I wrote this for the UFO Group at the Stitchin Fingers website, and thought it might be useful for some of my stitching friends who read this blog, but don't belong to Stitchin Fingers.
How to finish your UFO projects.
The first thing to do is pull out ALL your UFOs from wherever they are. Lay them out on the floor where you can clearly see each one. (If they are big items like quilts, fold them so they don't take up space).
1. Have a note book or sheet of paper and pen handy, and make a list of all the UFOs, e.g.
*Tiger Cross Stitch kit
*Picture of Fairies Cross stitch from (name of chart or book)
*Patchwork pillow/Quilt
(and so on)
Leave two or three lines between each title.
2. When you have done the list, go back over it and fill in details, e.g.
Tiger Cross Stitch kit - all threads, needle and chart are/are not with kit. (If there is anything missing, make a note of it).
Patchwork Pillow/Quilt. Need batting.
3. Now you can start thinking about making a firm decision, based on the materials you have available for each project. At this point you could re-write your list, putting it in order of which projects have everything needed to complete them. There may be other factors which influence your choice of first project, such as something you promised as a gift for somebody.
4. Once you have decided on which UFO to work on first, put all the others away (TIDILY) in one place if possible. Get all the requirements for the UFO and keep everything out on view in a spot where you can see it all the time, and work on it when you feel the urge. Depending on your circumstances, this might not be feasible, but the important thing is NOT to put it away with your other UFOs. Keep it separate from any other craft project. This will enable you to focus on the one project without becoming distracted by something else that looks more interesting!
5. Finally, just DO it! Force yourself to work on this one item, and you will find that as you get closer to finishing it, the faster you will go, and the more interesting it will become.
6. Show off completed UFO to friends, family and bloggers, and celebrate with champagne and/or chocolate!
7. Pull out the next UFO on your list, and go back to Step 4.
4 years ago
6 comments:
You have been spying in my room haven't you Gina?
Now would I do that, Doreen? Never! Well, just a peek maybe...
Good advice! Do I really have to pull out ALL my UFO's?
LOL, Joanne - yes you do! And if you get serious (like I do occasionally) about culling your UFOs, once you get them all out, you can decide whether or not you really do want to finish them. If you know darn well you never will finish some of them, shove those in a bag and take them to the nearest opshop. (Where I will probably snap them up for a song). Or give them to your local Guild, if you have one close enough to get to. I have dropped some of mine in the remnants box at our Guild, and they've gone within the hour! At least I can be sure they'll have a good home, and will probably be completed.
Oh no Gina, I could never pull all my UFO's out in the stark daylight. First it would take me 5 years just to gather them all and second, I would probably have a stroke if I actually saw the whole pile all at once!
You are one brave lady to do this.
Thank God I have company!
Seems that UFOs is a malady that affects all normal embroiderers.
Completing something that has been lying around for years requires a special kind of patience and a lot of will power
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