Discard UFOs?
 

I'm currently using Marie Kondo's book on decluttering to go right through my house and have a big clear out. Her mantra is that we should only keep things that "spark joy". My job this Easter is to sort out the craft supplies and projects. Every time I think about this, what comes to mind is the three large bags of unfinished quilts that are waiting for me. There are tops that I haven't finished piecing, completed tops and some that are sandwiched for quilting. About 30 all together. When I think about them, they're far from sparking joy - I think their presence, even though I keep them out of sight, is inhibiting my creativity and enjoyment of quilting and other crafts - I feel so guilty about the time and money invested in them and my failure to finish things, but have lost interest in a lot of these - finishing them would be duty rather than pleasure at this stage. I'm seriously thinking that the best way forward might be to get rid of them and have a fresh start. But then I'm back to the time and money... Would welcome any comments or input on this dilemma!
I'm wondering if someone, somewhere might appreciate the challenge of finishing them or be able to repurpose the materials - maybe someone who struggles with the high costs of quilting. I've contacted Linus and have asked someone I know who has a lot of contacts in the UK quilt world. If anyone has any other ideas, I'd be grateful for those too.

YES!!!! There is a group in my area that makes quilts for terminally ill patients at a local hospital, and they also make quilts for veterans shelters. They are happy to take UFOs and kits, fix them up, and send them where they're needed. You should check with your local guild, quilt shops, hospitals, churches, and shelters. I'm POSITIVE somebody somewhere would appreciate your donation.

Thanks Peckish. This is what I hope. Quilting isn't nearly as big in the UK as the US, so finding the right contacts is more difficult. Can any UK people on here point me towards any organisations that might be interested? Doesn't really matter whereabouts in the country.

Hello annesthreads.....from sunny Morocco, where I quilt for half the year.....the other half of the year I live in Lowestoft, Uk...where I don't do as much quilting...�� .

I am so sorry to hear of your dilemma ........you should definitely get rid of ( non- joyful) UFOs........once they are out of your way...hopefully donated to someone who will complete them for you and donate them to a worthy cause....you will feel that you can " be creative " in your own way.

I rarely get as far up the country as Yorkshire( although I do have a close friend who is attending a hospital in Sheffield, so could arrange a meet ) .....and would offer my piecing and quilting services as a last resort !!!...lol

I have lurked on this board for years( love it !! ) and this is the very first time I have ever posted on here.....as I really feel for your predicament.....here's hoping you can get something sorted soon.......

Jenny....( in Agadir )

Hello Jenny. Well, I can't think why you'd prefer Morocco to Lowestoft in the winter (: I'm very pleased that my post coaxed you out of lurkdom.

You have it exactly - I think the UFOs are a weight that stifles my enthusiasm and creativity - the feeling that I "ought" to finish them before I explore where I'd like to go next. And guilt at having wasted so much and ended up in this situation. Or that I should keep them to use for quilting practice ( there is a case to be made for that, but I think the effect they're having is too toxic). I'm going to do as Marie Kondo decrees - handle each one and see if it sparks any joy. A few may still do so, some, I'm sure, will just feel like lead.

I've had a helpful reply from Linus UK, and a friend knows of a group who have a twice-yearly meet to quilt for a neonatal unit, so it looks as if my quilts can find loving homes. But I'll bear your offer in mind - more than happy to drive to Lowestoft and leave them all on your doorstep!

Whatever you do, don't throw them away. Think of it as a charitable contribution and give them to an organization that will finish them or reuse them for their work. Most of these organizations work on a 'shoestring' budget and would welcome your contribution. Most of us are willing to give money to their work; so, why not materials?

Perhaps some local churches have members who quilt for charitable causes. In addition to reaching out to guilds and quilt shops perhaps some churches in your area could also find a good use for your UFO's.

I agree, you pass them onto any charity group. I would contact your LQS for information. Hopefully, other members here who live in the UK can post some great advice. A few weeks ago, someone drop off some fabrics and blocks at the senior center that a group I belong to that meets weekly. So I am currently putting these HSTs together, first trimming them to make this quilt for someone who is wheelchair bound. It gives me such a good feeling to help an unknown quilter to finish a quilt that she has started but unable to finish.

I would definitely look to donate your UFOs. As you know, this board is pretty friendly!
You can search for members by location, so I would send a PM to some of the recently active UK members.
To find them, click on "Member List" near the top of this page
When the list of members comes up, click on the "Search Members" drop down, (it's under W X Y Z)
Select "Advanced Search"
Type "UK" in the location box,
In the "Last Post is after" box, I would put in 6 months, so 2015-10-01
Then click Search Now at the bottom of the page.

My guild makes all kinds of Community Quilts and there's nothing we like better than a pile of UFO's. We have made so many quilts by combining these gifts with some of the bits and pieces we already have. Many are older fabrics but we have lots of "stuff" to go with those too. At our last guild meeting, we broke into groups, grabbed a UFO and the other fabric needed and created a lot of wonderful tops. A huge win for the local youth shelter, hospice, young mother's programme and many others. Don't throw them out, just find them all a new home!

Of course. There's no way I'd just throw them away. That's why I'm looking for ideas here. Through all my decluttering, the question of how things can be reused or repurposed has been paramount. I grew up in the 50s and early 60s, when times were hard for many people, including my parents, and try to avoid waste as much as possible. I won't keep things that no longer add positively to my life, but I want them to do some good somewhere else.

Good idea. I'll see if I get any replies to this post that give me more UK leads, but I may give this a go if I'm still stuck.

I totally finish every quilt I start. I have no room for unfinished projects. Last year I donated 29 quilts, 1 afghan. My Daughter donated several quilts and assorted crocheted items. I can't store all the quilts I make so I found homes for another 10 or so quilts besides the ones above.
Couldn't you finish them up and donate them, if you can't find someone to do it?

I wholeheartedly agree that you should get those UFOs out of the house. But as far as the guilt, even though you won't be finishing the quilts, they will be finished by someone, and so the investment in fabric and time wasn't wasted! You developed your skills, enjoyed yourself, and someone will benefit in the end. Good luck finding the right place for the UFOs!

Another thought....about half way through almost every project, I begin to dislike the colors, the shapes, the pattern...everything about the quilt. Thus another UFO is born. When I make myself go back and finish them to the point of quilting and binding, I fall in love again. It's amazing how different the finished quilt looks.

But, I do agree, if you just can't or choose not to finish them, find someone who will finish and donate them for you. Many will then cherish your UFO's. If you are lucky, you may see one of them on Facebook one day.

I agree---find a home for them and get rid of them. We all have UFOs for various reasons and they feel like failures somehow! But I chalk them up to learning experiences and changing tastes over time. I really hope you can find a group that will repurpose them for charity. Good luck to you!

I've tried - have set myself targets, have even blogged about it to try to motivate myself, but with many of these projects the interest has just gone and I procrastinate because I don't want to do them - I want to work on something that energises and excites me. I think my tastes and interests have changed over the years. Also, probably significantly, some of these were started during a very confused and unhappy time in my life, and maybe there are unconscious associations with that pulling me down too.
I admire your approach: I hope I've learned lessons about being disciplined and seeing things through. I never want to be in this position again.

Thankyou. Yes, this is why it's vital to find a home for them. The book I'm using for my decluttering says that when getting rid of your "mistakes" , whatever they are, before you let them go you should say thankyou to them for what they've taught you. Sounds a bit crazy, but there's wisdom in it.

I had a couple and I just did not like them. I went ahead and sewed them together with what was cut and made it only as large as the fabric I had. Then donated them. One was large enough but I didn't want to waste a lot on batting. I didn't really pay that much for the fabric (on sale). Turned it into a reversible. Went to animal shelter

GET RID OF THEM!!!! If they make you feel guilty, give them away, it is a freeing experience. You will have more room in your sewing area, your mind, and your soul. Your heart will be lighter and you will be able to enjoy working on your next project. Last year I gave some unfinished quilt tops to my guild, They were finished and passed on to those in need. It is really nice not having them looking over my shoulder every time I sat at my machine or looked for something in that room.

Thankyou. This is why I think I need them to be gone! They've been troubling me for the past 4 or 5 years, and I suspect that I've done much less quilting than I might have as a result.

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*** Donate by all means - never throw away what someone else can use.
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*** Wish you were in the USA.
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As other's have stated, by all means give them to someone who will gladly finish them and donate them to a worthy cause. I make a lot of donation quilts. Many of them going to a transitional home for young women in
Romania and other going to local NICU, pregnancy center and Children's care home.
I hope you are successful in finding a new home for your projects.

A couple of years ago, I had a garage sale for quilters and cross stitches only. I sold everything at a greatly reduced price. A lot was free, especially projects I had started and never finished. It was so liberating. It also made me happy making other quilters happy. Cut loose anything that weighs you down.

I can imagine how good that felt. And did it free you up to enjoy your crafting more? That's what I'm hoping.

I use the quilts I'm not wild about to practice my free motion quilting, and I then donate them to various charities. I took some to our local hospital for newborns and babies and have another charity I give them to. If I end up sort of liking a quilt, I give it to a community group to raffle off. But I don't see anything wrong with just throwing them away if they cause you stress. You learned something from the process of making them, and we do throw away school papers and projects, don't we?

Our guild's annual Show has a "boutique" of donated stash items from members. Priced to go out the door. People line up before doors open to go there instead of see the quilts. Your UFO's might enable a $$$challenged quilter to create something she otherwise couldn't afford.

Good luck. Yes, definitely find a group or organization that will enjoy finishing them. If you lived in the USA, I'd get them in a heartbeat. Our church makes prayer quilts for ill parishioners, and our guild makes them for a teenage shelter. I hope you can find a group willing to finish yours. Bless you for being able to get them out of your way. They will do tremendous good to others.

I applaud you for trying to free your mind and rooms of clutter. Like someone said previously, it won't be time and money wasted, you started the process for someone else to finish, just not you. They taught you something along the way, and they will end up being well loved comfort for others eventually. Not a waste at all. Good luck with the purge and enjoy the new guilt free journey. Sometimes we have to do things for ourselves too.

I have gotten frustrated and tossed quilt blocks and tops in progress in the trash bin and that felt pretty darn good to get it out of my site. If I don't donate or give it away it's because at the time I didn't want to.

I find that when I go back to finish a ufo it usually is the last thing done to it was somehow wrong. When I back off that last thing, I like it again and change it to what benefits the overall look of the quilt. I also get many donations for charity to finish up and it is because they get frustrated at some point and give up on it. It turns out to be a lovely quilt when it is finished. Once a top was so odd but beautiful at the same time. I cut it up into a tote bag and it was very popular at the silent auction there was a bidding war over it. Let me clarify, because there are so many generous lovely souls who make and donate lovely tops with nothing at all wrong with them. I was speaking of unusual occurrences.

If you really are going to give up on your pretties, give them to a charity quilter in your area. I am sure you can find a worthy cause to support who would gladly accept them and feel good about releasing it from your hidden place.

[QUOTE=RedGarnet222;7502486]I find that when I go back to finish a ufo it usually is the last thing done to it was somehow wrong. When I back off that last thing, I like it again and change it to what benefits the overall look of the quilt. I also get many donations for charity to finish up and it is because they get frustrated at some point and give up on it. It turns out to be a lovely quilt when it is finished.
QUOTE]
Thanks RedGarnet. Some of these were abandoned because of my bad habit of moving on to the next exciting thing before I'd finished the previous one. Others I was finding boring to make, or I just lost interest in quilting for a while or was too busy to quilt, and when I came back to it wanted to move on. Or I was running out of one of the fabrics. But some of them are also associated with a difficult time in my life, and I think that's part of why they've been left. Now that I've learned to see a project through (at least I hope I have!) AND my tastes in quilts have changed quite a bit, I think it would feel a bit of a punishment to make myself go back and finish all these first. I will be going through them carefully, and will keep any that I still feel enthusiasm for, but as you say, the others can do some good if they're donated for someone else to finish and give to a good cause.

I think you are wise to go through and see if any spark any joy still. Keep those. The rest, get rid of them. I will be different from most of the above posters and say -- don't spend undue time and energy finding just the perfect recipient for them -- you don't have to control what happens next. You just take care of clearing your space, get them out of your home, and trust that the right person/organization will come across them at the right time and they will be put to some good use. Seriously -- set a limit on how much time you are willing to spend in divesting yourself of these things that make you feel sad and guilty -- like 3 days. And feel free to stipulate that anyone who wishes to take them has to take them all , being free to do as they wish with whatever they don't choose to keep.

Maybe I am projecting here, but I have family members who make the donation of unwanted items into the most amazing odyssey -- a huge, dramatic project fraught with all kinds of misery. So I encourage you to make your parting be swift, decisive, and guilt free.

You might contact this member--she is part of a Project Linus group in the UK.
http://www.quiltingboard.com/picture...ml#post6412763

What wonderful comments from the board members on this subject!

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Yes, it's been very helpful and has made things clearer. I'll let you all know what happens when I get all those UFOs out this weekend!

I quite agree! Key to all my decluttering has been getting the stuff out of the house as quickly as possible, to keep the momentum going. Anyone who volunteers to take the quilts will have them on their doorstep ASAP!

Hi Anniesthreads, I think you need to forget about time and money already spent on these UFOs. I totally relate to how they are holding you back creatively. At the beginning of the year I decided I wouldn't start anything new until I finished my UFOs. I only have 3 and yet I've done hardly any quilting at all this year and I know it's because I don't want to work on them. I would suggest if you don't have a LQS that does a Charity Quilt day, then just go to a car boot sale and sell as much as you can. Then put the rest into your favourite Charity shop, if they can't sell them they will sell the fabric by the pound. Obviously no one will recoup what you have paid but some good will come of it.

I have a different problem. My sister (102) went into a nursing home and her daughter sent me a bundle of quilts she had picked up at estate sales in Iowa. They are hand pieced and typical of quilts from farm women with limited resources. Some are more attractive than others. Should I machine quilt them---and then what? Would they be suitable for donations. They might not be sturdy enough.

It's your space and if the things in it don't give you joy, then you can give yourself permission to let them go. Do you have a guild in your area? Most guilds have a community service. Sometimes churches have groups that do good works for their community. Sometimes charity shops take projects that they can sell for a profit. If you want to bundle each project with all the remaining pieces and label it, you could pass them on. Enjpy