The clock is ticking................

I have two days to finish up any of the remaining 2017 UFOs. Did I focus on them yesterday? Of course not! I have no idea why, but I'm a last minute person in case you haven't figured that one out! I'll be there at 11:00 PM tomorrow night, trying to get that last bit of binding pressed so I can cross another UFO off the list!

To be realistic, it looks like I'm going to complete those two that I'm currently working on and that will be it. But I'm OK with that. I have plans for how to improve next year.

So while I didn't get all twelve UFOs completed, I finished a number of them and those projects are DONE which is super exciting. I know that if they were NOT on that list, they would have been forgotten. I look at this UFO program as a smashing success. Not only did it allow me to get those projects completed, but it gave me a HUGE wake-up call. If I don't start dealing with those UFOs now, well it isn't going to be pretty when I'm no longer around to do that!

For the count, I started with 13 items on my list (one was for December 2016). Of the 13 items, 6 will be crossed off by tomorrow night. However, many of those involved multiple items so in fact, I did get TWELVE items done!  Yeah!!!!!

If you've no idea what I'm talking about, here are the basic details. Choose TWELVE UFOs - could be big ones, could be small ones, could be almost finished or just started. Could be something brand new if you really want to get it done. Can be hand or machine, can be anything! Can even be something that you're not sure you want to finish. Write them on a piece of paper. This is crucial to the success of this program! I used to write everything on pieces of paper, then I couldn't find the papers so I have a book that I leave in my sewing studio. One page lists the twelve UFOs.

Then on a weekly basis, I set an appointment with myself and set the goals for the week that will help me to finish the UFO. Be specific and REALISTIC in these weekly goals. Don't just say - finish Quilt X. It's much more fun (and realistic) to cross off the items as you get them done. Blocks are completed, the top is assembled, borders on, etc. If I don't get the items all completed in the week, I don't bring them forward. I just leave them and I go back to do those things that I missed. I hate rewriting things!  But you choose what works for you. Perhaps there were too many things on the list. Perhaps you didn't plan your time properly. The nice thing about this is that it makes me accountable to the only person who matters and that is ME!

There might be weeks when you have nothing on your weekly list and that's OK. If you're on vacation or just need some time away from the sewing machine, that's OK. If you only have one thing on the list, that's OK too. This super easy method can be geared to everyone's work schedule. I don't just put the UFO items on that weekly list which I call The Task Master. I like to put the other sewing related projects that I'm working on as well.

Another page in your book that is very useful and I'm NOT good at this one. Keep a list of the things that you finished in the year. It's so easy to forget what we've made and this is a great way to go back and see what you've done. Even better - take a picture of the item and put that in your book! I'm going to go back and see if I can find at least some of what I did this past year. If I have time  - I still have two quilts to bind and two borders to add before the year ends!

There is a group of us working on this method and we have a Facebook Page where people check in once a week to report on what they've accomplished. You don't have to, but it's fun to see what everyone is working on. It's also nice to know that support is just a quick post away. We all struggle - could be our health, could be skill level, could be time. Whatever it is, there is someone who understands in the Facebook group and knowing that we're in this together is a good thing!

If you're interested in joining the Facebook group, check it out.

And now very quickly, here's what I did work on yesterday.

One more customer quilt - DONE!

Besides getting this customer quilt done, I did get one of the little quilts for the magazine photoshoot quilted as well. The next one is already loaded and ready to go today. 

And I got all the pieces for the next border on one of those UFOs ready to sew together. Of course, I didn't have enough fabric in the little baggie so I had to go searching for more.

Bits for the next border

Well - a miracle happened. I did find the missing fabric but more importantly, I found a project that has been missing for a LONG, LONG time. It would help if I would put the fabric containers back on the shelf. The basket of solids was sitting on this project and of course, a few things had spilled out of the solid fabric basket so I didn't even know something was sitting underneath!!! Yeah!

All is good in the sewing world. I'm going to try and do a tidy up in the sewing room and then take pictures tomorrow night so I can compare what the place looks like in ONE YEAR. Getting that gift of an extra 50 hours a week (basically, got laid off!) has been a huge eye opener and I want to be able to make good use of those 50 hours. I can't sew for 50 hours every week - well I could, but I don't want to, but I want to make good progress in that studio! And as we move forward in the year, here's a great quote about organizing.

Something to think about when you're out shopping - anywhere for anything!

On that note, I'm out of here to make progress on those last items to finish for the year.

Have a great day!!!!


Ciao!!!!


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