Pat Sloan 12 UFO Busting Tips - true confessions

Start at the Beginning..

True Confessions... I counted MY UFO projects... CLICK HERE FOR TIP #1 directions

Basted/quilting
1.A Secret Garden

Tops
1.Over the Moon
2.Let's be Scrap Happy
3.Aurifil 2012 quilt
4.Bunny Hill
5.Seaside Applique Quilt
6.EYFV quilt blocks in a top - blue/yellow
7.5 o'clock somewhere
8.flower blocks
9.Frogs in the pond
10.Pimitive Blackbird design  4 block – mustard color
11.BOM with Jackie K.
12.jelly roll race in my EYFV
13.Patriotic baskets
14.Big Hexagons – navy
15.batik signature Quilt
16.Lavender Vintage blocks
17.Charm square small quilt – use as a backing
18.Stocking Quilt
19. Jelly roll race in Blue fabrics

Tops at Cindy's
1.Lucy's Crab shack fabric,
2. Mom's quilt...pink and yellow
3.A whacky log cabin with made fabric inner borders and a black border with BIG leaves
4.Baskets with stripe handles
5.pink and lime green quilt with border fabric with big pink flowers - SL block swap
6.quilt with words in 30's fabrics.

In Progress - Samplers
1.EYFV 2013 Aurifil Blocks – my fabrics plus white or my tonal
EYFV quilt blocks from Quilt Gallery red/white
EYFV quilt blocks from Quilt Gallery green/orange
2.Farmer Mistress
Add Sugar Blocks – same as Farmer Mistress block fabrics
3.Grey Antique dresden plates
COMBINE grey and yellow craftsy blocks – plus some.. put the pieced blocks around the center
4.Dear Jane + Alphabet
5.wool round robin
6.Halloween crooked cabins – studio
7.crop circles
8.Reproduction blocks on BLACK from simple stitches  hand appliqué
9.red/white baskets 
10.OP quilt – needs flowers 
11.Na-Na's Peppermints
12.rabbit round robin
13.easter blocks
14.Lifesaver Dresdens
15.Stripe and dot table runner
16.Cross stitch

This seems to be 42 lovely project that have been started.

I know a few of you (yes you Sharon) are calling me a light weight..

I'll take it.. as 2 yrs ago there were more!

Let me show you what this sorting can do for you.

Group A - Almost done - now list them in order of importance

here is mine(If I can do it YOU can do it!)

1. A Secret Garden
2. Seaside Applique Quilt
3. Over the Moon
4. Let's be Scrap Happy
5. Aurifil 2012 quilt
6. Bunny Hill
7. jelly roll race in my EYFV
8. BOM with Jackie K.
9. Patriotic baskets
10. Pimitive Blackbird desi
11. EYFV quilt blocks in a top - blue/yellow
12. 5 o'clock somewhere
13. stocking Quilt
14. jelly roll race in Blue fabric
15. at longarmers - Lucy's Crab shack fabric
16. at longarmers -Mom's quilt...pink and yellow
17. at longarmers -whacky log cabin with made fabric inner borders and a black border with BIG leaves
18. at longarmers -Baskets with stripe handles
19. at longarmers -pink and lime green quilt with border fabric with big pink flowers - SL block swap
20. at longarmers -quilt with words in 30's fabrics.

 Group B – Almost done but ...

From your list above I bet there are some you REALLY don't want to finish. And you don't see giving them to someone, or even doing them 'yourself' for charity. The BIG Point here is.... you do NOT NEED to finish everything you started.

If you no longer love it...give it away, sell it, but do not keep it

I'm walking the walk and talking the talk.. I think this group is going to go

1. flower blocks
2. Frogs in the pond
3. large  4 block – mustard color
4. batik signature Quilt
5. Lavender Vintage blocks
6. Charm square small quilt – use as a backing

 Group C – Patially done AND I LOVE the project and WANT to finish it

The photo above is of my tops. I have gone through them MANY times and right now I THINK I want them all. But the longer I do not quilt them... the more chance I'll have out grown them.

Now list your Partially done.. And put them in order of importance

here is mine(If I can do it YOU can do it!)

In Progress - Samplers
1.EYFV 2013 Aurifil Blocks – my fabrics plus white or my tonal
EYFV quilt blocks from Quilt Gallery red/white
EYFV quilt blocks from Quilt Gallery green/orange
2.Farmer Mistress
Add Sugar Blocks – same as Farmer Mistress block fabrics
3.Grey Antique dresden plates
COMBINE grey and yellow craftsy blocks – plus some.. put the pieced blocks around the center
4.Dear Jane + Alphabet
5.wool round robin
6.Halloween crooked cabins – studio
7.crop circles
8.Reproduction blocks on BLACK from simple stitches  hand appliqué
9.red/white baskets 
10.OP quilt – needs flowers 
11.Na-Na's Peppermints
12.rabbit round robin
13.easter blocks
14.Lifesaver Dresdens
15.Stripe and dot table runner
16.Cross stitch

Group D – Partially done but....

From your list above take out the projects that you really have outgrown, that you never liked that much, that are giving you Guilt.

I am working on what to move here... hey.. I'm human!

Group E – Barely started

And the last group for you to sort is this one, the ones you have BARELY started. I have those too... they are way down on my list (but I'll share in future posts!)

Now Take a GOOD... HARD... RUTHLESS look at your list

and be sure what you leave in the LOVE piles are projects you want to continue

Need support?

Join me HERE at the Quilt Forum where we can all hold hands

Shead tears for old projects

And give support for getting rid of DEAD WEIGHT

Post photos to share at our flickr group

Chat on Facebook.

I'm here for you!

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Can you do it? I KNOW you can because I have!

What did you learn so far this month, tell me in the comments!

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If you can't wait.. you can CLICK HERE to read the original posts the link takes you to my first from the last time I ran UFO busting.

Quilt Forum topic - be sure to hit 'NOTIFY' at the top right

http://quiltmashup.com/index.php/topic,2268.new.html#new

Flickr Group - http://www.flickr.com/groups/patsloan12tipstobustufos/

Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/PatSloanQuiltFun

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Comments

[Mary Deeter]

Wow; that is totally overwhelming! I have my UFO's, and the new stuff keeps coming; but I refuse to feel guilty! So, sew for FUN. When it becomes WORK...STOP. I've been taking classes that use two of your books, so my UFO's all seem to be connected with your name....

[Lisa Cockerham]

I love Trello for listing projects. I have a few different boards for different thing, like DIY jobs around the home, Christmas projects & website stuff.. My sewing board is particularly full of WIP

[Beth]

I have my original list. Today I drag them all out into the light of day, sort them take pictures of them. Time to face the fabric.

[pat sloan]

Bev that is AWESOME! Thanks for sharing!

[Bev Gunn]

The other day I grabbed a zippy bag of blocks that has resurfaced several times over the years and decided its time had come. I finished the blocks that were started and counted and found I needed 3 more. Hit the precut scraps and threw together the needed blocks. Dug in stash and found fabric for the sashing and cornorstones. Cut and sewed those to the blocks. Now working on outer border and then this block of the month I won in 2003 with be together! (One of the gals signed the back of her blocks with her name and year so I know when it was started! Several other blocks are either signed or had return address labels on them. It was like a trip down memory lane with old friends.)

[Liz]

I am do motivated to get my stash busted! Thanks for the helpful tips and the forum to share with other quilters!

[Dixie]

Mine are counted & sorted & listed. I have a lot, like 90. OK, so I've started a few, done a lot of swaps too. There are only a couple I don't like & have already given one away to a friend. They will get worked on &some will be combined & some will be altered, but they will all be done, one way or another :)

[Shelly Pagliai]

Oh, no! Not only do I have to find them, I have to SORT them, too??! You're really scaring me now. I found a bunch so far, but I'm sure it's not all of them. Will work on that today. More boxes yet to unpack. First, I think I'm gonna need more coffee. But I can already think of one UFO I'm gonna get rid of!

[Shirley in Canada]

some of the quilt tops I have ready to quilt, I will not get rid off. The names of family members will be attached to the top just in case something happens that I don't get the time to quit them. That way DD will know what to do with my UFO's!! Started packing supplies with those that are half-done for the same reason - easier to pass on to someone if everything is there to finish it ;-)

[Debbie Gallett]

Grace, I also have a lot of tops, mostly wallhanging size. I love them and hang them on the walls in rotation. I enjoy seeing them all and don't feel a bit guilty about never quilting them. I do have 2 bed size quilts that need to get quilted so I can use them.

[pat sloan]

Grace there is Nothing wrong with having just a top! Does it make you happy to have just a top? Do you enjoy it? Hang it on the wall? use it? Or just store it and that makes you happy? Go for it!

Most people have guilt over tops that were never finished, but if you are not one of those people ... do what makes you happy!

[Grace]

I have a question...what is wrong with just keeping a quilt top project that you decide you don't want to finish? You paid all of that money for the fabric, the pattern, and supplies, and put all of your time into making the quilt top. I have quite a few tops that I still like, but I think I just lost the momentum of working on them and getting them done (which is a problem for me). And, there are some that I still like, but don't think I want to invest anymore time into them, but not enough to just get rid of them. I guess I am missing something from your UFO Busting Lessons, yes?! LOL!

[DianeP]

Thank you Pat! Now I feel as though I can "officially" get rid of some UFO's. Even though I had all good intentions when I started them, there are three that have to go. Where? Not exactly sure, but I just can't finish them.

Whew! Now I can work on the ones that are nearly-done and get on with it!

[pat sloan]

wow Karen!!! .. if it works for you.. good job! I actually don't care if I don't finish some. it's all about having fun, so as long as it's fun I'm good with it!

[Machelle]

Ha love it! I am still sorting, but making progress;) the give o'clock somewhere is on my list tooo! It is the first free pattern of yours I ever downloaded.(Because it was unique, different, had words on, and very different then anything I ever tried. First tine i tried fused applique

[Karen]

this is exactly why I never work on that many! I have only 3 tops in progress, one big quilt on my hand quilting frame and 3 tops waiting to be hand quilted. That is plenty. Good luck in finishing all of yours.