Sunday 17 October 2010

UFO's in my house!

If you arrived here via a Google search hoping to find information about extra-terrestrial travellers in my living room - you might want to click off now, as that's not what I am talking about.

I'm referring to the number of Un-Finished Objects that grace the table and floor in my sewing area.

Little piles of them.
Some cut and pinned and ready to sew...

(Nicole Mallalieu beret in cord and satiny stuff - a now belated gift for a friend)


 Some that are more than 3/4 finished and just require the 'hard' or unknown bits to be done to finish them...

(Kirsty's shrug for me - needs a little more crochet of one side then to be joined together, the scary unknown bit)


Others that are well on their way...

(Oliver+s ice-cream dress I was supposed to finish as part of the social - in July! In gorgeous fabric I won from Amy, that I never even blogged as I was embarassed not to have finished the dress... thanks Amy)


This was the prototype lunch bag I made six of for the Sew It Together weekend - it needs one strip of velcro applied - which is fiddly and awkward on the vinyl without a walking foot...

And there's one dodgy crooked line I need to unpick and re-do.


A stretch dress where I tried to 'wing it' and combine the bits I liked from two patterns.
I hate the black neck and it looks huge so it will need to have the neck removed and some gathering to bring the shape in...

One of two velour leotards almost finished that were made for the big girls' birthday - in *ahem* March.
 They need elastic on the legs, cuffs and neck - yep - that's all...


A pinafore-style dress that I cut from cute duck fabric that Bec gave to me - I love these cute ducks - so much that I this is the duck I copied to make the smallest child's birthday cake.


And this retro dress I started last summer- thankfully I cut it in a size that would fit the smallest child this summer...


By no means am I saying this is all.

This is just a few to help me keep perspective and to urge me on to completing some of them.
Items that for one reason or another have lingered too long; out of fear, disappointment, being put aside to meet another deadline or just the urge to move on to something new, having spent considerable time getting them to their near-complete state.

So - will you 'fess up and show us some of the yet-to-be-completed items in your workspace?
Or do you finish things as you start them??

I hope I am not alone!

14 comments:

Sally said...

I am so totally like you! ... but I developed a strategy half way through this year to help me be good. I got a plastic storage container and all the UFOs & WIPs are stored in the container... so to start something new I have to keep enough room in the container. Helps keep my sewing space neater too... oh yeah & I don't lose bits of the project as easily either. It still happens but not as easily!

Susan said...

OK you have dared me LOL I'll show you mine now you have showed me yours...and mine are much scarier!! Susan :)

Unknown said...

Nope not alone at all! I think it's the way of the sewer myself. Problem is we see a new fabric or pattern and everything else flies out the window! Good luck on finishing them.

Selina said...

You know, of course that now that you have told us this, we will expect an update!

Car said...

you are not alone!!! I usually post my UFO's in spring and try to do bait of spring cleaning, haven't done it yet, so must get to it!!!
good luck getting yours finished!

Christy said...

Eeek - this is a dangerous subject. I was also thinking about showing my embarassingly large UFO pile this week. Not sure if that means I'll do anything to shrink it!

cherri said...

OK...I was going to post about this shortly but I 'll start here....I have no, that's right ZERO, zilch, nada, NO UFO's. And it feels fabulous to say that!

When I started sewing again a couple of years back, I finished (or tossed away) any (and there were many) UFO's. I just hated them sitting there, wasting my time, money and space. I decided then that I would always complete a project BEFORE starting another.

I sometimes have two things going at a time, perhaps starting a dress when I am waiting to buy buttons for a jacket, but I never leave it for more than a few days or so.

I love that I complete everything and it does give me a sense of clarity.

So I hope I have not ostracised myself from the sewing community by admitting that!

Now go get those finished before you start anything else!

Carolyn said...

congratulations on your admission! ;)

make it perfect said...

hehe, i think i might be one of the only sewers out there who don't have ufo's!!! i have a "no-ufo policy" so that i can always start sewing with a clean slate...having said that, i do have a LOOOONG list of projects i want to sew along with accompanying fabric. they aren't ufo's but my to-do list is insane!

Nikki said...

I want that duck fabric!!!! (Or at least, I know a small girl at my house who would LOVE it!!)

And... ummmm... you're about 15-20 minutes away from finishing that beret. Honestly.

PS. Wanna see my UFO basket. You'll feel so sorted and organised and up-to-date....

Seaweed and Raine said...

Oh you are by no means alone! I still have a whole heap of the things that I blogged about months ago to finish off - and with some of them, it is something as simple a weaving the ends in on something knitted!!! But there are so many new and interesting things about that I just can't seem to stay focused on what I am doing for more than a week - tops! I have to say though, I wish I could say that some of the lovely things you are making were items that I was making... you have great taste (I especially love that last dress for the smallest! :) )
All the best with getting things finished off. ...And thanks for the reminder that I should do the same ;)

Kylie said...

Good luck with getting your list down. I am a shocker for UFO's and have knitting and sewing (oh and cross stitch's) as well.

Kelly Casanova said...

I had a post about this recently, only I called them "PFP's" (partly finished projects). Gives me more hope that they might actually get finished.
I have many, many yet to be completed embroideries, among other things.
If only I had more time!

Anonymous said...

my list is not just work in progress but a shameful waste of resources. I have a room I can barely get inside that is bursting at the seams with cut garments, traced patterns, half knitted jumpers and all sorts of mending and craft items that will be made into something - someday.

thanks for the inspiration to get on with it - and btw, I did actually finish a Maya dress!

Lx