How old is your oldest unfinished quilt?
 

I was scrounging around in one of those rarely visited places in my sewing room, and found a box that had a quilt top I had made back in 1989. I was so surprised as I thought I had no unfinished quilts. It made me wonder how many others have these buried "treasures" and just how old are they?

My first quilt top, from 1983, is still unassembled---a pile of blocks and strips, and a ton of extra fabric for it, because I thought I might make matching curtains, if you can believe that!. And it's going to stay that way. I HATE it now. Not even exactly sure where I stuffed it all....

Mine is my daughters wedding quilt, Im ashamed to say. It has 3700 pieces, I pieced it by hand and had the top done for her wedding shower. After the shower she gave it back to me to hand quilt. I have been working on it, on and off. Its about 2/3 of the way done and they just celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary on Sept. 11th. Its queen size.

I'm also "one of those people" who haven't quilted my very first quilt. My first class and first quilt top was a log cabin that I made in 2000. Now that I have a long arm I think it should be my first real quilt to LA (after I get lots of practice).

20 years. I started it when I was 13. Lets just say I am not a hand piecer or quilter. It is almost fully tied as I would never have quilted it

None of my own, I have four tops done by my great grandmother that I have not had the courge to finish. I think they date in the 40's,

My pre bi centinneal about 1974. Made two blocks and still have the fabric. Does this count as an unfinished quilt.

I have several that are 19-20 years old. my youngest is 3 years. They have about 30 siblings in between.

About 30 years old. :(
I am not proud of myself.

Jan in VA

My first GFG was started in 1966 and is still unfinished. I may make it into a pillow if I can find it again.

Thank you everyone for posting---it doesn't make feel so bad. My oldest is only about 10 years old---but then I have only been quilting for 10 years. I keep thinking of digging it out and work on it---but then I shudder wondering if I could ever match up the very inconsistent 1/4 inch seam. I do have a knitted afghan that I started abt 47 years ago that isn't finished---I ran out of yarn and could never find anymore of the yarn that I was using.

Thirty years and I am sure happy to find I am not alone.

About 8 years

I only have one from 2 years ago. I took a class and did not finish going. There was only one other woman there that made the quilt many times and it was not fun going...rush, rush, rush and the blocks were not easy and you had to do them mostly at home. the blocks are all different sizes. I have one more block left and just not into it. One of these days I will sew the blocks together.

One I started in 1973 for my nephew. He now has 2 girls of his own. Hmmmm.....wonder when this one will ever get done. LOL

None of my own, but I have a couple of vintage tops I plan to quilt from the 1930's or 1940's, and some vintage blocks to put together. I don't call them my UFO's because I haven't started working on them yet.

I just finished my very oldest that was started in 1970. It is a scrappy Monkey Wrench and will hang in our Guild's Quilt Show in October. When I cleaned out some closets last winter, I found all of the pieces cut out with a few blocks done. I was going to tip it all in the garbage and then realized that the fabrics were all from my family home and were scraps from 4-H projects, family curtains, aprons and school and church dresses and I just couldn't dump all that out. I finished the blocks, made two tops (had enough to make my sister one too and she cried when she realized what it was) and machine quilted them. Now we both have "A Hug from Home".

About 40 years old. I made a pieced block into an applique block - which was really stupid - but I did not know any better. The top was finished but not quilted. Then my BFF was selling her long arm and called and asked if I had any tops that I wanted quilted and to hurry over to her house because the lady was coming to get the long arm the next day. She had a roll of batting and guess I found some backings somewhere. So, she hurriedly quilted about 3 of my tops with pantos. This one is so wonky that I never trimmed off the backing/batting and have not put the binding on it. Why bother, as I am sure that the first time it is washed that the applique will come apart. It does have some of my maternity clothes fabric scraps in it.

Mine is over 30 years old. I started it for my son. It is still known in our family as the "Fictional Charlie Quilt". I got part of it cut out and then had to put it up. It ended up in several different boxes and 'sort of' lost', but it has always been "Charlie's Quilt". It is on my list of things to finish up. It was goose-themed with foundation pieced geese and rows of flying geese in between. It's probably a good thing I didn't get to finish it back then, I had no idea how to do foundation-piecing.. I would have ruined those poor geese! I am currently making a Butterfly quilt for Charlie's daughter. Still sticking with the winged creatures. lol

Maybe 8 yrs. old.

I have two UFOs that are at least 20 years old. Both are on my must finish list. However, newer projects just seem to get in line first! Oh well, I have been thinking of bringing one on a quilt retreat I am going to the first weekend of Nov.

I think I have everything done. If I do have something, it would have to be in the last couple years. My mom has some quilt tops that are king size from about 30 years ago. I was little when she made them.

I have one I started in 1985 for my son...was just going to be 5 inch squares...at some point I decided to cut the squares into triangles...then I thought I lost it in our move 18 years ago. Found it about 3 months ago! Not sure what I was thinking! Couldn't cut straight, too many different kinds of fabric...think I'll re-hide it!!

I feel so much normal now! 13 years...when I first started. Just finished a 10 year old top and a few smaller ones.

Well, I have two from the 1st year I started quiting which was 2004, Can't believe it has been 9 years.

I just finished one I started in 1985.

I'm so glad to see I'm not alone in the aged ufos. I'm slooooowly(almost a year) hand quilting a churn dash I hand pieced in 1986.

1969 I learned to hand applique houses. 16 blocks sat for 43 years. I finally finished it this year. The fabrics are leftovers from clothes I made in the 1960's. It is a trip down memory lane. Funky but fun to remember.

I made an Irish Chain for my niece's 16th birthday- it is half hand quilted. She will be 39 on her next birthday and has 2 boys of her own. No pink and green girly quilts for them I guess. I really should finish it.

1983! I started a Storm at Sea variation (old school -trace around plastic template, cut out each individually, then hand-piece). Dropped it for a while as we had small children AND moved to another state. SEVEN years later, my father was terminally ill in VA hospital, I was SO clever - I brought quilt to work on when visiting hours were not in effect & I needed something to do. I was on top of my form, I was caring for dying parent & tending to UFO. Dad died 3 1/2 months later(a blessing after so much suffering), & after funeral, I picked up SAS quilt to finish. As a teacher, I had several pens in my purse while in hospital, and, yes, they were all RED! I now have a UFO, traced in RED INK, and can't decide to proceed (what if ink bleeds?), or pitch (lots of sentimental value) - so still in box in 2013. I'm sure Dad's still looking down and laughing his a..ttitude off!

40 years. I had no idea what I was doing. Thought it was beautiful. Black and pink fan quilt. I put it away while looking for the perfect backing. Wanted black fabric with little pink roses. Found it a couple of years ago, bought enough for the back. Finally ran across the top again.......what was I thinking! Much prettier in my mind than in "person." I doubt that I'll ever finish it unless I put a plain black backing on it. Saving the black with pink roses for another project. Example of how our tastes change over the years. Actually, for my first quilt, didn't do too bad a job....but pink lace......really.

I have some that are between 10 and 15 years old. My daughter, who quilts on her DSM, and does a wonderful job asked me today to send her a quilt top every now and then and she will quilt them FREE for me if I will let her use them for advertising....What an offer. I am so excited! Maybe I will get some quilts done now. I have at least 16 tops to date and probably some that I have forgotten about.

I may not be the world's greatest quilter, but one thing about me - "Never empty handed to the kitchen go" and "Don't start what you cannot finish." My two favorite Momisms passed down from generation to generation. I do not have an unfinished quilt. I am finishing up one now and then will start on another and another and another - plans in the works for three quilts. And............I know what pattern I am using and what colors I am using..........that's what I do when I am sewing and listening to audiobooks! I am not bragging, believe me, but I just can't (through years of it being pounded into me) start something without finishing something. So, if you will all excuse me, I am going to cut some sashing, border and binding for today. Edie

1973 period

I am so glad there is someone with one older than mine. :) Mine is about 27

A dresden wall hanging from 2010 and all it needs is the binding and the sleeve attached to the back. I know it is there, but there always seems to be something else that must be done. As Tartan said, my FMQ skills are getting better and so projects are getting completed quicker. Caught up? Nah, never gonna' happen.

I have cheater I was going to give to my son and his wife. They were expecting my granddaughter and I wasn't so much in the mood for putting one together. Purchased it anyway, it just needed the binding. I asked my sister who lived nearby to see if they liked quilts or afghans. My now ex-DIL said she hated quilts. I still have the cheater waiting for the binding. it's very girly so it will go to a little lady. I ended up getting them a gift card. I am going to put the binding on this week since it's been awhile. And it will be ready for a little lady.

My DMIL hand pieced DWR quilt top in the 1940's. She said I could have it. When her kids were cleaning out the house, they found it in a drawer tied up in a blue ribbon. That was sometime inthe 90's. It is still packed away along with vintage fabric in a special suitcase. I want to hand quilt it, but never got the confidence to do it, maybe next year.

I started three quilts around 1996 which still aren't finished. I have moved six times since then, was a full time student for four years, and spent four months in a rehab center for acute lung disease ('08-'09). I am just happy that I finally have a quilting room again and am able and have time to quilt. I am doing better this year finishing up tops and sending them to a LAQ. I have also done some on my Pfaff.