UFOs

All quilters know that quilting is not just a hobby; it is an addiction. If you are a true quilter, once you start... you just can't stop. In no time you will have quilts you've done, quilts you started and haven't finished and quilts you're currently working on. Yes, you can work on several quilts at once and keep it all straight in your head and actually get them all done ... eventually. You will also have piles and stacks and boxes and drawers and closetfuls of fabric; in fact you will have fabric everywhere... each and every piece just waiting for that perfect quilt pattern that was meant just for it, to come along. And if we could only stop acquiring "more" fabric to add to our stashes, we just might live long enough for that to happen. Well we know that will never happen. Anyway, it all started feeling a little out of control for me about a year ago due to the hundreds... and yes, I do mean hundreds... of new quilts that were collecting in my head that I wanted to make. So I decided to do a little experiment. I made a list of every quilt that I have ever made, another list of all quilt tops I have finished but have not yet quilted, and a third list of UFOs (unfinished objects) or WIPs (works in progress). The third list, WIPs, is the one I wanted to concentrate on. As of January 1, 2009 there were 16 quilts on that list. I made a goal to see how many of those items I could complete and move to list number one before the end of 2009. The hard part was that I was not allowed to start any new quilts until the list was below five quilts, and preferably below three. The only exception to this was a baby quilt for the family's newest star, Ryan Anthony. I have been steadily working away and actually making decent progress. So I decided to check my progress this weekend. The list of sixteen has been reduced to twelve. Woohoo... I'm doing great! But wait... what is this?! Could I have inadvertently "cheated?" There seem to be two "new" items on the list... now how did that happen? Woops, I guess I fell off the wagon when I started those two sampler quilts about three weeks ago. But, hey... I did good for what, seven months? That's a record for a serious quilter! So now the count is at 14; look for a new update in a few months.