UFO Challenge 2026
Happy New Year!!! Welcome one and all to the UFO CHALLENGE of 2026. I trust you have finished vacuuming up the confetti and put the streamers in the trash along with the empty champagne bottles. The new diet has started and so will our 2026 UFO Challenge. I will be hosting this year while our Happy Lab takes a one-year break.
Our primary purpose is to encourage each other to complete our pile of UFOs that are taking up space and not creating any more UFOs. Wink, Wink.
So, peruse your sewing stash, bins, boxes and secret hide aways and take a count of UFOs that need your attention this year.
*You define UFO as you wish. It could be 10 years in the making or 6 months old. You chose.
*A UFO is considered a completed UFO when it is ready to use. That means quilted, bound, if needed, and ready to use or gift to someone else.
*You can redistribute or return the fabric (UFO) to your stash and no longer have that UFO. You can consider that a completed UFO.
*If you gift the unfinished project to a person or guild, it’s considered a finish for you. It is no longer on your UFO list. Whoo hoo!
*This year we are only considering quilted “objects” vs knitting, crossstitch etc. The UFO needs to have 3 layers (top, batting, backing) and quilted. So, if you have a quilted pillow cover, a set of place mats, purse, clothing /jackets, or a vest that meets the above criteria, it counts as a UFO. Of course a quilt of any size counts.
Don’t be embarrassed by the number of UFOs in your care. We all have a pile of UFOs otherwise we would not be looking at this post!
Our goal is to make our lists smaller. Perhaps you can make it a lot smaller.
*You do not need to do the Challenge Proposed below You can join us at any time and work at your own pace to reduce your pile of UFOs in 2026.
Now if you want to accept an additional challenge just for the fun of it……
Choose 12 quilts/projects you would like to finish. Number them from one to 12. On the first of each month, I will pull a number 1-12. Look for that number on your list and that is your challenge quilt for the month. Finish the item from your list and post a photo so we can cheer you on.
You can post your list on the thread if you wish. It is not required. If posting it will keep you moving forward, post.
For January the number is 9. So, number 9 on my list is Red/Green/Large Print Mystery from 2025. I need to complete #9, and post a pic by the end of the month.
Now comes the second part of the challenge. What you don’t complete will have a commutative effect. For example. If I don’t get January’s UFO done, in February I will need to complete my January number and February number to meet the challenge. The person(s) who complete their entire list at the end of 2026, will get a small gift from me. Plus, you will have the satisfaction of having 12 UFO’s completed and “out the door”. Sound like fun? I hope so. Make your list and begin working on your number 9 We love pics, lots and lots of pics so we can cheer you on.
Happy stitching everyone and may many UFO’s disappear from your sewing space.😊 I hope to see you and your finished UFOs soon.