Out of This World Tips for Tackling Your UFOs

Our UFOs are out of control! No, we haven’t been chatting to ET; our UFOs are unfinished objects. We love to start new quilting and sewing projects, and sometimes life gets in the way and the projects get put to the side. But now that pile of projects is just about tall enough to be seen from space. So while we sort through and get everything back in order, we thought we’d give you our top tips for tackling your UFO’s.

Get Organized

If you’re a list maker, you’re going to love this one. Take stock and make an inventory of all your projects. Try to actually get your hands on every project and see what steps you’ve got left to complete. Then, write it all down! You can use a planner specifically made for quilting, make a spreadsheet, or go with just a pen and paper. 

Spark Joy and Let Go

Marie Kondo’s process of taking an item, holding it, and seeing if it still sparks joy works for quilt projects just as well as it does when Marie organizes a closet. Now that you have all your projects present and accounted for, take a look and see which ones just don’t give you that happy crafty feeling any more. Make three categories of projects to complete and keep, projects to repurpose, and projects to complete and then give away. Just because they don’t spark joy for you, doesn’t mean that they couldn’t spark joy for someone else.

Set Goals

The big goal is of course to finish up projects, but what little steps can you take to complete the big goal? We like to create goals or steps for our projects, then sort them into different levels based on energy level or level of intricacy. For instance, a quilt that just needs the binding hand stitched is a low energy level goal for a stitching session. But a quilt that still needs to have the block layout sorted requires more brain power and might be a higher energy level task. 

Embrace Imperfection

Sometimes we feel like everything has to be perfect to get in the zone and get to stitching. Try to adjust your expectations and let go of that need for perfection. This can also go back to your goal setting; what small step can you take to move your project forward when everything isn’t perfect? When you only have a half hour? When you haven’t picked up the fabric you need?

Reward Time

Time to celebrate and look back at what you’ve accomplished! Pat yourself on the back for a job well done. And maybe start a new UFO?

What tips do you have to stay on top of your projects?