UFO 2023 Challenge
 

It’s that time again where we start our new UFO thread for the year. Anyone one can be a part of this thread. All you need to do is have a UFO, complete the UFO, hopefully post pic of UFO(s). But first we have some guidelines for this challenge.

I have read and heard numerous definitions on what is a UFO? So to keep us all on the same page we will use the definition we have used for several years. “If you consider it a UFO, then it’s a UFO.” This is a thread where we may state our monthly & yearly goals. (It’s okay to change them along the way). Then you can give us some history on the UFO(s); like how many years has it been a ufo? What may have stopped you from completing the ufo? What changes you may make now verses what was the original pattern/plan? And any other fun info about the project. Like I was going to make a baby quilt and now the baby is 50’s old. I have a Raggedy Ann doll I started to make for my niece and now it’s going to go to her daughter.

I consider a UFO completed if it has a top, batting (any kind), a backing, & binding, or pillowcase finish. So finish it the way you like. Also, you can file the UFO in file-13 (trash can); recycle all the fabric to your stash or scraps; gift to friend, guild, or board member; or any other way, but it’s no longer on your list of UFO’s. It all counts.

Once you complete a UFO, just let us know, so we can congratulate you on your hard work & accomplishment. And always remember we all love pics of completed UFO’s.

Again this year I will not be counting the monthly or yearly UFOs.

I have decided (for my self) to use the American Patchwork UFO challenge 2023 and I have change the monthly list. I listed 24 UFOs, 2 per month. At the start of each month I pick a number from 1-12 and complete the numbered project for the month. This may help me reach my goal = complete at least one UFO that only needs to be quilted and binded. And one quilt in the piecing stage per month. For the month of January I will complete BHMQ-2020 & quilt a lab top. The BHMQ 2020 is a alternated king size quilt (~90” to 120”), I have the 12” blocks completed I just need to sew the sashing and top together. Then cut the backing, batting, binding. And quilt. The lab (dog) +top is a throw and I need to decide on the backing & cut the backing, batting, binding to complete. This seems like a fun way to complete my UFO’s for me. So my final yearly goal is to complete 24 UFOs.

So hop on board the UFO flying saucer and let us know what you are working on and completing. So enjoy sewing.
happylab,

Thanks for starting this thread, happylab!

I haven’t completed any UFOs for several years. However, I have not added any to my list either.

I think I have 6 UFOs. 5 are assembled tops. One has the blocks completed but I plan to make them into pillow covers and/or wall hangings. I like the blocks with applique but the finished sample was pretty but not my style.

If I could finish a UFO every other month it would still take me a couple of years to get them all done! I am slowly chipping away on them. I've found that putting them on a list and posting on the door of my studio so I see the list as I go in and out helps keep me on track. I finished four last year but also added five more to the pile! At this rate I'll never get caught up. LOL This year my mission is to finish more than I add.

I just knew this thread would show up again! A little patience and more time to finish up a UFO! Right? I have my UFOs hanging in my closet with backing and flimsy on pant/skirt clip hangers. I thought I had a nicely reduced list but over the weekend I found two more. OK, I am up to 11 for the year. Rats, I just thought of another, Farmer's Wife, that I started long ago. I may just give up and sew the blocks I have finished together and skip trying to do them all. Tee-Hee-Hee! So as of today, I have 12 UFOs staring at me. Onward ever onward.

My goal is finish what I start this year. That way I don’t add.

For about a day there wasn’t anything to sew, but would be receiving projects. That’s when I pulled out a UFO. New Bonnie Hunter clue, 2 sets of BOOM blocks, triangle quilt (see thread in ‘pictures’), b-day candy swap to cut, there’s ~5 in progress, the UFO went into a drawer with thread and quilting templates. Even the metallic thread and needle.

NO MORE. BRAIN, quit thinking up more projects. I keep telling myself. STOP already. Do I listen? That stash in the garage will keep. Don’t even look at it!

Even at night it won’t stop. Have insomnia.

I counted up 18 UFOs that range in age from one to seven years old. Most are at least half done and all are throw sized quilts except for a couple of table runners I lost interest in. My goal is to finish at least one a month and not to add any more. Thank you, Petthefabric for that idea. So, I will complete what I start this year instead of putting it aside to tackle something else. Let the fun begin!

Thanks for starting another UFO Challenge thread. I wasn't posting much on the Quilting Board last year, not much quilting done either, work was really crazy. This year will be different! So far I have made a small UFO list that I want to finish this year. For January, I want to finish a 2021 Cotton Cuts Puzzle Mystery. I have all 10 sections ready to piece together. I should be able to get this together and off to my quilter by the end of the month. My 2nd project for January, is an EPP star baby quilt for my granddaughter. (this was started last year so not much of a UFO ) I just started to put the borders on this one and hope to have it quilted by the end of January ........ might have to push this to February.

I always seem to have about 14 UFOs going at all times. Some of them are tops that need quilting, and one is generally a knitting project. I do finish, but slowly. I like the idea of picking one each month to finish or at least devote the majority of time to. Thanks for starting this thread for 2023.

So far this year I've finished a doggy quilt using orphan blocks and scraps, a blue/white queen size quilt, pattern from Quilted Twins called Norwegian Snowflade, an embroidered Wedding Ring lap size quilt by Anita Goodesign and now working on another quilt pattern from Quilted Twins called Trail Mix in purples and yellows. That is going to be a doozy as the blocks are all 6", there are 5 different blocks, just getting them in order can be confusing. Now these quilts I've mentioned are only quilt tops at the moment but they're off my design wall and ready to be quilted which my goal is to get them done this year along with the other 9 quilt tops waiting to be quilted. I do have another UFO on the frame, partially quilted called Irish Chain, queen size in greens and whites. All these quilts are made from quilts, orphan blocks and some yardage. Bought no fabrics including backings.

Congratulations Snooze2978, on completing your doggy quilt. Yea!!!!

Welcome back everyone. I’m looking forward to a fun interactive year. So let’s get those lovely UFOs off our list this year.

Cleaned up my sewing room a few weeks back, and decided it's time to make some space by clearing out all the unfinished/half-finished projects lying around. This seems like a good place to keep track and get some motivation, so here's the list:


Quilting-
Pug top
# top
cross top

Put it together-
Wizard quilt
Startrek
Snakes OBW
Frida OBW
Alphabet kit
Movie cushion
Stamp quilt

Take it apart -
Lawn quilt

Come up with a plan-
B&W failed experiment
Shot cotton failed experiment

There's one other that I'm gonna consider a stretch goal if I get through the rest faster than I think.

I'm on track for finishing my first UFO this year, hopefully by the end of the month. Over the years I have been making small pinwheel blocks as leaders and enders. I recently discovered the stack in a drawer, set them with plain blocks, and now have a glue-basted baby quilt drying and awaiting quilting. It's gratifying to find that a UFO is a quilt half done, and it often doesn't take that much longer to finish it up, at least in this case.

However . . . ! I have a Dresden Plate top, pieced by my great-grandmother, awaiting hand quilting, and two Hawaiian applique tops awaiting my sit-down-and-stitch attention. One is nearly all appliqued, but the other is only basted. Lotsa work to do this year.

This is a great idea! I don't know what was going on with me, but during covid I kept making tops but not finishing any. I have a few things in the works and a couple more that I'm collecting fabric for.

Scrappy hexie quilt that I spent a couple years making. It's ended up kind of big! It need to be sandwiched, quilted and bound.

Dachshund quilt made with a jelly roll. It came out really cute and also needs to be sandwiched quilted and bound.

Log Cabin jacket that I haven't started yet. But have all the fabric collected.

Kaffe Fassett top that needs to be sandwiched, quilted and bound and the pillow shams to go with it need to be assembled

Smitten quilt. I have most of the blocks made.

2 1/2" square scrappy that is my quilting bee project. I need to finish the blocks, assemble, then sandwich, quilt, bind

Synnove and Cash’s mom. This sounds familiar. Pick something (s) and start 1 step at a time. Blinders might help. Then there’s the option of moving it along to someone else. Identifying the issue(s) is the first step.

Give yourself some grace. Covid was a weird time. My anxiety was .... impressive. But I could control the fabric, the speed, the thread and so I just kept pushing pieces thru my machine.

Cashs_mom - Rff1010 is absolutely right. The fact that you remained productive and creative during Covid is something to celebrate, even if a few UFOs are haunting you now. :-)

Yay, a new UFO thread! Just what I needed!

I made a big push in 2020 to categorize and get a lot of UFO’s done, but I really fell off the quilting wagon in 2021 and 2022, dealing with some health issues and life changes.

Now I’m back to feeling like my ol’ quilting self, and there are still six big projects that need to be completed before I let myself tackle the list I call the “Gleams in My Eyes,” or projects that I’ve purchased fabrics or kits for with only vague ideas in mind of eventual completion. *That* list contains an obscene number of “someday” projects best not mentioned yet!

Five of my goal projects for this year are “old” UFO’s from that list I made for 2020…and one is the Merry Mayhem 2023 New Year’s Day Mystery! Did I “need” to add a new quilt to the UFO list? No. But did I NEED a fun and easy project to stretch my quilting muscles back into full strength? Yes! Yes, I did! And hey, the top is done, the binding is made. It’s already moving right along!

I love doing write-ups about the quilts I finish. I hope I’ll have several to contribute to the thread this year!

I'm in again this year. Still working on my goal of having no more than 10 UFOs stored in my space. Last year I finished a few so now I'm down to 17. I've got two quilt tops in progress and two quilts that are sandwiched and have varying degrees of quilting done- those don't count as my UFOs LOL! Looking forward to seeing everyone's progress.

Rob

I'm happy to say I finished the next to the last UFO....Trail Mix from Quilted Twins website. Used all from the stash in purples, yellows and whites. 220 little 6.5 unfinished blocks containing from 4 to 23 little pieces to them. It came out to 97 x 102 and the binding which is already made up using the piping method. Must have been crazy when I saw that online but wanted to challenge myself. All the UFOs I've finished up to "to be quilted" stage are hanging up with the other 8 quilt tops waiting since 2019 or longer. I have no more UFOs sitting on the floor in containers but I do have 1 more in block stage but have pushed it to the store room as my pole for quilting is plumb full. Now back to the quilting part of it. It just feels great to have nothing sitting on the floor, in boxes, on top of the cutting table or on the design wall. Now, after over 5 years waiting I can finally replace my design wall with the insulation board I've had sitting out in the garage. Amazing it hasn't been damages during that time. Wish me luck on the quilting portion of this saga as I've told myself I can't even think about making or pulling fabrics for another project until I have at least 1/3 of the quilt tops quilted, bound and out of the house. All are gifts to others. Maybe some day I'll get to start my own quilt for my bed. Got the pattern, got the fabrics pulled, even embroidered the Geisha embroideries going in the on point diamonds of the French Braid.

For the quilts waiting to be quilted, yesterday I made sure I have the backings for each of them.....found them, enough batting but not yet cut to size, all bindings have been made, rolled up on TP cardboards and in a container labeled. Just need to make some quilt labels now. I feel so good, if my back didn't hurt so much from sewing I'd pat myself on the back. It's been a long time coming. Most of these quilt tops were my goals for 2019.

Gosh, I like "Gleams in my eyes" a whole lot better than "PIGS: Projects in bags"

May make a list in my quilty journal.

Snooze, 💗 love your mgmt.

Snooze2978: Congratulations on your finish. You are on a roll now. 🙂

I have many, many UFOs to complete. My Mom passed away in 2014 and I have several of her tops and pants that I want to make a lap quilt for each of my three sisters. It took me 2 years to cut her clothes but I did and I have one top almost done just need a border and I started on another one. So my goal is to complete each quilt by their birthday (June, August and November) or at least for Christmas. And, if it's still a bit hard then I will pick another UFO to work on and come back to the sisters' quilts.

Snooze, we must be sisters with another mother. This afternoon I layered three quilts from my UFO closet. I have two more ready to layer and that reduces my list to 7 unless I discover others. Now, all I need to do is wait for my machine to come back from the shop for a bit of some minor maintenance. My featherweight is too small for quilting ;) but I can work on one of my on going projects while waiting for my Pfaff to come home. Or better yet I could make the binding for the five waiting for my attention. Watch out February, I am going to be finishing UFOs as fast as I can. Yes, I can do 5 in one month, fingers crossed.

Welcome new and returning members. I’m so looking forward to the progress and conversations in the next 11.5 months. So let’s keep encouraging each other. I noticed great planning, progress and motivation you all are making. Keep up the great work.

I have all of my FG squared, and in the mist of pinning and sewing 21 blocks for the r/w/blk top for my niece. Then I need to piece the 2nd block (21 more blocks). Yes, it’s a UFO. My other project I’m working on, BHMQ. I can unfortunately say I do not have a single part completed yet. I missed calculated part 1 and need to make 12 more blocks in that part. Part 2 is completely sewn, need to iron and square. Part 3 is 1/2 done and part 4 isn’t started. My goal to have this project completed by mid next month. And I have 3-4 other projects waiting in the wind after I complete these 2 projects.

i need to go, i have a baby top I need to quilt for a friend and watch the Chiefs win, (at least I hope they win). Take care and enjoy happy sewing/quilting everyone.

Well - I did it. Started one of the PIGs - or gleams- and took steps to moving it forward. I have a 1 yard remnant with a giant "don't cut me!" Print and many years ago i pulled fabrics for a pieced border of DNA twists. I did math and cut HSTs today. Fingers crossed that did the math right

Rff1010 - I really look forward to seeing what you do with this - what you're working with sounds like a lot of my larger stash pieces and I'm always looking for ideas! Fingers crossed that your math and cutting are perfect!

First of the new year
 

Hi all, I just got this back from my LAQ, it is the BOM “Color My World” center from 2021, I changed it up from the original, I made the mariners compass “concrete” shades to represent the Whirlpool Compass Fountain in our downtown next to our beach. I surrounded it in grass and flowers as ours is surrounded by grass and flowers in the summer. I also drove around town and chose fabrics representing actual colors of houses in our town, replaced the trees with different varieties of trees in our town, including one Michigan white pine, and every other tree was replaced with one of our sidewalk lights from downtown. I’m calling mine “Colors of Saint Joseph.” I’m also showing photos our our city’s fountain. Another is in the works, I’m adding flowers and leaves and a vine detail. It’s from the 1990s. I made the center Texas star and peach border in a class, but never pursued getting it quilted because it was disjointed and blah. Flowers, leaves and vine are helping. Hope to have this done this year too :-)

Rebaquilts: Very lovely! Great adaptations to fit your town!

Rebaquilts, those are simply gorgeous! Great job!

Reba, such lovely finishes.

I did not make much progress on my BHMQ22-23.

My yearly Goals = to complete on average, 2 UFOs each month.
January goals = Lab top and quilt BHMQ 2019 top; & bind Bauble and bind lock-in 2020 tops.
February goals = quilt another lab top; & finish/quilt BHMQ 2020; & finish Halloween 👻 top.

so happy sewing/quilting everyone.

Love love love the Mariner's compass with your town represented around it, Reba! Congratualtions on a fantastic finish!

Rob

Your Colour my World centre is gorgeous!

I'm attending a 2-day "quilt day" and hope to get something done and off my UFO pile

With 55 posts, you’re a newbie. Welcome.. UFO’s happen to the best of us.

One UFO down and 13 more to go! All from stash but hanging in my closet for.....too long. Off to Project Linus. On to UFO #2 later this week.

Nice little quilt top for Project Linus, congrats on the finish!!

Finishing UFOs
 

In February, 2021 I sat down at my sewing table and made a list of all the UFOs I could think of. There were 20 projects on the list! I found it very rewarding to cross things off the list as they were completed. By the end of 2021 I had completed all but two. Maybe I should not call those two UFOs as they are not even started, just purchased fabric.

As I dug through piles, I found a few more things to finish.

It's 2023 now and I have started one of the projects left over from the 2021 list. And I'm doing much better at finishing projects. I still work on more than one project at a time, but if I have not folded it all up and put it on a shelf I don't consider it abandoned.

Reba - love your Mariners Compass. What a wonderful idea to incorporated your town into it.
WMUTeach - lovely quilt in gentle colours.
I finished a UFO this month but gave it away before taking a pic of it. I'll see if the person will let me come by and take a pic. It's a simple design I've used in several quilts - I think it's actually a 3 yard design but I made it larger.
I need to decide on my February finish -- I have several that are over half done.

Congratulations on your finishes, WMUteach and Belfrybat.

I'm still working on my first UFO for the year- it just needs a little something that I can't quite put my finger on...

Rob