I was thinking recently about all of the UFOs in my closet, and I decided that it'd be good to list them and then work on getting them off that list into a "Finished in 2015" list. (That list has only 2 items on it so far but I am ever optimistic.) And I realized that I have different categories of UFOs, as you probably do too. Here are my categories:
1. Pieces cut but nothing sewn (you know, because I had this great idea and couldn't wait to get started...)
2. Fabric cut and some parts sewn (because I had this great idea, couldn't wait to get started, and I DID get started, but then got interrupted...)
3. Bunch of fabric blocks all sewn but not assembled in any fashion (Paused after I finished sewing blocks because I returned from retreat and set them aside and forgot about them, or needed time to lay them out on the design wall, or for some other completely excellent reason)
4. Art quilts in some state of incompletion because they require decisions that I can't seem to make quite yet. (They're "marinating." That's what I call it.)
5. Quilt tops almost done, but requiring borders or further decisions about what (if anything) to do next. (Clearly, the decision-making often stalls me. Let's call this more marinating.)
6. Fully completed quilt tops, needing to be sandwiched and quilted. Because I just dread the sandwiching part. It's never as bad as I think it's going to be, but still I dread it.
Lest you think I never finish anything (hi, Mom!), I'd like to remind you that I do get back to these and finish some from time to time. Even if it's a few (ahem) years later... like here, and here, for example.
But yesterday I was thinking in particular about how many quilt tops I have that need to be sandwiched and quilted. I decided to pull them out and count them. And the total is..... 25. Oh dear.
Some of them (five, to be exact) are ones I made for myself or for specific people who will receive them, eventually.
Some of them are ones I made with the idea of selling them at some point. At this rate, I'll be able to list them as "vintage" quilts.
Some I made to use up scraps from other projects, and they will probably be donation quilts once I get around to quilting them.
(And by the way, there used to be another quilt in this pile, but I was having company one day, wanted just the right look for the table, and I decided to hem the edges of the quilt top and use it as a table cloth. It's now in the linen cupboard!)
And then there's this beast:
It is a king-sized pineapple quilt top that I made when I was in the throes of my obsession with Freddy Moran. I love it, I really do, but it's so HUGE. At the time I envisioned using it as a bedspread. But it became clear that it was too bright and crazy and chaotic. I either need to take it apart so it'll be two smaller quilts, or send it off to a long-arm quilter because I don't want to wrestle with a king-sized quilt under my home machine.
Okay, 'fess up. How many quilt tops do you have stacked up? Can you beat my total?!
Seeing all of these tops makes me want to get a long-arm quilting machine, an urge that resurfaces at least once a year. Because the fastest way to get all of these done is to go buy a big new machine with a long learning curve, don't you think?!
