determined in advance that I wanted to do makes me a happier quilter. And so the “UFOs” that are in my closet only make the list when they are intentionally something that I desire to complete, not guilt that pushes my true desires to the back burner.
My problem is finished tops. I have an old Inspira quilt rack to do panto graphs on, which is quick. But I have learned to do ruler work on my Crescendo which I really enjoy but not quick. It is hard to choose. The other problem is backings the stash is finally getting depleted to the point of having to be creative, got any ideas? Always love you advice. Thanx,mo
I tackled those two issues myself.
1. I improved my machine quilting by quilting 2 pillows. Moved on to a small baby quilt, then alarmed baby quilt, then a lap quilt, etc. Now I can quilt up to a100″ quilt on my Bernina Virtuosa 160 which is the older version without the wider 9″ or more area for the quilt……back one the 7 1/2″ time!
2. A guild member mentioned to me many years ago that sewing the binding on is her favorite part. Sigh. I had a few quilts left to finish because of that one issue. IBack then I was making it the bias method. I switched to making straight binding and find for me, sooo much easier. Then I came across a tip from Fons & Porter about the joining process and that made my bindings really nice looking. Nowadays, we have YouTube for a resource.
That comment by Judy the guild member made me change my thought process from, “I hate putting bindings on, to “if Judy can be excited about it so can 8”. Now, it’s not my favorite part of the quilting process, but I no longer detest that part and can honestly saw I embrass it. I also found that as I hand sew the back side, it’s easier if I put a pillow on my lap and rest the quilt on that. Happy quilting.
I have moved into a bigger room and when I moved I made boxes of my UFO. I am working my way through before allowing my self to move on to other things. One by one I am getting there. I have only one that I don’t think I will finish and put it to the bottom of the pile. Eight down and some!!!! to go. PS loving my new room and can’t wait to get onto new things with everything to hand.
As silly as it seems, I hate making the backing. Sometime, I think I’ve measured correctly and come up a few inches short when I go to layer. Or I piece a horizontal or vertical strip and then it’s crooked when I layer the quilt. UGH! I would love to find a way to make that process more enjoyable.
I have quite a few UFOs and made a decision this year to get partly finished tops bordered and ready to quilt, I have done it with three of them but still have to pin them and quilt them, so a UFO busting series would be great, a good motivation to get some of them done. Am hoping to get some of them quilted for our quilt show in April next year, so am going to try and get one pinned tomorrow
Well, my UFO’s are tops that need to be quilted. Have been making preemie quilts out of orphan blocks, such fun. Just add on a border and make sandwich and quilt. Have made over 12 this year and and have several that need to be quilted. A lot of these are from 2 Aunts stasch. They have passed and I just couldn’t see leaving the blocks be thrown.
I have had a lot of UFO’s over the years but last winter I decided to set a goal for 2017 to make a quilt for each of my close family members. I pulled out all my UFOs that were started but never finished. Then I pulled out the fabric kits I had purchased over the last 10 years or so that I never started. I then numbered them and then decided who would get each quilt. I have made 12 so far that are quilted and finished. I have five more that have to be quilted yet and two more tops to finish. I work part-time teaching sewing and quilting so I also have to make samples for those classes but I am set on finishing them all for Christmas gifts. What I have found out about myself is I can do it if I want to. Oh, by the way I am 75 years old. I think we all have to find our motivation for finishing UFOs. Any help is appreciated.
I have around 12 quilts that need to be quilted that have been in my U.F.O. pile. The rest are borders or and few blocks. I would love a class on discipline. How to complete items or quilts. I never had a problem completing items.
Lots of projects not finished. It seems like I’ll never get to them all! Trying to sort and prioritize now. Love the idea of your UFO sew along! Two of them are even your quilt patterns! 2014, 2015, and 2016 My Secret Garden is almost bound and done. Now to backup and finish the other 2! #Tryingtogetthere!
I guess you have to take my pulse! haahaahaa But I’m new to quilting so give me some time to have a few UFOs!!!! I joined a guild early on and try to bring something for show and tell…I’ve completed two large quilts because I wanted them done before my meeting!!! I do have a bunch of fabric and some I have ideas of what I want to work on next and some I’m still trying to figure out what I want to do, waiting for inspiration!
Ellen,
Why don’t you post a photo on a facebook quilting page and ask for suggestions? Sometimes, the difference can be in the quilting. I also agree that giving it to a group to finish for charity is a good idea. Many Lutheran Churches make quilts, to the tune of 800,000 per year, for Lutheran World Relief. Quilts are distributed World Wide. Recently, some of my group’s quilts went to Hurricane Harvey victims. If you Google Lutheran World Relief Quilts, you will obtain more info or call a local Lutheran Church in your area. I coordinate for my church and we often get unfinished quilts or cut blocks that we finish for quilts.
Karla (from Maryland)
It seems if I don’t have a purpose it does not get finIshed I have three quilts I’m working on but two are for a neighbors grandchildren. One is a vintage quilt a neighbor found on his dad’s file cabinet. It was paper pieced with newspapers dated January to March 1947. All is left is two bindings and the labels. What I have still in boxes are BOM’s or classes I took. Yes need to bust these ufo’s please and thank you
Well UFO is a debatable term, I only have two projects that I have started and am working on, thus UFO.
Now then there is the projects that I have pattern and fabric for, a ton of them all neatly packaged in plastic scrapbook containers. I bet I have 30+++. Seems that I have good intentions starting the year out, then with neat new projects that I come across iOS to start them until the others are finished. So how can you have UFO IF you don’t start them. I can do better…next year lol.
Do hang in there. Sounds like you need a quilting soulmate, or perhaps a small group of quilters to inspire you. Five of my friends and I meet every week to work on a quilt project. We bring our own work, enjoy tea and a treat, talk, sew, dream, etc. It is an inspiration to spend time with other women who love quilting. We all work at our own pace, and inspire each other. Take the time to call perhaps one friend to join you.
First off, what a relief to know even you, have some UFOs! My problem is not that I don’t want to finish them, it’s that there are so many new things to try and do. I’m more afraid I’ll forget the ‘new’ stuff, or new technique or pattern, and I put the unfinished one aside for the ‘moment’. And then they start to pile up.
A lot of my UFOs are from class projects. I have been trying to work on the ones that are almost finished in between new projects (lots of babies in our extended family lately!). I recently used an old UFO in a class project. That felt great-at least I did not add to the pile and maybe it will get finished as I scaled the project down quite a bit.
My really big issue is binding. I have several all quilted and just waiting for binding. I could use a good tutorial on machine binding as I really do not enjoy hand sewing the binding down.
Would like help with UFO’s .
My biggest issue with UFOs is that I start to feel guilty about not finishing them and I’ll tell myself that I really need to get one out and get it finished just to get it done. I have some quilt tops ready to quilt and some blocks that are cut out and partially sewn together. I like the idea of going through them and deciding if it’s something that I can and want to complete or if it’s something that just doesn’t do it for me anymore.
I think a UFO busting series would be great. Maybe it’ll help me get going.
I try to organize UFOs into project bins. This Minnesota winter I’m working my way through my buns and only buying supplies to fill in the finishes.
My minor UFOs are the real problems
* my scraps
* my selvage, I cut off 1-1/4 ” before I start
* my grandmothers garden
Yes help with major and minor UFOs
I see I’m not alone with my ufo problem. I have the same issues as everyone. I have a nice sewing room. I love to quilt but In the last 15 years I have developed several chronic conditions. When I think of what I used to get accomplished……. now I don’t do much. I want to make quilts for my grandchildren and great grandchildren. Because I don’t have much energy now even though I want to do them I find I can’t. This problem stops me dead in my tracks. I find I don’t do anything rather than picking something else. I think I feel as though I have to make them a quilt even though I am sure I don’t. I am working on grandma’s kitchen blocks with no real plan to make a quilt. Just sewing one block a week has made me feel like I’m getting to do what I love.