Let’s get our UFOs finished! With that, I mean unfinished sewing, knitting, or other craft projects – not aliens. Most sewists, knitters, quilters, fiber artists, and crafters probably do have a few UFOs laying around.
At least I have several! 🤫 Recently I have worked hard on reducing the number of projects I have in my UFO pile.
From this experience, I learned a lot from avoiding to start too many projects, as well as how to finally get around to finish the ones I started in the past.
Watch the video above, or keep on reading to find out my best tips and tricks on how to finish your old craft projects and how to avoid having too many UFOs in the future!
Set a goal to finish those UFOs!
The reason why I have fewer UFOs now than before is mainly due to that I decided to make an effort and take some time to go back and finishing all those old projects.
For example, I even recently finished a quilt that I started to cut out the pieces for around 9 – 10 years ago. I got around to piece the quilt last year and this year I finally did the quilting and the binding – and it’s now done and can finally be enjoyed as a snuggly quilt on my bed!
Another project that I recently finished, and which I also almost started a decade ago, was my first crochet-project ever. I was making granny squares and it was meant to be a blanket initially, but then it ended up becoming a pillow instead. The crocheted pillow had been finished for years the only thing I needed to do was to sew an inner pillowcase for it, as well as adding a zipper to it. But that took absolutely ages before I got around to do it! 🙈
I also finished a lot of other projects recently, but if you are interested in knowing about projects I’ve finished as of late, let me know in a comment below because I could make another video about that if you’re interested! 😉
You can also follow me on Instagram @missmatti for the latest updates on projects that I am working on.
From my recent efforts of tackling my UFO pile and finally finish them I have learnt a couple of things on how to finish unfinished projects. I used to be really good at starting projects, and not so good at pushing through and then finishing them. I also learned a lot about actually finishing projects in University as I studied fashion design. Through those years I learned a lot about how to push through the different stages of the creative process to get a project from idea to finished project.
Get the finishing energy going!
There are three different stages of energy in a project – the first stage is the starting energy. That’s the stage I absolutely love being in and that’s when you’re so inspired & motivated to get started. You’re excited to select fabrics, cut out pieces to sew in and you envision yourself wearing it (if it’s a garment) or whatever it’s meant to be in the end.
Then the next stage is the pushing-through energy. That’s where a lot of us sometimes get stuck. Sometimes things go wrong, you make mistakes, and are harder than we originally anticipated when we started the project. But this stage isn’t always when things do go wrong – it can also be that super exciting stage where you’re in total creative flow working away on your project.
Then we come to the final stage of energy – the finishing energy! That’s when you can anticipate that you’re about to finish the project or that you are really close to it. You maybe only need to stitch on those buttons, hem the skirt, or knit a couple of more rows on your knitting and you think “Oh my god… I’ve worked so many hours on this and it’s finally coming to an end.”
The anticipation of being close to finishing the project gets you that extra energy to push through this last stage and finish it. and when you are in finishing energy you are ready to get more things completed. That’s the energy I want you all to try to create to finish all those UFOs!
If you have a simple project that you are really excited to finish and that you know you can finish really easily – just sit down and do it! Carve out some time and sit and finish this project to get that finishing energy going. This will help you get the energy going to complete your other projects as well, even the more complicated ones.
Take an inventory!
First I would advise you to go through your UFO pile and just take an inventory and be really honest with yourself:
Do you really want to finish this project?
I have a tendency to feel that it’s so wasteful to not utilize all the fabrics, yarn & other materials that I have – partly for the environment, but also when it comes to all the money I spent on the materials and the time I spent to make it. So a lot of times I have been so guilty of holding on to projects that actually do not excite me anymore just because I saw letting go of them as being ‘wasteful’.
What’s important to remember in this case is that you have a choice. Just because you started a project doesn’t mean you have to finish it, at least not as you originally intended to. You can turn it into something else and maybe that will help you finish that UFO and get it out of the way?
If you have a knit or crochet project you can just unravel and reuse the yarn. That’s something I’ve done a few times. Around a year ago I unraveled a pair of lace socks and then made them into a V-shaped pillow.
The pattern that I used was really confusing and I got stuck and stopped working on socks somewhere on the heel (which if you ever have knitted socks know is a really bad place to stop without making any notes on where you exactly are in the pattern).
When I was trying to finish them awhile alter I got fed up and decided: “No, you know what!? I’m just not gonna knit these socks at all.”
So, I just unraveled the socks and instead of feeling bad about the lace socks that didn’t turn out as planned I instead turned them into something much more successful in the end.
Just give yourself permission to either let go of the project completely, pass on that fabric to someone else or pass on the UFO itself to someone else. You have my permission to give yourself that permission to do that. Life is too short to work on projects that do not excite you.
Before moving on to look at the projects that you are excited to finish it can be helpful to look at why did these projects end up in your UFO pile:
- Why did you stop working on them?
- Were there any common themes, or anything like that?
- Was it like, for example, that you’ve started too many projects in starting energy?
Starting too many projects is something that I have been super guilty of. I can sometimes get super excited and start to cut up fabrics for loads of different projects, but not really feeling ready to go into that pushing through-stage. Also, I can sometimes be momentarily inspired by something I’ve seen on Pinterest and not always be mindful of the projects that I have already started.
To be more mindful of the projects that I have already on the go is something that I’ve worked a lot on in the past couple of years. And actually, it’s paid off a lot! Although I still have a lot of UFOs in my… eh… my collection I feel much more okay with having them there because I no longer feel guilty because I’ve started them ages ago and I also know that I will eventually get to these projects. It’s just that life and other priorities sometimes get in the way… 😁😉
Did you buy something on sale? Or did you start a project because of a fad or a trend? Or did you make something that didn’t really align with your lifestyle? You know those things we make, or buy just because we have this idea of what we should be and/or the life we dream of having. But ultimately it is an idea that isn’t aligned with our actual real lives.
Sometimes it could be that the fabric choice didn’t work out. Maybe you did a lot of mistakes and the project was much more complex than you initially thought. It could be so many reasons why you stopped working on a project – just be honest with yourself on why this happened because it’s gonna help you a lot in the future to avoid having an overflowing UFO pile!
Analyze the projects you want to finish
Start by analyzing why the projects that you still want to finish became UFOs. Evaluate what needs to be done to take them from an unfinished project to a finished project.
One thing that often stopped me is that I do often need to buy something for a project and then I never get around to go to the store and the project just lays for absolute ages in my cupboard unfinished.
That was definitely the case with a pair of dungarees which I was making for my sister earlier this year. I needed to buy some more matching denim buttons (bronze ones with stars! Super cute 🤩) Partly because I wanted to match the buttons that I had with my dungaree buckles with the side buttons, but also because they had sent me a button in the pack that didn’t even have stars on it. 😓 It said Lee! I don’t want this in my dungarees to have the brand name Lee on them 😒
It took me like 2 months before I finally went to the store the other and bought more buttons. That is one thing that generally stops me a lot from completing projects.
For example, with the crocheted pillow that I mentioned earlier, I needed a zipper that was big enough to attach to the pillow case and as I didn’t have any at home I had to go and buy one.
If you have UFOs that you need to buy additional materials, haberdashery/notions, etc. for make sure to write it down! Then just head to the store and get those things so you can complete these projects ASAP!
Hate doing a certain step? If it’s a step that you hate to do in the project make it fun!
It could be things that you absolutely despise doing e.g. seam ripping. Just listen to a podcast, an audiobook, or organize a craft night – maybe the theme for the craft night even is to finish your UFOs together? Then you can just do that boring task by being in good company with your other crafty friends.
Get some new eyes!
Sometimes it’s just that you need to some new eyes on the project! This is especially helpful when you’re upset with the project progress, something is wrong, and/or you’re not fully happy with how it turned out. Is this a design decision or a fit issue that you’re not fully sure how to solve?
In these instances, I would advise you to either take a photo or try on the garment (if it’s a garment) and ask a friend for advice. Ask someone else that you trust and that has knowledge related to what you are working on!
Sometimes all you need is to have someone else looking at it. You can talk through what doesn’t work with the other person, and even if you are not following the other person’s advice in the end just the act of talking to them is gonna help you get unstuck and make a decision on what to do next.
Remember that when you do mistakes in your project it’s part of the process! It’s something that took me years to accept but I realized the past couple of years how much I learn from my mistakes. It is definitely part of the process and there is no need to beat yourself up about it.
And about mistakes, sometimes it’s just that the fabric/yarn choice was wrong for your project! It didn’t turn out at all how you wanted it to and in those instances, you just need to bite the bullet and repurpose that fabric/yarn that you used into something else. And purchase, or find something else from your stash, that you can use for your project instead.
Make it exciting again!
Sometimes you just need to make it exciting again. That can be by either removing or adding things to the original design.
For example, you can add a fun binding to your dress to make it more fun or remove a sleeve that you didn’t like, or whatever it is!
Look at the design and ask yourself: Can I add or remove something? What happens if I do this? Will I like it better?
That’s also when those ‘new eyes’ can be really helpful because a lot of times when we stare at a project for too long we get a bit blinded. So we need to look at it from a new angle. I also find taking photos, hanging up the project, and look at it from a distance, as well as taking an intentional break often helps too. And, never make decisions when you’re tired or hungry!
Set yourself a challenge!
What really helps me to get myself into that finishing energy is to set myself a challenge to finish it!
For example, one year I had a goal that by the end of the year I’m gonna finish all the UFOs that I had. Spoiler alert: I didn’t finish all of them, but I got pretty close!
Other challenges you can give yourself could be like setting a goal like “I’m gonna work on my UFO for an hour and then take a break” or “I’m gonna work on them one hour a week”.
Whatever challenge you set for yourself it depends totally on the time you have available for your crafty projects, as well as how many projects you have in your UFO pile.
Once you set yourself a challenge or goal like that I would gather all the supplies so that they are together and easily accessible. Then start with the easiest project first.
I would love to hear if you have any other great suggestions on how to finish unfinished projects. Leave a comment below and let me know!
I would love to hear more suggestions from you and I think many people reading this will also find it really helpful.
How do we avoid a big UFO pile in the future?
First of all, I just want to say that accept that life happens. You might have UFOs in the future and that’s okay!
I used to have this idea that I was only gonna work on one project at a time and have no UFOs at all and that was like THE dream in my mind, but I have realized that I am NOT a person that works well like that.
I want to utilize my energy and my energy can vary even throughout the day and during the week/month. Also, different stages of a project require different levels of energy. I have just accepted that I work best when I have several projects on the go at the same time.
Especially when it comes to my knitting projects I like to have a more simple knitting project, as well as one more advanced/complex project. Then I can generally also have one or two other (non-knitting) projects as well.
The simple knitting project I found is good for when you’re a bit tired and you don’t have much energy to concentrate on something more advanced. It’s a project that you can do whilst you’re watching TV or similar.
To have another more advanced knitting project on the go is really great because sometimes those simple projects can really… bore me after a while, and the advanced project can get me more creatively challenged so to say.
And, then I just like to have a few other projects on the go that are not knitting-related specifically that might be a sewing project or something else.
I try to have a good balance between some more advanced projects and some more simple ones, and that really helps me to utilize my energy and get as much crafting done as possible. This is especially helpful if you get stuck on one project then I have something else to work on while I’m contemplating on what to do next with the project that I got stuck on.
So that’s just what works for me but if you’re the person who has work on one project at a time – great! Do whatever works for you. I think it’s so important to not have these ideas in our heads about how we’re ‘supposed to be’ and instead just utilize how we actually are and really make the best of that.
Another thing I would like to say about how to prevent UFOs in the future is to set yourself a limit, for example, that could be in terms of space. For example, having a shelf or box and if you have that shelf/box full you cannot have more projects on the go at the same time.
Alternatively, it can be things like “I cannot start another project until I finished [specific project]” and that’s what I’ve used a lot to finish projects because otherwise, I will probably start a lot of other projects. 😂
So, what I’m doing instead is that I’m allowing myself to sketch & write down my ideas for future projects – but I’m not allowed to start them until I have finished what I’m working.
Another thing is to just be much more mindful about the projects that you are starting. As I have mentioned before I used to not be super-mindful about the projects I started.
For me being mindful is that the project in questions is not something that I’m just making for sake of it and that it’s something that actually after I’m finished making the project has a use in some way, and that it is something that either I or someone else can enjoy and appreciate. Not just something that is going to just gonna lay around and create dust.
As such I do no longer just run out and buy fabric or yarn as soon as I get inspired. I don’t even buy any fabric or yarn without a clear project in mind anymore, and generally, I do allow myself some time even before I buy any materials for a project that I’m excited about making. I take some time to think it through a little bit and that helps a lot to prevent me from starting the wrong projects.
I really hope you found my suggestions on how to finish unfinished projects and if you did and if you want to have more ideas on how to live an awesome sustainable and creative life – make sure to subscribe to the Miss Matti Youtube-channel!
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Have you done any of the suggestions I talked about, and if so have you found them helpful? Do you have any other tips on how to finish UFOs?
Leave a comment down below and let us know your best tips on how to finish those UFOs.. as well as how many UFOs do you have? 🙃
