2016 Final Countdown, Task Three

Posted on December 31, 2016 by prairiemoonquilts in The Final Countdown

Wow! That went fast!

It’s Day 3 already!

I’m still working on Tasks One and Two both. Still putting away fabric (because as I’m cleaning flat surfaces, I keep finding more), and I’m still working on clearing the flat surfaces. I worked hard on it yesterday, tho, and I’m highly encouraged by how much better it’s already looking. I’ll show you pictures when I’m done — I’ll be so proud to show it off!

Our third and final task is to:

Get committed

Get committed to finishing up projects that have been lingering too long.

Get committed to using up your stash.

Get committed to learning something you’ve wanted to learn, but have been putting off.

Get committed to whittling down your number of UFOs.

Get committed to whatever you’ve been wanting to do more of or spend more time doing.

This one is up to you, but I want you to put some thought into it.

My main commitment is going to be whittling down my number of UFOs and WIPs. I don’t need to have so many things going. I thought I was actually working toward that this year, but I started the year with 110 projects on my list, and guess what that number is now?

127. It went UP! As I cleaned and organized, I kept finding projects that weren’t on my list! And that is still happening!

I need to become a lot more ruthless in examining the projects on my list and deciding what to do about some of them. I’ve already decided that I’m ditching a few of them, downsizing a couple others, and changing direction on several.

I would so love for this entire pile of bags, bins, etc., in my storage room to be completely gone:

Here are my goals related to this task, moving forward:
1) Greatly reduce my number of UFOs and WIPs. I’d like to get it under 75 this year, and even lower the next year. (I really wanted to say “under 25 this year”, but I have to be somewhat realistic!)
2) Use my stash as stated earlier in my goals for Task One.
3) Spend more time doing hand stitching this year.

So I’ll be updating my lists, going through all my projects with new eyes, and rearranging and reorganizing to make these things happen. It will start today, but will be an ongoing project for my entire year. I have 3 nice rolling carts that have a total of 32 drawers among them. They all match, and they look very neat. I would love love love for all my UFOs to fit into these drawers, and not have one single extra bin sitting around anywhere. That’s my ultimate goal, but I know it will take a while to accomplish that one.

Your turn . . . what thing do you need or want to commit to doing this year?

Do you have too many WIPs or UFOs? Not enough?

Fabric you need to use up? Or do you need to build up your stash?

Something you’ve been procrastinating about learning (machine quilting, hand appliqué, embroidery, etc.)?

Something else I haven’t mentioned?

What are you committing to?

I can’t wait to hear!

Happy New Year!!!

35 responses to “2016 Final Countdown, Task Three”

  1. Donna says:

    I am with you on getting UFO finished. I want my tubs of projects and bags that are stuffed in closets, gone. I was so excited about those projects when I started them, but life happened and they didn’t get finished. This year I hope to commit to finishing several projects.
    Where did you find rolling carts with 32 drawers?

  2. Pam says:

    I’m away until Jan 2. But have been reading your tasks can wait to get home and start. Will send a before picture. My seeing room is a disaster from all the holiday sewing.

  3. Wendy says:

    I have so many quilt tops that I need to sandwich, quilt and bind. The reason for not getting them done? I don’t like doing the quilting because I don’t feel I’m good at it. I’m definitely not comfortable with it. So those two should probably be my two goals, to be more dedicated to learning FMQ and finishing those tops.

  4. Louise says:

    I want to work on no more than three projects at a time. That means that I have to finish up about a gazillion half-done projects first. Seriously, I am going to attack my pile of unfinished projects one at a time until they are all done. I will only start a new project if I already have all the fabric I need. That way I am also working on Task One at the same time. The first project to be finished will be two more knitted sofa pillows for my daughter. Three are already done. Then I will finish hand quilting the throw for my three season porch that I wanted to use this past fall. So, it should be ready by this spring. 🙂

  5. Marlene Clausen says:

    2017 will be the third year in a row that I will be “trying” to follow my effort to finish UFO’s. My strategy is a very simple one: before I start a new piece I have to finish a UFO.

    That sounds simple, but I had to make up rules! What is a UFO? A UFO, for me, is any project that is started, but not finished. Started means I have the fabric, pattern, and I have started cutting the pieces. Finished means bound and ready to use.
    Size. I decided even binding a place mat or table topper counted as a “finished project” and I was then free to start a new project of any size. (Hey! They are my projects and my rules. Make your own.LOL)

    Last year, I added August as UFO month. Only work on UFO’s in August and try to finish as many as possible. I also am trying to plan better. I will be working on a new project and have to interrupt it to make a gift (usually birthday or Christmas). Once that crunch is out of the way, I seem to lose some enthusiasm for what I was working on. So, now before starting a new project, I ask myself if I can make that new project a gift that, eventually, needs to get done.

    So far, this strategy has actually helped me cut down on all the UFO’s that take up space. Now, if I could just find a good way to de-clutter . . .

    Happy New Year! And, get yourself down to Liberty and visit my dear friend Jean and, also, Angela who is just around the corner and MSQC just up the road!!

  6. Deanna says:

    Thank you again for a great Final Countdown. I have cleaned, sorted and created lists. All these things make me very happy and ready for a great new year. Best wishes to you and yours.

    My Task Three post will go up Monday.

  7. Pat Mac says:

    Already excited to finish UFO’s and reduce my stash. I am starting by listing 12 – 16 projects I want finished. A year ago I actually finished 10 quilts in one year which included a couple new projects. Pulling out fabrics to donate and sew up quick gifts for charity auction. Life is good when quilting and piecing.

  8. T Johnaon says:

    First: The preceding comments have been added to my doc. called quilt organization 2017. Do you have too many WIPs or UFOs? Not enough? Not enough? Seriously, do you want some of mine? Do works in progress also include dreams and want to’s?
    I have much fabric to use!

    Something you’ve been procrastinating about learning (machine quilting, hand appliqué, embroidery, etc.)? Machine quilting! I can get it done, but it waits and waits for proper motivation–and I can’t quite figure out just what “proper motivation” is!
    What are you committing to? I have started a worksheet Quilt Organization. I thought it would be a simple little one page thing to post on the wall in the Hobby House–as of last night it is two pages–and I realized that I conveniently left off the “quilt that shall remain nameless” (because I can’t remember the name :)—)It is all cut out in wonderful bundles and then I realized I was having so much fun cutting that I probably have several quilts worth cut–ugh. I AM COMMITTED TO CHECKING OFF AT LEAST ONE ITEM EACH MONTH AND HOPEFULLY MORE ON BOTH THE UFO/WIP LIST AND THE HOPES AND DREAMS LIST (which has to include at least 1 QAL and one new “I just can’t wait to try this one” heheheh

  9. Liz says:

    Thank you for a great Final Countdown! I have been getting ready for the New Year. Here Is my commitment list

    1. Work on at least 3 projects each month. Project will consist of a UFO, pattern, project out of book. I really need to work on decreasing my pattern stash.

    2. Reducing my fabric stash.

    3. Get back to blogging.

    4. Continue to organize my fabric stash by color. Giving myself 3 months to complete.

    5. Spend a day on my long arm and get quilt tops completed!!!!!!!!

    This is my “for sure” list.

    Since clearing off my top surface, I decided that I will go in the closet and organize on my fabric stash. I will stop at noon and get to sewing on a UFO.

    Happy New Year!

  10. Mary C says:

    I have a bin of orphan blocks that need to be used. I am going to commit to using those blocks for various craft projects…pillows, placemats, runners, pot holders, etc. I also hope to finish at least 6 of my UFO quilt tops. Many just need a fresh look at the reason why it was put away. They need to find a new spot to live by the end of 2017!

  11. Barbara says:

    Definitely need to work on this. Although I don’t have any unfinished quilt tops I certainly have ideas for some I want to begin working on. A couple years ago I bought a bag of hand pieced hexagon blocks at a yard sale for $5.00. When going through them I discovered I have about thirty-five blocks waiting for me to turn them into something beautiful and useful. Still trying to decide what I want to do. Also, have a number of vintage quilt pieces and denim that I want to incorporate into some ‘new’ pieces as well. Should be a busy 2017 and hopefully a very productive one as well.

  12. Ranch Wife says:

    With a house full of company over the holidays. sewing was put on the back burner and it’ll have to stay there for at least another week, but I hope to compile of list of goals by then. Like everyone else, I’d really like to finish all of my UFO’s, but for the most part, they are under control. It’s the fabric stash that needs to be whittled down. “I have too much fabric”…said no-one ever, but I might be getting close! 🙂

  13. Hope says:

    I’m committed to using up more of my stash, but . . . I’ve fallen in love with Kaffe Fassett fabrics, and have only a few in my stash. There are some fabric purchases in my future, lol. I think of Rose Marie whenever I shop for Kaffe Fassett fabric!

  14. Swooze says:

    I want to be a finisher! My hope is to finish all my UFOs and then see any new starts through to a completion. I’ll be blogging about this in a few days and will come back to post the link.

  15. katie z. says:

    I’m committed to hand quilting a queen-sized quilt that has been basted and abandoned for two years. I love it, I’m just afraid of the time commitment because it’s going to take FOREVER to finish.

  16. Karen says:

    I’m still working on the tasks, so it will be a bit before I can do a blog post about it all. But your beautiful book and recipe cards arrived and I’m enjoying reading it so much! Thank you again for that wonderful give-away!
    And I wanted to wish you and your Cowboy a Happy New Year!

  17. Kathy Fraser says:

    Ok, well I have given a lot of thought to what I want to do with my fabric/stash.
    Fabric is very heavy when you put it in bins and such.
    We went to Lowe’s today and I bought 2 very heavy duty shelving units. 6 shelves each.They are big and strong. They will hold 5,000 pounds, almost a thousand on each shelf.
    So my plan, if life does not interrupt us again, is to put them together and to slowly go through ALL my fabric and mark the bins as to what is in each one. I will separate by color, size etc.
    Each shelving unit weighs 73 pounds. I think it can handle it all.
    I also have to go through all of our bins of yarn too.
    So I have my work cut out for me for a few days next week. We do have a couple appointments next week but as long as the shelves are put together I can take my time in doing it all. There is no time limit for it to be done.
    Slow and steady always wins the race.

  18. Karen Edwards says:

    I am beginning work on The Civil War Bride quilt the middle of January. I will buy background fabric for it, but most of the other fabrics will come from my stash. I have also begun to cut scraps into strips Bonnie Hunter style and plan to make many scrap quilts that will be donated to charities for children. My studio, sewing room and stash are pretty.well organized; I need to spend my time whittling down the stash as quickly as I can.

    Good luck to everyone working on their various projects and Happy New Year to all!

  19. Pam in KC says:

    Well, I can say with certainty, this past year didn’t see any UFOs completed. Not 1. For that matter, not one completed quilt of any size. I did get a couple of quilt tops completed, made a dozen zipper bags and a bionic gear bag but that was it. I think the 2015 4th quarter killed me. Looking back I had 22 tops to be quilted and 30 quilts in progress. Today I have 25 tops to be quilted & 32 that I’m still piecing. But I suppose it could be worse. As for committing to something – I’ll have to get back to you. I really haven’t given it a thought. Good thing we have until the 6th to figure this out!

  20. Kathi Benchley says:

    I am committed to finishing some UFOs this year, and using up some of my stash. I plan to spend a few minutes several days a week to keep things organized.

  21. Marilyn says:

    Your problems are my problems. For 2 years I’ve been using up my reproduction fabric mainly because I did not know I had so many bins (5) full of the beautiful stuff. Three are still in progress and 5 finished and are in use or given away. My stash room needs reorganizing badly and that is my goal for January, not just a day or two. My problem is that if I cannot see it, then it does not exist. As I reorganize, I will fold fabric. Thanks for all your inspirations.

  22. Sue Hook says:

    My plan this year is to make a few more complex quilts. I do not have a lot of UFOs but I have a couple of quilts that I have all the fabric and pattern for that are more complicated that I have been hesitant to start, so this is the year. Less is more. Less buying more using of what I have.

    Happy New Year!

  23. Rose Marie says:

    I made a list of 9 goals for 2017. Just like the tally of completed blocks, I should know how much progress I make as the year goes on.
    Oh and I see that Hope thinks of me when I do Kaffe stuff. She will be surprised when she sees me post about one of the kits I bought in Paducah last April.

  24. randy says:

    your get committed speech came at a point where I was really drifting away from quilting.

    I commit to using the fabric that I have and really stop buying fabric on a whim…

  25. randy says:

    I should have read all the comments first before posting. I machine quilted more of my quilts this year. I commit to getting better and better at using my sewing machine to quilt.

  26. Stephanie says:

    Happy New Year to you! Thank you for everything you do for us.
    I already decided on the biggest commitment, no fabric shopping for 2017, unless it is absolutely necessary.
    Also, no more shopping for containers! I already have an embarrassing number, although I would totally love for them to be all the same type, which they are definitely Not.
    My UFO list as at Dec 31, numbers 79, not to mention a large collection of unlisted Orphans, residing in a multi container condo under the pool table. I commit to finishing a minimum of two UFOs or Orphans per month.

  27. Krista says:

    Get committed to finishing up projects that have been lingering too long:I want to update list of projects I created last January

    Get committed to using up your stash: Commit to make at least one scrappy quilt

    Get committed to learning something you’ve wanted to learn, but have been putting off: Plan to take a class on making Temari (Japanese thread balls) In April

    Get committed to whittling down your number of UFOs.
    1. Hand died fabric quilt – Need to sew rows together
    2. Baby quilt – Pieces are cut, now need to assemble
    3. Sports quilt – Pieces are cut, now need to assemble
    4. Whack and stack quilt – had problems cutting. Need to resolve and put together.

    Get committed to whatever you’ve been wanting to do more of or spend more time doing: Want to begin several projects for which I purchased fabric for in 2016 but never got time to start, especially the “raining cats and dogs” pattern.

    Shelly,thanks for helping me plan my year!

    The comic book boards arrived today so I can begin sorting my stash. Yeah!

  28. Karen says:

    I finished the second and third tasks and wrote about them here:
    http://fortheloveofneedleandthread.blogspot.ca/2017/01/the-2016-final-countdown-challenge.html

    Thank you for encouraging and motivating us. It always feels great to start the year off this way!

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