Anybody else have this problem?
 

I am determined to not have a bunch of UFO's, so I finish each project that I start Most of the time. Occasionally I have to interrupt 1 project to get another 1 done (baby, birthday, etc). In the meantime, my brain is swirling inside with 20+ projects I can't wait to get started on! Then, when I am able to start something, I sometimes have so many in my head, I'm not sure which one to start next. Sometimes it's easy, there's a specific person/event in mind...but other times I almost feel a nervous energy and I can't decide which one to start next. Having my house on the market right now makes it harder, because I'm hesitant to get a big project started. Just as soon as I pull a bunch of fabrics, I'll more than likely get a call that someone wants to see the house and have to put it all away again.

Anyone else have this problem? I have started a bucket list and keep tweaking it/prioritizing; but there are way too many quilts I want to make right now!

sounds like my life

yes, and add to that having to purge my stash and pack up a house in Boston and move to North Carolina, no wonder I woke up at 5 this morning from an exhausting dream. I have 2 t-shirt quilts along getting my attention. Good luck on your decision. I look forward to seeing your projects.

Want to ad that I don't make quilts just for making them sake. Each one is for a person or my shop, just have too much inspiration in my life right now!

Charleen, good luck on your move. We are still waiting for an offer on our house before we can commit. But, I am only moving about 45 minutes away, not as far as you!

99.9% of the time I finish one project before moving on the another. The quandary comes in when I have to decide what's next? I have fabric/drawings etc set aside for probably 10 different projects. Wall hangings for the cabin, a Christmas panel I didn't get to this past year. My niece and her hubby are "trying" so I have her baby quilt picked out. I have two projects for home I want to do. So yes!! My mind races 100 miles an hour....choices, choices???

Any smaller projects on that bucket list or can you add one for your new home- table runner, bed runner, table topper, placemats, small wall hanging? Easier to neaten up quickly maybe

Not a problem for me. I don't have much of a stash and right now working on scrap quilts. I seem to finish everything because I usually don't start one til the other is done. Of course, there are exceptions. I'm almost done quilting one, and I have two ready to quilt. I quilt on Fridays at the quilt shop with a bunch of nice women and I do the scrappy there. Takes less concentration. I started another Saturday Sampler. I'm almost done with that. And will hand quilt that one but no pressure because there isn't a deadline. I did finish the first Saturday Sampler from the shop. When we had our house on the market and I wanted to have something simple to sew on I made a jelly roll race which I just piled up on the machine when we had a showing. That didn't interfere with someone making an offer. House sold with sewing machine set up!! But I did neaten the area around it.

I have made 4 quilted pillows already this month and keep a hand quilting project going. Planning/piecing is when I make a mess, I pull lots of fabrics while I am deciding!

Been there, done that. When I had my house on the market, I destashed sending my sewing room into storage. Didn't realize it would take over 3 years to get the house sold as I put it up right when the market dropped big time. Got so bored waiting I went out and bought a simple sewing machine, folding type cutting table from JoAnne's, some totes for fabric.............got to have fabric and then of course all the essential tools to sew and cut fabric with.

I also am trying to go thru my UFOs before I start a new project but that doesn't stop me from dreaming of all those new projects I'm just itching to get started with. Then of course I'll a photo of a quilt someone has done here and I'll think, .......of yes, want to make that one too. You know the drill, we will never have enough time to make all the quilts we have on our bucket list..................at least I won't live long enough to make them all.

This is a quilters life....join the club..

I'm totally manic on this !
Right now I have 3 yummy bundles of fabric for different projects and even have the projects picked out. Can't decide which one do start, oh and then another one will come along. It's always the same with me. Like I said I'm manic! :D

I spent quite a while sorting, purging and organizing my sewing room and stash last summer. Now I've been through everything. I have a large tote of planned quilt projects, a large tote of sewing projects, a tote of sewing with kids projects and several smaller totes of Christmas project, purse project, and table runner/ mat / placemat plans and UFOS. Then there is the tie project, the OBW UFO, and the quiet book plans.
I need to live forever...
Meanwhile I have about 5 quilts made with 4-Hers last November when the Ontario Lieutenant Governor visited our county. They need completing, backing, quilting and/or binding. They are slated for donation to various organizations.
I'm not bored...

There are worse problems to have. Lol! I do not do UFO's. I sew gift quilts, charity quilts, and quilts for me or projects that appeal to me for just me. If I do not have a deadline project, then I sew what interests me. Sometimes, I'll be working on a project and something jumps out at me (this month it was mini's, obviously) and so I'll work on both projects at the same time. But, you're right, we have many options to explore. That's what makes this hobbie so much fun. If you're in a quandary, pick a fabric or a pattern and launch from there.

It sounds like a lot of quilters are moving. I would never make it if I had to move.

Guilty! And then I get on this wonderful board and Oh My!! There is another one I want to do. So I print the info off and add it to the notebooks: Quilt Fun, Quilt Projects, Quilts Bucket List. Will I ever get to them all? At the rate I'm going I need to live to be 200. But then I buy some fabric to go with the project and assign a tub...they are stacking up.

So I joined the UFO club here and started making a list. That seems to help me. There are 13 projects on the list now and I know there are more because that is NOT all of them.

Ok so I am motivated to pick one of those tubs and get it to the sewing machine because it is cut. But something is wrong. It is not going together. Then I discover that it is cut wrong. Supposed to be 3 1/2 squares and some of them are 3 1/2 x almost 4. Shaking head..

Marcia

I am in that boat! And, I am determined to finish all of the UFOs or get rid of them this year. They are a burden to my mind. Besides, I have a lot of money invested in them. I made a list of them, examined each container and roughly determined the amount of time each would take to finish. Then, I numbered the containers. There are a few that I will get rid of because they were done to learn a new technique and I used fabric I didn't like-so I don't like the item. I finished one two days ago that I had had for five years! So, I've assigned a half a day each week to doing UFO work. Wish me luck. I have a container with a new pattern in it and plan to collect (from my stash) all I need to make it and will start when I get half of the UFOs finished. I also have myself to never add to the UFO stack again by not finishing an item before starting another-no matter what!

Its hard to stick to the UFO pile. but if you don't it grows and grows.

OMG!! This thread is a hoot! I see myself over and over. I usually start a quilt and finish it but lately I am trying to use mostly stash up and get so far and have to buy a piece to finish it so start another to that point etc. where I buy most of my fabric is 24 miles from me so figure I will get them all to the same point then go buy what I need. All I can say misery loves company with the undecided what to start. Lololol

I shout at myself "what are you, 8 years old?". It does help

Sounds like you have the quilting addiction,

I understand what you mean about the nervous energy. I walk into my sewing room and end up not getting anything done because I am not sure where to start.

Count me in with you.

I am in the boat with you...row faster!!!

Seems a lot of quilters overthink in their sewing rooms. :)

Certainly know the feeling! I am always planning my next project while working on the current one. Have a list of 100 quilts I want to make; fabric is purchased for 5 of them

Yup! This made me laugh because I'm right there, right now! My sewing room is packed up because we are finally updating the flooring and paint in our basement where my sewing room is and I'm in between projects. I'm so excited about getting my sewing room the way I want it and so looking forward to get back at quilting, that I'm scouring my quilting books and patterns and trying to decide what to do next. Too many choices!

I spent 2 hours the other night looking for some new thread I bought so had to put stuff away as I looked. Finally found thread in the dining room but at least a few things were put away. Guess the quilting trolls were hiding the thread to make me clean.

Same story here and I am loving every minute of it.

I always have UFOs and have come to the conclusion that I always will. It's just the way I work. Plus, I've always got more than one project going at a time--fortunately I have multiple machines, but there are always WIPs waiting in line for a machine that's being used for some other project...The UFO challenge is helpful since it encourages me to go through the UFO pile and pick something to work on till it's done.

Rob

Yup me too. I could have written your post word for word...:-)

This sounds like you could be my twin. I TRY to have one project going at a time but, since I am a hand quilter, there is always a quilt sitting in a laundry basket waiting for me to sit down.
EASY SOLUTION for showing your house:::
Load all fabrics that are out into a laundry basket and any other clutter and put it in your car. No one sees it and house looks neat and you can get back to it quickly. Kids learned the drill pretty fast!!!
Sold a house doing this...had unfolded laundry in the car,,,,lots of clutter that we needed...backpacks, etc. House looked neat as a pin...We owned a Suburban at the time...LOL!

I am also in the club. I use to say that no way I would have UFO's. Right now I am quilting one for myself, have 2 large tops to quilt, have the fabric seperated in bags for 4 that are in my mind. Im always thinking of what I would love to make, have a file of pictures of quilts that are "one day I'll do that". I am addicted!

I love to take classes and many times the next interesting class comes up before I have finished the previous class quilt. So, I have a fair amount of UFO's. My guild has been having a challenge where we try to finish 5 UFO's during the year. The first year I made it. The last 3 years, I have only finished 4. I'm again working on my first listed UFO for this year. However, the first "turn-in" was last week. The next one is March. We get a ribbon for the first turn in, plus a button. Then at each turn-in we get another button to add to our ribbon. Most of the challenge members add them to their name tags. It's fun to hear how long ago the quilt was started. Last year, I had one from 1989.
At turn-in, the quilt has to be quilted, bound and have a label attached.

Yes, And just as i make up my mind here comes a new baby or someone has a birthday or ask me to make something for them. That is why I only have one lap quilt I have made for myself.

The "swirling" part applies to me, but I'm not one to worry too much about what I do when it comes to a hobby. It's recreation for me. I finish things sooner or later, or at least I have excellent intentions, provided I live to be 110 or so. My philosophy is that whatever I have spent on this is not wasted if it served the purpose of giving me something pleasant and creative to do with my free time. As hobbies go, I figure the doing is it's own reward, and then the occasional finished project is gravy. There are additional benefits, too, such as the smile you see when you give someone a quilt or just knowing you might have helped brighten someone's life a bit, if it's a charity donation.

When we were planning our cross country move and had the house on the market, I put all my stuff in bins and packed them where I could not get to them. After living in a house for a long time there is lots of stuff to pack up and realtors like for the house to be uncluttered. BUT, since I like to do hand work, I put small projects in a small bin that could fit under the bed and worked on those projects. I got 3-4 bindings done, did some hand quilting on small projects and even some needle point. Find your projects that can fit in small bin and don't make a mess of your rooms once you have cleaned and gotten them presentable for potential buyers but best of all, your stuff will be packed and ready to move along to your next adventure.

It looks like a lot of us share your dilemma or at least part of it: lots of UFOs, PIGs, and a never ending supply of ideas. I just finished our DD's baby quilt (she is due this Friday) and a bunch of baby items, but the next thing on my agenda is thoroughly cleaning and reorganizing my sewing room. It still holds the remnants of Christmas projects etc. and I can't work in the mess. My DH has also been cleaning and reorganizing our basement and I promised to go through "my stuff" when the baby items were done. I know there are sewing type notions down there too. Onward !

I am exactly in the same boat as you...moving 45 minutes away but waiting for a firm offer on this house before we can commit on another. I have gone through every piece of my yardage stash, kept what I wanted, and gave away the "what was I thinking" stuff. 12" blocks that were stored in a pizza box were given to a thrift shop. We have rented a storage unit and that's where the keepers are. In my sewing room now, I have 4 plastic 3-drawer units with scraps, mostly cut and sorted by size. But 2 drawers have "chunks" and 1/3 yd+. I am making a scrap quilt with 3 inch squares and also using up 3-1/2" for hst. I found a stack of about 50 7-1/2" white squares that were given to me some yrs ago, so I'm using them up. I have a plastic bin on my cutting table with these pieces. After the first unexpected showing and I had to do a stash & dash, I vowed to get somewhat organized on this so I wouldn't have to go through that again. Machine stays set up...after all, it is my sewing studio and I still live there. And when the need to sit at that machine and sew hits, I can do it very easily. Lots of good wishes for a quick move for you.

Yep, ditto here.

I'm like the God who made me and created, so I create. He finished, so eventually I will too, maybe.