2010 Final Countdown Task One

OK, here we go . . .

Are you ready?

I’m not gonna make any of these real hard on you.

After all, I have to do them, too, remember?

And why would I want to be so hard on myself?

Today’s task is:

Find your oldest UFO and do something about it

There are several options for dealing with this task. But first, you might want to take stock of WHY it’s your oldest UFO.

What’s keeping you from finishing it?

* You don’t want to finish it?

* You don’t like it any more?

* You’re missing pieces or parts?

* You’re stuck on a technique problem?

* You forgot you had it?

* You’d rather have bamboo shoots driven under your fingernails than have to spend another second on it?

Once you have a reason, you can decide what to do . . .

1) You could resolve to finish it, and make a plan for getting back to work on it (and I don’t necessarily mean in 2015)

2) You could decide you don’t want to finish it, and give it away, throw it away, or even burn it in a ceremonial Good Riddance ritual.

3) You could downsize it, or reorganize it into a different project that might not take as long or be as difficult. King-sized . . . What were you thinking!? Make a potholder instead!

4) You could locate the missing parts or pieces or replace them somehow so that you can continue work. However, if you’re anything like me, the missing parts or pieces will not reveal themselves, no matter how hard you search, until AFTER you’ve decided on something else and finished the quilt, so don’t waste too much time on this option. Get creative, and move on — do it in the name of art quilting.

5) If you’re stuck on a technique, you could find someone who can help you get past the sticking point by showing you what you need to know. Or . . . you could wing it. Don’t you ever think for one minute that that isn’t EXACTLY how some of today’s most popular techniques were born . . . Raw-edge applique? Rag quilts? Quilt-as-you-go? You know it . . . you could be the next inventor of a new technique that will set the quilting world on its ear! We’ll all be watching you talk to Alex and Ricky on TV . . .

So, go to it, then leave a comment on this post to let us know what happened. I, for one, would love to see pictures, so feel free to write up your own post and show us the nitty gritty details!

I’ll go first, if it makes you feel better . . . here’s mine:

This HAS to be from the early 90s . . . It’s all the applique pieces for a quilt. When I look at it, I get visions of my tiny daughters prancing around the living room using hairbrushes as microphones and singing all the words to a Vanilla Ice song perfectly. The horror!

My “Why”? . . .

Well, I did forget that I had it, it’s missing MAJOR parts and pieces, I don’t want to finish it, I don’t like it any more, and yes, I WOULD rather have bamboo shoots driven under my fingernails than have to spend another second on it. And technique problems? See those little foamy flowers in the box? Umm . . . yeah . . . I was gonna be all ambitious and “stuff” the applique. What an idiot! Those were the first to hit the trash can. I have no idea where the base for the applique is. I must have already gotten rid of it long ago.

Which option for dealing with it did I choose? Option 2 . . . Although I did NOT light a fire, as that seemed like too much trouble, I may or may not have caught myself mouthing “Ice, Ice, Baby” as I pitched parts of it into the trash can . . .

I AM keeping the pre-made bias vine. In spite of its color, I probably can use that in another project . . . or three. I’m afraid to measure just how much of it there really is.

And I have NO idea why these two items were in the box. A screwdriver and a nickel? I’m so totally weird . . .

But I’m heading into 2011 with one less UFO. How about you?