Hello and Happy New Year! It's 2023 and it's time to break out all those UFOs you have been stuffing in the closet and get them finished! One of my 2023 goals is to get some, or all, UFOs finished. I'm joining the All People Quilt 2023 UFO Challenge and I hope you join along too.
What is the 2023 UFO Challenge? This challenge is put on by All People Quilt (American Patchwork & Quilting), you may know them from the magazines they publish, Quilts & More, Quilt Sampler, and American Patchwork & Quilting. They have a huge presence in our quilting industry and are always coming up with fun quilty things to do. If you have a moment, check them out. You can find them at allpeoplequilt.com or on Instagram @allpeoplequilt. They even have an amazing podcasts with hundreds of episodes. Did you know that I was a special guest on episode 554 in spring 2022?
Check it out: CLICK HERE
Ok, back to the UFO challenge. The UFO challenge is a monthly challenge that encourages you to complete all those haunting UFOs. All you do is download the PDF they have provided on their website, find it below, gather up your UFOs, and assign them a number 1 - 12. On the first of each month, All People Quilt will announce the number for that month. Whichever UFO you have labeled for that number, thats the project you tackle that month. Example: January is #3. Look on your list and find the #3 project. You'll get started on that one first. Doesn't that sound like fun? I love a good challenge! Head on over and download the PDF. Click the button below.
I made a fun YouTube video showing you all my UFOs I would like to complete this year. I also drew each project out of a bucket and filled out the worksheet. Make sure to check it out. It's pretty amusing. It's also the first ever YouTube video where I have appeared in front of the camera. That was scary! Go easy on me! I just tried to be myself and let my spunky personality shine through. Let me know what you think! My goal is to release four new YouTube videos a month. I'll pop on twice a month to show you the new UFO project I'll be working on for each month and I'll check in at the end of the month, sharing my progress. This is going to be so much fun. I cannot wait to tackle my UFOs. I hope you join me on this challenge. Post a comment below telling me which UFOs you will be working on this year. Click the button below to check out the video. Make sure to subscribe to my channel so you get notified when I release new videos.
I made such a mess while filming the YouTube video. Check it out:
If you haven't filled out your worksheet yet, January has already be chosen as number 3. You could totally cheat and put your favorite UFO for this month. I forgot to do that! This month I'll be working on finishing my Along the Meadow quilt. I'm not sad about it. I love that quilt!
Here is a list of my UFOs in order by number:
Quilt all the un-quilted quilts (Heart on a String, Rolling Petals, and Christmas Tree Mix).
Letters to Santa (I broke this up into 3 parts because it's a big project).
Finish Along the Meadow, quilt, and bind.
Bind quilts (Rosewood, Sweet Petals, and Daisy Chain)
Finish Giant Ginger, quilt, and bind.
Letters to Santa
Letters to Santa
Finish Sunflower Stand Crib Quilt, quilt, and bind. Also, film Part 3 Tutorial.
Finish Crazy Christmas Quilt, quilt, and bind.
Finish 1930 Rolling Petals, quilt, and bind.
Quilt all un-quilted quilts/finish binding.
Finish Oh Happy Day, quilt, and bind.
Whew! That's going to be a lot of work. I'm going to need you to keep me accountable! Do you think I can get all this done? I sure hope so because I'm ready eliminate my UFOs. Remind me to never again start a new project before finishing another. That seems impossible, doesn't it?
Struggling to find motivation with your UFOs? I have some tips that may help you. See them below:
Sort through your UFOs and put them in separate categories. Ones you want to work on and ones you may have fallen out of love with a few. Go ahead and donate those to a local guild or organization. Don't be afraid to just let it go! It feels good.
Don't be afraid to break up your UFO into multiple months. I will be doing this for the Letters to Santa quilt. I know there is no way I can get it done in one month.
If you have a lot of UFOs, just pick out your top 12. The rest can be saved for the 2024 UFO Challenge or they can be sprinkled in when you have extra time.
If you have UFOs that wont take much time to complete, consider adding more UFOs to that number. I have three quilts I would like to bind, so I put them all under the same number.
Set aside a few hours, one day, or weekend in a month that you will dedicate to working on that project. Even if you don't finish it, it's closer to be finished. Having a dedicated time to work on your UFO will help.
Don't be afraid to ask for help. If you get in a bind, consider asking a friend to help finish the UFO. I might have to send my un-quilted quilts to my quilter.
Don't be afraid to change up your UFOs. Just because you wrote them down doesn't mean you can't change them. The last thing you want to do is not work on a UFO because your not "feeling it" that month. Grab another UFO and get it done!
And last but not least, Don't start another project until you have finished your current one! That doesn't mean you can buy all the materials you need, just don't start it. I need to take my own advice. I move on so quickly. Try to let that new project motivate you to finish your current one.
I'm here to cheer you along! We can do this! We WILL do this!
Here are links to all the quilts/projects I shared in the YouTube video. Some are my patterns and available in my shop, and some are other designers patterns. Enjoy!
Sweet Petals: CLICK HERE
Rosewood: ClICK HERE
Daisy Chain: CLICK HERE
Heart on a String: CLICK HERE
Rolling Petals: CLICK HERE
Christmas Tree Mix: CLICK HERE
Along the Meadow: CLICK HERE
Sunflower Stand: CLICK HERE
Oh Happy Day by Corey Yoder: CLICK HERE
Giant Ginger: CLICK HERE
Moda Letters to Santa: CLICK HERE
Oh, and I forgot to mention where my shirt is from in my video. You can find the "Quilting Makes Me Happy" shirt and other fun products on my website at www.mysewquiltylife.com
Let's tackle these UFOs!
Happy Quilting!
Heather Briggs
