David, why do you need to feel guilt?

I am a "process" person. That is, I prefer to explore the process of making something, but don't really care if it ever gets finished. I have learned or at least, tried just about all the techniques. A "project" person is more about making and completing a project - quilt for the bed, table runner for dining room, etc.

I believe that by trying out all the techniques is how we develop into the style that defines us. Some of us never find that style, but sure have a boatload of fun exploring! Not to mention building our stashes!

This is not to say that I don't ever finish anything. I have a gallery of quilts on the walls of our hallways & in most rooms (even the guest bathroom!) There are quilts draped over the furniture in the living room. I have beaucoup sets of placemats.

Right now, I have turned into a project person as I am madly working on finishing a Dear Jane style quilt with another group here on the Board. I started her in 1997, and joined this Board when I discovered this group. I am even going to host a Cyber-Sew-A-Long in a couple of months. This Board would probably throw me off if I were to list all that I have in the works. Would take too many megabytes. :)

Do I feel guilty? Not one little bit! And you shouldn't, either. You are exploring and along the way, will be quite a few discoveries. Some might get finished & others, well, maybe not. But there is nothing wrong with anything "quilty" that we do (or don't do.)

Good luck with your passion!

Kathy

This is it! A work in progress indicates that it is not unfinished, as implied by UFO. Even UFO's can stack up without guilt though. Go back to it after you've mastered a new technique, or have a refreshed brain, new hoop, or a buddy who wants to join you in the quilting and binding process. Sometimes I "visit" my WIP's and UFO's and talk to them. Occasionally one will "talk" back to me. Oh, I hear one calling now - Sunday is the birthday, I need to piece a king backing, then quilt it, all without her knowing. She just left for a long day at the local U. I'll make good progress today.

I have way too many UFOs and I am in the process of trying to get them all done. It might be because I am 64 and afraid I will leave them all unfinished. I talked to a lady that makes a lot of quilts and she said she finished up a lot of her mothers after her mother had passed away. I don't mind leaving the stacks of fabric but I don't think anyone would finish the quilts I have started.

Well, the first thing is - you don't HAVE to finish everything. If you learned something from the process - even if you learned you hated it - that's something. I think of it as the "going out to dinner" theory. If you go out to a nice dinner, you can drop $100, and it's gone the next day.. So even if you entertained yourself for several days, or weeks with the same $100, you're way ahead of the game. Plus, it's never really unfinished, unless it ends up in the trash. I expect there would be lots of quilters on this board who would be really happy with a project that's already started. Anyway, what I'm saying is NO GUILT!

It's not in my nature to enjoy my projects if I have too many going at once so I stick to only a few projects at a time and always finish one before starting any more. It may not be typical, but it works for me - Laura

Works for me, too !!!

No guilt allowed! Just do your thing and if you don't like it, give it away. Your posts always make me smile and I wonder how you do what you do.

For myself, I march to a different beat. I like to think I am organized and have several WIP while waiting for fabric or machine quilting or something, but I always finish what I start. It is an obsession with me. Even if I make a practice block, I find a way to use it.

I've found that I don't enjoy one project unless the last is finished (good or bad!). Guess everyone has their own system, huh? I DO have to put some of my projects away for a day or so sometimes. Don't start any thing new during that time however. Sometimes I need to do a day or so of cooking or baking instead. Maybe go visit my friend a couple of hours away. Those things generally get me over my stagnation with a quilt.

Maybe this helps? Guilt is not a feeling - it is a judgment. So who has judged you and what are you guilty of, other than enjoying the variety and joy of the quest of trying new techniques? The "journey is the point" not the result.

Let your creative juices flow and explore this new world. A "WIP" and a "UFO" are fruits that are in a state of maturation, not failures.

Go for it! :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:

Can't help you with not feeling guilty. I feel guilty every time I enter my sewing room. That's why I'm not starting a new quilt until I get the majority of my UFOs done. And I'm just itching to start a new one!

isn't it interesting that QUILT and GUILT rhyme. They must be connected in some way