Reviving a UFO

Now that you have identified the reasoning behind why your project(s) became a UFO, it can be really difficult to get the motivation to work on it. (We previously discussed some of the reasons you might have stopped a project, make sure to check those out here.) Here’s a few ideas of how you can revive some of those projects. Hopefully some of these will be helpful and will inspire you to finish up some UFOs.

Work on the One Closest to Completion

One way to get some momentum with finishing projects is to just get one finished. The excitement of finishing a project has a snowball effect and (hopefully) will put you on a path to finishing more. When you have a bunch of UFOs and aren’t sure which to work on, pick the one that needs the least amount of work before it’s finished.

Prioritize

You can prioritize any way you want, but having a plan can help a lot. You could work in chronological order, finishing your projects oldest to newest. Or decide which are most important to have finished and work on those. Do you have projects that were intended to be gifts? Make those the priority over selfish sewing projects.

Randomize It

Take your UFO list and make sure each project has a number assigned. Write the numbers on scraps of paper and draw one randomly. This takes the decision making out of the equation and leaves it up to fate.

Break it Down

It can be overwhelming to try to finish UFOs, especially if it’s one you didn’t like working on in the first place. I’ve found an easy way to make it more manageable is by breaking it into more manageable tasks.

I was daunted by 60 kitten blocks for two separate quilts that needed to be trimmed and have sashing added. I set a goal to get 5 blocks done a day. When I sat down to sew, I was eager to get the 5 blocks done so I could work on something else. It wasn’t so many that I dreaded it too much, but it was enough to see real progress quickly. Before I knew it, I had two finished quilt tops.

You can break it down by saying you’re going to work on the UFO for a certain number of minutes a day. Or you can break it down by tasks that you will do each day –

• Cutting
• Assembling blocks
• Trimming blocks
• Winding bobbins
• Sewing them together
• Making binding

It doesn’t matter if you have 50 tiny tasks you’ll do a little each day or if you’re only going to work on it for 15 minutes a day, as long as you’re doing SOMETHING to work towards the goal of finishing it!

A Hiatus from Other Projects

You could set a rule that you’re not going to work on anything else until that UFO is done. This one is very hard for me, I work on way too many projects at once, but focusing on a single project could work really well for you.

Simplify the Scope of the Project

If you abandoned a project because it just was too daunting and more work than you wanted to put in, maybe you can simplify it. If you were going to be making 150 blocks, maybe you could add a sashing to reduce the number you need. Or change the finished project to something smaller like a lap quilt or even just a throw pillow. It can be hard to change a project from your original vision, but if your original vision means the project will sit unfinished forever then it’s worth exploring other options.

It might be necessary to try a few different options before you find what works for you, but hopefully some of these ideas will help. Letting go of perfection is a better option than having yet another UFO in your closet. The satisfaction of a finished quilt to cuddle under, or a project checked off your list, will outweigh any compromises you make to get your project finished.

Do you have a UFO you’ve been motivated to finish and finally completed? We’d love to hear more about it. And make sure you’re sharing your UFO progress on Instagram with #bouldermqgUFOs