Updated june 16, 2020.
Commenting on a post, Mary Lou wrote ” My problem is not unfinished finished projected but all the unfinished projectes I have! I am trying not to start new ones but that is difficult. I have a lot of canvases not started in my stash at home. I just want to complete my unfinished stash. ”
I think this is a problem many of us have, I know I do. I have enough UFO’s that they could probably keep me stitching the rest of my life, especially if I include the pieces where I have pulled thread but haven’t started stitching.
So what’s a person to do?
Here are some ideas.
1. Work on a UFO for one hour every single day. This is really good for those projects which require just stitching the background. If you made it your main project, you’d go nuts. Doing it this way puts it into manageable bits.
And it’s especially good if you work on it while you are watching or listening to something you do regularly and love.
2. Accept that you won’t ever finish it. This is good for class projects. Father B was the one who turned me onto this idea. Think about it, you took the class for a reason right? You’ve stitched enough on the project to have learned what you wanted to learn or to find out you don’t like the technique at all.
If you don’t still love the project, give it up and give it away.
3. Make it your “car project.” These small projects are the things you do when you are in the car or away from home. They are great places for small UFO’s. You don’t have the distractions of home, you could be bored, or you could do needlepoint.
I’ll opt for the car project every time.
4. Reward yourself for finishing a UFO. For every three UFO’s I finished, I got to start a new project. The year I did this it was very successful. My UFO’s are piling up, so I should probably do it again.
5. Institute a rotation system. There are many ways to do this, but they work like this.
Make a list of ten projects you want to finish.
Decide on a block of time you will spend on any one project at a time. You could say “I’ll stitch ten hours on this project.” or “I’ll stitch on a project for one week.”
Whatever it is, stitch on the first project on the list for that amount of time, then put it away and go on to the next project on the list.
Do this until you have finished a project, then cross it off the list and put a new project at the bottom of the list.
I’ve used rotation systems in the past, but tend to go off them, because I get interested in one project and don’t want to stop.
What other strategies do you have for finishing UFOs?
About Janet M Perry
Janet Perry is the Internet's leading authority on needlepoint. She designs, teaches and writes, getting raves from her fans for her innovative techniques, extensive knowledge and generous teaching style. A leading writer of stitch guides, she blogs here and lives on an island in the northeast corner of the SF Bay with her family
Carol says
I not only have a car project, but a purse project, a work project, even a bathroom project.
You never know when you’re going to have a spare 10 minutes to work on something. I used this strategy last night while waiting for my doctor’s appointment. Those 10 minutes add up.
I almost always have a small project on me–not only needlepoint, but other kinds of needlework as well. About the only times I don’t carry something with me is when I at a special event, such as a wedding.
Carol
Debbie says
When I attend meetings for my business and they are using visuals I take a project that only entails a large area that contains one type of stitch. It is not a problem to put it down if I need to take notes or worry about where I was. I also keep a small journal in my purse with a list of all projects. Upon completion of the project I put the date by it and that gives me a visual of all projects completed.
Marlene says
Great post! I have so many UFOs stored away that I am waiting for ET to visit me any day…lol
After spending one afternoon, pulling out my needlework bins and looking over my partly completed projects, I realized that there were a lot of reasons why I had not completed the projects. Some I had “temporarily” put aside when I had decided to stitch a special gift for a wedding or baby shower. Others were stopped in their tracks when I was unable to find that special thread I had bought or could not find the instructions. Others I stopped working on when I was puzzled over what stitch to put in a specific area. Still others I had “temporarily” put aside because I discovered that I really did not like the design after stitching on it for a while. Some pieces I had put aside because the count was small or it was hard working on them at night. I am sure other needle workers can think of lots more reasons why they “temporarily” put aside a specific piece.
Came up with some ideas that have resolved some but not all of my problems. I matched the canvas, instructions and threads and bagged them together along with not one but several needles. If the canvas was already on stretcher bars, I just bagged the instructions, threads and needles and clearly identified what project it went to. For those pieces that I did not like stitching on any more, a friend of mine happily received as a gift. Others I gave to a local senior center to sell at their fundraiser. Selected only three…err..maybe four canvases to put in the needlework basket near my favorite chair and next to my needlepoint frame. Some designs are easy to tote and are simple. Others need a lot of concentration so are best left for quiet time. With the canvaseses that I still do not know what stitch to use, I will schedule a private class to look at the canvas, suggest stitches and obtain a stitch guide. Janet, it is awesome that you offer private consults and stitch guides. With your help, some of my canvases are going to be moving from UFO status to beautiful pillows and bell pulls.
Setting aside a specific amount of time to work on a UFO and also having the option to change projects instead of plodding forward on only one piece was a great bit of information I got from the post. Who would have thought that I had to only work on one piece until it was finished. That would be comparable to my mother’s comments “Unless you eat all of your spinach, you cannot have dessert.”. I can feast on spinach and dessert but..err… but not necessarily at the same time… lol