Are You Intimidated by Your UFO's?
 

Those of you who have them, do your UFO's call your name? Do they say things like "Why am I sitting here, half done?" "Won't you come play with me?"....and other stuff like that.

Or...are you able to ignore them and get on with your current sewing? I think about mine from time to time, and feel a bit guilty, but then I shake it off, and go play with my latest cotton pal.

I just started quilting last year and am forcing myself to finish one before I start another so as not to end up with a bunch. of UFOs. I have one on the machine right now. I had intended it for a Christmas present, but have struggled with the FMQing. I keep telling myself to get with it so I can start something new & fun.

boston- I do all the things you mentioned, I don't have but one top to quilt however, my barrel list is longgggggg.

I am overwhelmed by mine, and yes - they are calling me (and some of the names and comments are not fit to be printed here). Late last year I decided to make myself finish some projects. I cannot do another new one until I finish at least one UFO. Them's the rules and so far so good. Most of mine are finished tops - for many I already have the backing, but I do not like to sandwich - so they linger. Heavy sigh!

I occasionally get another 'I' word - irritated - by my UFO's. :mad: Mostly because they get in my way or have exactly the right fabric for another quilt but are already half-sewn into a UFO. But not intimidated. Life is too short to let inert pieces of fabric make me feel guilty. I'll finish them or I won't. If I don't finish a UFO, it's because I started a new project and I must want to finish the newer quilt more.

If I never finished anything, then I would let the UFOs upset me.

If they started talking to me , I would just bury them deeper in the tub! LOL...

The thing about my ufo bucket list is they aren't all my creations. Some are donated charity quilt tops and cut fabric for tops. It isn't always easy to pick up where someone left off, know what I mean? Even though they are beautiful. I need a good swift kick to get more of them finished up. June isn't that far away.

I felt I was getting behind on my projects, so I set them aside for a while to get now late quilts finished for those people I put on hold. There has been two family member graduations and a wedding that I haven't even addressed yet. Oh dear ...

I suppose they will just all have to be patient until my get up and go kicks in.

Does stash count as a UFO?

Oh that was CUTE!!! I wonder if it does......

This is year I am going to reduce my UFOs have so far finished 4 now working on quilt I started over 10 years ago.
My friend in America sent to me a parcel of fabric, I will not open the parcel until I have finished this current UFO

[QUOTE=kamaiarigby;6515325]This is year I am going to reduce my UFOs have so far finished 4 now working on quilt I started over 10 years ago.
My friend in America sent to me a parcel of fabric, I will not open the parcel until I have finished this current UFO[/QUOTE Now that is willpower! You aren't even going to peek in the parcel?

That's a big NO!

I am working on a UFO at the moment which is about 5 years old

I don't have so many UFO's as much as I have UQO's that need to be taken to the longarm. I always seem to find money/time/patience for the tops but actually having them quilted is where the logjam occurs for me.

[QUOTE=Tartan;6515338]Yes, amazing, isn't it? I'm impressed!

The only UFO I have right now is a King size quilt that needs the binding put on. I did start picking fabrics from my stash to start cutting for another quilt.

I have some, but I finished up a bunch of tops last year, so I feel better. I have some started projects, and plan on finishing each of them. But like others, at times, I have other people's unfinished works, so I refuse to let their gift make me somehow feel guilty. However, I want to continue to get those unfinished projects "down" in number.

One problem I have is that someone donated a bunch of ugly baby quilt tops to me. They are ugly, seriously, so I am going to cut them up as they are into squares and make them into an 'orphan block' or scrap quilt using QAYG technique with the back side a planned pattern, so at least one side will be pretty! I can't see anyone wanting the ugly side as I do have one lady who makes pretty lap/baby quilts for me, and why would someone want one of the seriously ugly ones when I have so many pretty ones?

But other than that, I am probably down to under 20-30 tops (down from about 80?) left to quilt. Of those, I have about 10 sandwiched, for when I get in the quilting mood again. Right now I'm working on my DD#1's wedding quilt. After I finish her back, I'll will work on DS#2's wedding quilt. His fiance wants an "Orange Peel" quilt.

So I guess in answer to your question, they do call my name, a little. One of them, a true Lemoyne star, I started working on years ago when I first started quilting and realized that I did start on a bit more difficult project than was a good idea, so I put it aside for a while. I'm about ready to tackle it seriously. (It is about 40 different LeMoyne stars.)

No, mine don't call to me or bother me. The tops take up less room than the quilts which don't have intended recipients yet.

Maybe this is the motivation we all need.

I just shut the doors on the cupboard and leave them in the dark, they aren't alone in the dark in there, plenty of company!
But, yes, sometimes they call me and this winter I have answered a few and finished them!

I really don't consider my unfinished projects "UFOs". I never do the same quilt pattern twice so each quilt I start is to try something new or learn a different technique. I have given myself permission not to finish a project if I don't want to. I may get bored with it or simply just don't care for it when the top is done. I enjoy the piecing part of quilting far more than the sandwiching, quilting and binding. Quilting makes me happy and I'm not going to ruin that by stressing over unfinished projects. If I decide that I'm not happy working on something, I just put everything together to complete it and put it on a shelf. Sometimes, I will decide that the project isn't that bad and will pull it out and work on it. Or, it will sit there until I decide it needs to go away!

This is exactly how I feel. You said it much better than I could have. I start new projects to pique my curiosity and to learn. The piecing process is enjoyable.

This is my problem to. I hate to sandwich them. I keep using the excuse I need backing or batting but I have plenty. Right now I am on a guilt trip about so many UFO'S but it will pass. I am working on next Christmas and when I have time I will get to them.

Intimidated no, scare yes!!!!
I have one that's been waiting to be done for the last 20 years or more.
My daughter arrange the blocks and I sew it together, she pick out a fleece
backing, its yellow with ducks (what was she thinking ) the block are cats.
The first and last quilt I made was for our king size waterbed and it still on
the bed and that was like 25 years ago and showing its age.

My problem is I enjoy making the tops but don't like to layer and quilt and bind them. Cant afford to send them out to a longarmer. So I have lots of tops stacked up to finish.

I haven't bothered to count them but something tells me that when you have the largest Rubbermaid container full of completed tops and countless smaller bins full of blocks and cut "components" then you have quite a few UFO's. On the plus side, I did finish ten large quilts out of that bin (and it definitely is not empty) and have been moving some of my smaller bins along the road to a completed top. It's my fabric, my quilt projects and I don't intend to stress about them. I do plan to finish a bunch more, re-purpose some, gift some and abandon some. Quilting is my hobby and I thoroughly enjoy it. Many artists do not complete all of their sketches and paintings. Why are quilters so sure that every started project must be finished? I know you invested time and money but I'm sure you have also learned a lot on your quilt journey and maybe some started projects just aren't worth finishing for any number of reasons.

Nah, I just ignore them. After a day or so, they shut up:D

I don't consider my finished quilt tops UFO's. I used to hand quilt, not so much any more. I send them out to be LA quilted. My UFO's are all the kits I bought before I retired, 5 years ago, that are still waiting to be made, and several BOM's I started and never finished. I am almost finished with one of those BOM's now, and I am going to make one of those Queen size Kits next for my Granddaughter. Decided this is the year to get them done. My daughters can send the quilt tops out to be quilted, when I am gone but would not know how to finish one.

NO ! Can't hear a peep out of them because I have them buried so deep in my closet!!! :)

Lori & Veronica....Stash as UFO? Perhaps it can be called an S2U like 'stash-to-use'?

My LQS started a UFO Club some months ago. I have gotten some much done thanks to the encouragement of the people who go. It's great we can use the irons and big tables in the classroom. We bring snacks and work on our projects. If we need help or have questions the staff is always willing to help.

Oh please tell me it doesn't!

I had 13 which I suppose isn't a large number compared to some but they were a huge burden on my mind and kept shouting what a poor steward of my pocketbook I was.
I took 3 years and one way or another finished them all. Except for one, which went out in a trade box this week ;)

It is just thread on fabric and if I could start a new project I could just as easily put thread to fabric on an already started project. That has been 4 or 5 years ago and it is a wonderful feeling still to finish something and then spend some time thinking about what the next project will be.

Life is good...

No, because I learned the hard way by having 10 once. Now I only let a max of 5 accumulate before tackling then. By UFO I mean everything done except FMQ. I do not start one thing and bounce to another. Hang in there it all comes together eventually.

I do have lots of UFOs. I generally pick 4 or 5 to work on so I always have something to do. This is one that I'm working on right now. I still have 42 leaves and 8 circles to applique, then attach the block borders and quilt. I don't mind pin basting my quilts, my problem is I don't have the room to do it so have to go somewhere there are big tables I can use. This one is all from my stash.

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Hahaha I have two which speak to me
One says 'you never should have taken that !@#$% Judy Neimyer class, since you aren't going to correct that one segment and finish the other 999...waste of money!'
The other one says 'so you bought all these pastel Jinny Beyer FQ's and you still can't get these stupid blocks squared up and make something out of me?"

None of them want to play. They just want me to fix horrible mistakes and finish them up. I cna't open the drawer they are in without them glaring at me.

Oh, I just love this train of thought. You are so right. Time to let a few things go...

Thank you for posting this!
Honestly, I feel similar with my cross stitching, it's about the journey to me, I enjoy the feel of the thread and the fabric (hmmmm linen), it's almost meditative. I don't stress over not finishing something.

I need to move that attitude to my quilting, I think it's because I'm daunted by the $ involved in the project, our fabric is $18.95/metre so it can be quite pricy. I am learning to let go though, I actually took one UFO and ripped the seams out...ripped. Oh it felt good!! I wasn't going to finish it, didn't like the technique (it was a modern style of stripes, 70 inches long some of those stripes were!!!!), didn't really love my fabrics once I got using them. So rip rip rip, with my bare hands LOL. Now I can cut these pieces up into squares or rectangles and use them more effectively.

No. I don't allow myself to buy anything or start anything new until I finish one. I had to make one exception to that, as I am making myself a king size quilt and I had to put it aside to make the Christmas quilts for my grandchildren. But now I am working on it again and hope to finish it in the next week or so. I have a new grand baby due April 2 and I can't start on her quilt until I finish this one.

Actually they give me a peaceful feeling that I have quilt kits ready to go for a long time. The same with my stash.