The UFO Admission.

It started when a friend looked at my closet and saw wire baskets with bits of fabric poking out. "Is that your stash?" she asked.  My head dropped. My shoulders slouched uncomfortably. I found myself in a posture of shame. "No. No. That's not my stash" I replied. 

My friend had stumbled into my UFO closet. That's right an entire closet of unfinished objects. I have a closet of neglected goodies that eclipses my stash by threefold. Over the years I've culled and gifted incomplete projects, but they have built up to a level that even terrifies hoarders.

Admission is the first step in fixing a problem, so I'm bravely going to lay it all out for you. At first I thought I might neatly press each item, giving it proper time in the sun, then I realized it would take weeks to do so. Let's take a look at what I'm theoretically working on, and let's admit that I need to let some of it go....

This supersize castle wall block is one of a half dozen or so that I made for a tutorial with Sew, Mama, Sew. I sent the rest off to Kansas, donated to a charity quilt program; but I kept this one thinking it would make a great octagon cushion. That was at least two years ago. I'm no closer to a cushion.

...and I can't even remember why I made these traditional blocks in blacks and brights. I think it was an effort to get people moving away from white backgrounds. For whatever reason, I only made 12. A dozen is my limit on many things, it seems - too few for anything practical. Too many for a miniquilt.

And I really have no memory at all why I made a bizarre, sashed mini tree quilt. I vaguely remember it being a nod to organized gardens and parks. Why I've kept it so long, I have no idea. Circa 2010.

I do remember making this block. I was starting a quilt-as-you-go project. I lost interest at three. The other two were turned into a tote bag. This one lingers with one line of thread strangely unpicked...

Then we move down a shelf to the quilt tops. These are projects that made is as far as being pieced, but are a long way from backing and batting. This was a small prototype of one of my Quilt Design a Day projects. This one was designed on a mobile phone app. One day I want to make it bigger, but the small version is still unfinished.

I'm patting myself on the back for actually making a backing for this ring quilt earlier this week. This one actually has a chance at being finished.

On the other hand, this cowboy number is destined to be incomplete forever. I thought this might be for our own house at one point, but kids never entered the picture. It has one of my favorite fabrics in there, the last bit that I own, so I can't part with it. It teases me and begs to be unpicked.

Speaking of unpicking, it's bad enough that I hoard UFOs; but sometimes I make things worse by unpicking finished quilts. The next trio represent that lot. Seriously, I take finished things apart when I'm not happy with them years later.

One day I made a patchwork square quilt back, just in case I ever needed it. It's never been the right size for anything.

Although it's nearly big enough for this flowering snowball quilt which needs to be quilted one day.

Oh look! Another unpicked quilt. This one was also finished, but I was never happy with it. I intend to deconstruct it further before putting it back together again. I've been working on it since 2008, I think?

I had every intention of entering the camera bee quilt in a show this year, but just wasn't happy with the quilting. Do you see a theme yet?

As you can see, I'm taking things apart that could well be called finished...

Many projects get neglected because they are too small or I don't have enough blocks. This one grew way too big, too quickly.  My circles of giant geese would have been an insane 3m square or so. I couldn't possibly make anything that large, so I stopped....

These took me by surprise when I found them. I have no memory of making them. None at all.

I do remember making this though as a test of my sizzix die. I wanted to see how quickly I could whip up something with a lot of HSTs. The answer was fast, very fast. Knowing that I could do it was enough though, so I put the block aside.

I think this was once quilted as a mini. I might have learned free-motion quilting on it.

And these were quite clearly joined at some stage, but I think I didn't like the sashing. This was before I learned how to appliqué good circles.

I'm not sure what these were about, but they are in my pile. I'm sure I had grand plans for them once.

...and I did like making the Cirrus Plaid blocks. One day, they should be joined.

I started a Camelot quilt at one point, but decided the pattern wasn't very good. It was hand-drawn and some of the pieces didn't fit together mathematically, so I put it aside in a tub. Every time I made a circle block for anything though, I add it to the same tub. It appears I've amassed quite a collection?

I have no idea why I stopped making my Melbourne Cup-inspired jockey quilt. Something came along and fizzled the fun right out of it. I had grand plans of jerseys in the middle with jockey cap blocks and horse racing emblems around it medallion style. Five years later and they are still unjoined with a stack of fabric next to them to make more.

I actually had almost finished this english paper-piecing number, but then for some reason cut into pieced hexagons to make a bag. I cut a gigantic hole in it for no apparent reason. I think I was tired of it, but not tired enough to give it away or pass it along. Maybe one day it can be salvaged?

A dozen seems to be my limit for many things.  One dozen Steampunk blocks.

And a half dozen foundation pieced blocks which won't match anything else I ever do...

At least these guys are all under 6" and hardly take up space.

And I keep this one as a reminder that one day I might want to make more of Sew Take A Hike's asterisk block...

And these blocks from neglected projects all sort of match. They contain my last bits of some of my favorite prints. It would be hard to let them go. Let's be honest, though - am I likely to assemble them? Probably not....

As a color lover,  I started square-in-squares quilts. Thrice. I sold the first lot, then oddly I appear to have started twice again.

Old bee blocks linger, waiting to be used.

New blocks appear for no apparent reason. These almost might have been Sizzix inspired?

I cut 12 of these blocks out before going to Bangkok. I made one.

And there were several test blocks for blog tutorials...

A friend recently loaned me her Sherri Lynn Wood book, so I tried out her improv wedge technique.

And then before finishing what I started, I tried it again using different fabrics.

All the while, this bee quilt cried out for more quilting....

And these little Dresdens were looking for a home...

But I forged ahead with new things like these Landslide Triangles...

And this quilt from the Wake Up Call block. Both so close to pattern release that it hurts....

I'd like to say that's all of my UFOs, but it isn't. Somewhere in a drawer are some canoe oars which looked incredibly awesome. I'm not sure where they are right now. They went in hiding when the camera came out. I've also got bee blocks to assemble...

By rough count, I'm currently being haunted by at least 42 unfinished projects. 42 sets of blocks, quilt tops and bits of joy which really ought to be finished. I bounce back and forth on these projects. There are days I want to pick them up and finish them. Other day, I want to cast them away.

If quilting were a race, I'd never win. I'm quick off the mark, but fall short at the finish line. My shoulders are slumping again. My head is tilted downward. I've got a lot of UFOs. Am I alone in my shame?