What’s a UFO and Why Do I Have So Many?

OK, admit it. You  have a collection of UFOs in your stack of projects. I have many myself. In this week’s post, I talk about what UFOs are, why we may be “collecting” them and what we can do with them. No need to waste time feeling guilty about these, start coming up with solutions for reducing your collection.

What is a UFO?

When I mention to a non-quilter that I have a lot of UFOs, I get some really funny looks. But we quilters know that a UFO stands for “unfinished object”. Some quilters call them PIGS which stands for “projects in grocery sacks”, because that’s where they store theirs. Here’s how I store some of mine:

I confess I have a few shelves like this. I often go through the projects on the shelf and re-evaluate them. I actually have a new pattern that will be out in about a month from a project I rescued from this shelf!

Why Do We Have UFOs?

This question can probably be answered differently by each quilter. We all have our reasons. Here’s a few of mine.

First reason, I suffer from losing interest in pattern that I thought I wanted to create. It’s looked great on the computer in my design program, but once I started constructing it, it didn’t look so great in reality. For me, this often comes from choosing the wrong fabrics for the design. Perhaps I was expecting a secondary design to appear and because I did not choose the right fabrics, the design doesn’t emerge.

Another reason I abandon a project is the block pattern I designed is more difficult that I anticipated. I tend to be a perfectionist, so maybe I’m being too hard on myself here. And I also think if I’m having trouble with the block, how can I write a coherent enough pattern so the quilter that buys it will be able to follow the directions stick with it.

Finally, a lot of quilters stop because they have run out of fabric and can’t finish the whole quilt. If the pattern did not include extra fabric or the quilter perhaps made cutting mistakes, this could happen. And if that fabric is no longer available at the quilt shop, what to do? That’s why I make sure the fabric requirements on my patterns have a built in amount to account for pre-washing and cutting mistakes and I advise quilters to cut out the entire project before beginning. That way if they are short on fabric, it’s more likely to still be in the quilt shop.

What to Do with UFOs

OK, now we know what a UFO is and why we may have a large collection, so what do we do to reduce the inventory? Here’s some ideas.

• If you have made several blocks for a large quilt and are growing tired of making them and the idea of having to make more is unappealing, stop. Make a smaller quilt like a table runner, wall hanging or a baby quilt to donate. Some of my smaller projects have emerged this way like this one:

This was going to me a large quilt to submit to a magazine. I decided, for some reason, I did not want a large quilt but already had six of each block made. So my solution was to make a wall hanging and table runner out of them. The wall hanging can also double as a large table topper.

• Or if you’ve only make a few blocks or you were involved in a block exchange, turn those into small gifts like mini table toppers or candle mats for non-quilting friends. Use up scraps from your fabric stash to jazz up one block!

I rummaged through my strip collection and made three borders for this little block and I ended up with this fun little candle mat I gifted to a friend.

• Inventory your stash of UFOs and be honest with yourself. Will you actually finish it or not? For the ones you decide to keep, plan out what you want to do with each, whether it’s to make a smaller project out of it or keep making it bigger. Make a list with a schedule prioritizing the UFOs, hang it on a cork board in your sewing room (or keep it in a notebook) and get to work. Focus on one at a time so it’s less stressful for you. For those UFOs you know you will never finish, find a quilting friend who likes it and will want to finish it.

 

• Finally, arrange a UFO challenge among your small quilting group or in your quilt guild. Make sure the challenge isn’t too daunting to cause people lose interest or drop out. Have quilters bring their UFOs and then come up with a plan everyone likes. Either do an exchange or come up with a fun challenge where everyone keeps their own.

Some Other Random Ideas

What if the UFO quilt top is done, but you either do not like it or don’t want another big quilt? Take the quilt top apart and make some smaller quilts out of it. I did this with a large sampler quilt I made with a group of friends. Once I got it together, I wasn’t too keen on how they looked together even though I liked all the blocks. So I decided to make smaller projects from all the matching blocks. Like this one:

I thought these six scrappy blocks looked better on their own, rather than in a larger scrap quilt. So I put them on point for a table runner. I may add some appliqué.

Another idea is to check with some area organizations that will take un-quilted tops. Those that do will get volunteers to finish the quilts and give them to shelters or hospitals. Perhaps your guild can come up with a UFO program like this. Collect unfinished, unwanted tops from members that others in the guild will gladly finish so they can be donated in the guild’s name.

That’s it for this week. Do you have some ideas you’d like to share? Feel free to share those in the comments below. See you next week!

Happy Quilting!
Deanne