2013 will be the year of the UFO

One of my biggest issues with quilt addiction is my constant need to start something new. I call it Quilters ADD, but my joke is becoming a problem. I just can’t seem to finish anything.

The problem isn’t a lack of skills, or even time. I just prefer to work on something new than finish something old. The result is a stack of UFOs in my closet and a bed with a duvet on it instead of a quilt.

So in 2013 I’m going to make a resolution to finish two UFOs for every one quilt I begin. That way I can still start new projects, but my stack of unfinished projects will decrease.

I’ve got some beauties to work on. Here’s a sampling:

I started my sister’s wedding quilt in the spring of 2011 before her June wedding. Guests signed the quilt blocks at the reception, writing their names and messages to the bride and groom. My goal was to get the top pieced, quilted and bound by their one-year-wedding anniversary, but that has come and gone and the quilt is still in my UFO stack.

My own wedding quilt, also a signature quilt, sits unfinished as well. I chose to hand quilt it using the big stitch method, a process I enjoy, but not enough to work on several days in a row. This project usually gets some attention in August before my anniversary, but 3 1/2 years into the marriage the quilt still isn’t finished.

I started my Christmas New York Beauty in the fall of 2010. I didn’t mean for it to become a retreat project, but somehow that has happened. I think that’s because it is easier for me to focus on the paper pieced points and curves away from the distractions of home.

Then there’s my lonestar. This rainbow of color was started in the spring of 2011. I pieced the center perfectly, and decided that meant I should use hand applique for the ring of flowers around the star. Like hand quilting, I enjoy hand applique, but not enough to do it every day. So this quilt is still part of the UFO stack.

Lastly there’s my snowball quilt, which just needs two borders before it is ready to be quilted. I made a promise to myself to have this quilt on the bed on January 1, 2013. I started it last spring, so it would be the fastest bed quilt project I’ve worked on. But while I could still get it done before winter ends, it would take a small miracle for it to be finished in time for the new year.

I’ve got plenty more UFOs, but those are the main ones I want to get finished this year. What are your quilting resolutions for 2013?