Hey Everyone, welcome back to Story Time Monday.
So this isn’t a post about a single quilt but rather many quilts in various stages of completion. I have decided that I have to get a handle on the number of UFO’s and WIP’s that I have sitting around my studio in drawers, rolled on pool noodles and hiding in plastic rubbermaid bins in the back room.
I am sure you all can relate in one way or another.
What is an UFO?
UFO stands for unfinished object. My idea of a UFO is a project that has been started but never finished and can be in any state of completion. It can only have the pieces cut out, all the blocks could be made, the borders just need to be added or the top is just waiting to be quilted.
What is a WIP?
WIP stand for work in progress. My idea of a WIP is a project that is continually being worked on but just never seems to get finished. Usually not enough time is allotted to work on it to completion and so it remains a WIP.
Why do we have UFO’s & WIP’s?
We have unfinished objects and works in progress because we are always wanting to start and create something new. We are a bit like kids in a candy store or toy store and we want it all. We see a new pattern, new class being offered at our LQS or a great new fabric line and the domino effect keeps on occurring.
Don’t get me wrong, it is great to start new projects, be creative, take classes and work with fabrics we just had to have but there is a price – UFO’s and WIP’s.
A mess of UFO’s
What is my plan?
I tallied up my number of UFO’s and WIP’s to find that I have 47 – less than 50 woohoo! I really believed that the number would be over 50 – I guess I must be making some progress. A very pleasant surprise indeed.
I do have at least 10 pieces that I want to make and they have not even been started yet but they don’t count in this count thank goodness since they aren’t started. Ideas are just that, ideas.
I really love to quilt my own quilts but realistically I have decided that isn’t going to be feasible to get all of these UFO’s finished in a timely fashion.
I have made the decision to send the larger quilts out to a long arm quilter to be quilted.
I figure this is really the only way I am going to get the number down to a manageable size and have time to quilt the smaller pieces myself as well as continue to design and create new pieces.
The other part of the plan is to try and complete one small piece a week. The key word here is to try. If I have a deadline to have it done by that does work much better for me as I work really well to deadlines. If I made short deadlines then maybe these small pieces may just get finished.
In order to keep myself accountable to this deadline I will post at the beginning of each month what I finished the month before. Hopefully by the end of the year I will have decreased the number considerably.
Previous UFO’s that are all now completed
Off to a good start
On the weekend I finished a top and made two backs – all in one morning I might add. It didn’t really take that long once I set my mind to doing it.
3 quilts ready for the long arm quilter
That is the key – setting our minds to getting the unfinished objects finished and out of the way. What a load it would be off of our shoulders and mind if these projects were done and gone. If we can whittle down the mountain a bit the relief will be noticeable.
UFO Quilt Buster Group
I have formed a group on LinkedIn where we can post our ideas, thoughts, number of UFO’s, our plans to decrease the numbers and receive support from each other. This group is open to anyone. Please feel free to join. All you need to do is join LinkedIn and then search for the group and ask to join the group. It is totally free.
I had wanted to name the group UFO Busters but then Michael pointed out that I may get a lot of non quilters looking for UFOs.
The logo for the group is displayed at the top of the post.
The only problem I foresee is where to store the finished quilts. The unfinished ones don’t take up near as much space as the finished ones.
Do you have a plan on how to complete your UFO’s? If so please share in the UFO Quilt Buster group or comment below.
Happy Quilting!
Hi Jen,
I love this idea and am heading for your Linked In site right now to sign up. Thanks for helping me be accountable.
Wonderful Linda. I am hoping it will motivate many of us to finish some UFO’s
Our guild, Courthouse Quilters has a PHD
[ P(racticly) H(alf) D(one)] program. You sing up and if you finish it within a year you get something or other. I’ve never signed on but it is a cute idea. I only have 2 PHD projects — and have the same 2 for more years than I wish to remember.
Judy sounds like a great idea. I wish one of the guilds I belonged to had this idea in place.
That should be “sign” up. But you knew that.
I belong to an online group and we are trying to finish 1 UFO per month. I have Janauary’s done already,so hoping to get all 12 done,along with other projects that keep coming up. some of the UFOs are as simple as finishing pillowcases to just putting the binding on a finished quilt. It feels good to get a project finished..
That is a lot of UFOs!! I tend to let let my UFO pile only get to a certain count (usually 5) and then I refuse to start anything else until I finish some. This may be due to lack of space though! My small sewing space is a good motivator! Good luck, looking forward to following your progress.
Regina, I wish my pile was as small as yours. Maybe one day.