By the Yard: UFOs

They seem to swoop in from every direction, invading your creative space. You don’t know where they came from or how to stave them off. They are Un-Finished Objects (UFOs), and they are the bane of every quilter’s existence.

Usually seduced by some pretty new fabric or an exciting new project idea, we often abandoned half-finished projects to start something new. Pretty soon, we have a ponderous pile of UFOs. What to do? Try managing your UFO backlog using the FROG approach: Finish, Repurpose or Give Away.

Finish

Try to finish just one thing. If you can finish just one thing, perhaps finishing will become contagious. Some quilting groups even hold “Finish-It-Up Fridays.” Just like dieting, finishing UFOs can be more palatable when done with friends.

Repurpose

Maybe you were making a baby blanket, but your little cherub just turned ten and it’s still not done. Make it into something else. How about pillow cases for a church fair or charity sewing project? Those curtains you never finished: you’ve since moved and now have differently sized windows. How about refashioning them into market totes?

Give Away

You bought the fabric with the best of intentions. You cut and maybe even started sewing it, but now you realize you are NEVER going to finish it. Say goodbye to it and then give it away. Don’t even think about what it should have or could have been. There is someone out there on a Facebook group or nosing around a yard sale right now who would be thrilled to adopt your UFO and finish bringing it to life.

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