Thursday, January 01, 2015

2015 A Whole New Year of UFO's!

Happy New Year! I hope you enjoyed some festivities with family and friends last night, and are ready to start the year off with some quilting time today. I will be organizing my UFO's.
Over my years of quilting I have made friends with my UFO problem situation. (You can read more about that progression on the UFO Management tab at the top of my blog.) The main reason for this condition is that I am a very creative person and I love quilting. Also I have an occasional flare up of a chronic condition called "Startitis", which means my self control ebbs, and I start a bunch of projects that I didn't really mean to! Shop hops and big quilt shows are triggers for a nasty flare up of Startitis!
In 2014 I finished 6 quilts and 1 quilt top on my UFO list, plus I almost finished hand quilting another one on that list. In my books, that is a successful year!  Of the remaining 4 quilts, one will become a Rainbow Scrap Challenge project (to work on the sashings each month), and the other 3 are going on the new list for another crack at being finished.

Here is the UFO closet at the beginning of 2015.

Hmmm... lots of treasures in there that would like to become finished quilts! Some of the hangers have the quilt top and the fabric for part, or all of, the backing....which is shockingly organized (for me)!! It was hard to pick only 12 projects to concentrate on, but it had to be done, and some quilt tops that didn't make the list are crying in the closet now. Not really... I made up that last part to see if you are still reading! LOL

Here is my top 12 UFO list for next year:



1) Triangle stars - this was an impulse start from a shop hop, but I like it and want it to be finished. The top is in sections, and just needs to be put together and quilted.



2) Easy Street - a very large quilt that I'm hoping Cathy will quilt for me this year, so I will just have to piece a backing and stitch the binding.



3) Roll, Roll, Cotton Boll - same as above... large quilt that I don't want to quilt myself. It has been on my UFO list since forever. Maybe this is the year it will be finished?



4) Polka Dot batiks - this was a leader/ender project from 2010 made from batik fabrics with dots. Don't ask why... I can't remember now!


5) sixties - also an old UFO never seen on my blog, although I don't know why, since I really like it. Maybe I got hung up on the layout decision?


6) Sweet Treats - a 2012 quilt along from Patchwork Times that I really enjoyed. I don't remember why this became a UFO. It's time to finish this one!



7) old log cabin - not seen on my blog before and very old. I have avoided it because it smells. Literally. Not as in "stinks as a quilt design" but as in, has an odour from being stored too long in the UFO bin. I need to de-smell it first! It was on the list last year, and didn't get any attention at all.




8) Tetris - a quilt along over at Melissa's Happy Quilting blog. This is a happy quilt and it just needs a backing and some fun quilting.

9) QSQA - this one is a quilt-as-you-go project that is stalled because I am nervous about the next step. I need to summon my courage and jump in!



10) Deckade the Halls - this pattern was the Fat Quarter Shop's gift to all their happy customers to celebrate their 10th anniversary. It was a wonderful sew along and I love the quilt top, which I made totally from scraps. Let's hope it can be finished to enjoy next Christmas!

11) scrappy braid - this one hasn't been seen on my blog and is a very old (at least 10 years in the closet) UFO. Many braids are laying around here somewhere, so it's time to find them and get that one together.


12) Brown block sampler - needs a backing and quilting. Maybe I'll work on this one during the brown month of the RSC?


So that's the UFO parade for 2015.
I am signing up for the 2015 Lovely Year of Finishes challenge and find it very motivating to keep on track for goal setting each month. January's project will be "Sweet Treats" because I know I have all the fabric I need on hand to finish this one up.
Cheers to a wonderful quilt filled year!

34 comments:

kate steeper said...

so glad im not the only one

Deb A said...

Good luck! Selecting 12 is always difficult but I am impressed with your organization. How about hanging that smelly one outside in the crisp cold air for a while? Good luck....you rocked this year on the UFO finishes. I need to do better than my two from last year =).

Ellen said...

Fantastic accomplishments - you did great in 2014! You have chosen a wonderful selection of quilts to be finished in 2015 and I look forward to following along with each one.

Dolores said...

Wow, that certainly is a list. I would start on the one that needs the least amount of time to complete. At the same time, de-smell the one quilt (throw some lavender into the bin with it? - or hang it outside?)

Karen - Quilts...etc. said...

Good luck in making some finishes for the this new year and have fun while doing it.

beaquilter said...

lovely projects!

Kaelyn Angelfoot said...

It is hard to choose! I usually go with not choosing which unfortunately results in more starts than finishes.

Siouxzq64@gmail.com said...

Great list to choose. You will get it done. Love your closet organization though.

Kate said...

You have some gorgeous quilts on your list. You did such a good job of finishing up projects last year that you should do well this year. I'll be joining you over at a Lovely Year of Finishes for 2015.

Mary said...

Whata New Year's Parade! I counted 16 or 17 finishes for me this year. It was really late when I counted. They are on a TAB on my Blog so I won't do a parade. I'm not counting the Start-itis projects just yet. I know where I got that ailment... Happy stitching and Blogging in 2015!

CecileD said...

Congratulations for these future finished projects ! I should be do the same resolutions !!

CecileD said...

I should do the same resolutions !! Sorry for my English....

Sandy said...

Happy New Year, Kathy! Good luck with your UFOs, and thanks for hosting the Slow Stitching link-up.

Cathy said...

Those are all lovely. They need to be done, and begin to live their lives as finished quilts. (Isn['t it fun how we seem to talk about quilts as if they are alive?) I will quite happily help you get the big ones finished.

Deb @ Frugal Little Bungalow said...

WOW so many pretties to work on! :) Happy New Year! :)

Nancy said...

I have a closet similar to yours. Good luck with all your finishes this year.

Unknown said...

I can't wait to see your Grand Illusion finish. I like your colors much better.

Linda (from eastern Pa.)

Robin said...

Wow! I'm impressed! Now that we're home from our mission I thought I'd pick out some quilt tops to finish this year but I only picked six. You are much more ambitious! More power to you. . . . . .

Nell's Quilts said...

Wow! Selections made and even a choice of what to work on one month. Good start to 2015.

Vroomans' Quilts said...

You have a lot of choices to make each month a lovely journey.

Denise :) said...

I have quite a few UFOs (some of them are more like UGHs) that I'm going to either finish or give away to someone who'll do something with them. You'll have your hands full -- and a lot of gorgeous finishes at the end of the year! :)

AnnieO said...

Lots of great projects. Are you going to draw numbers again like Judy did? I was not successful this year at getting UFO projects done on my own, and liked that method. While I have finished tops and backing, like you the big ones I don't want to quilt myself! Many best wishes to you for conquering your list for 2015

Julierose said...

Are you planning on on per month? Boy that takes a lot of "stick-to-it-tiv-ness"! I am cannibalizing some of my UFO's that I don't know why I made to begin with to find more blues
for my RSC15 January blocks. Sweet treats to eat lol hugs, Julierose

Andee said...

AWESOME UFO's...cannot wait to see them (especially the Bonnie quilts) come to fruition! I barely have any ufo's, I am such a finisher...makes me envious--lol!

Janet O. said...

I enjoyed reading about your UFOs--and I think some of mine that I had planned to finish this past year ARE crying on their hangers in my closet. It looks a LOT like yours!! : )

margaret said...

plenty to keep you busy here, I only have 2 UFO`s, one is in the flimsy stage but is not going to be quilted till my quilting improves and the other is about to be made into a flimsy, 20 sampler blocks so will be able to start lots of new projects, oh yes I do have my 12 hexie blocks from last year but they are going to be made into a very large quilt along with the 12 that will be done this year

Rebecca in AK said...

Good luck finishing up these UFOs! You chose some wonderful projects to finish up.

Ariane said...

Good luck on working on your UFO's. I just pulled out my hexagon star quilt I'm hand piecing. It's been in storage a while. But I'm trying to get the top done do that it can be quilted.

Lori said...

I like your ambition!

Cheryl's Teapots2Quilting said...

I can hear those quilt tops crying from here;) Lots of UFO's for you. You'd better get busy!

Lisa J. said...

That's quite a list Kathy. But knowing you you'll get it done.

SuperMomNoCape said...

You have such pretty quilt to work on this year. I especially like the triangle stars quilt.

Raewyn said...

I don't know where to start with sorting my ufos!! Good luck with working through these lovelies :-) hehe I'm just wondering what crying quilt tops sound like, I'm sure if I opened my cupboard door I might hear the same noise!!

Karin said...

Those are some fantastic looking UFOs! I especially love the Sweet Treats quilt, I'm sure it will look great finished! :-)