- I'd like to thank Skillshare
for sponsoring this video. If you have been quilting
for more than a few years, quite likely you have at
least one abandoned project in the back of your closet. You fell out of love, you buried it in your sewing
room, and tried to forget it, but it still weighs heavily on your mind. So how do you pull it out, decide what to do and get it completed? Well, stick with me and
I'll show you to do it. (bright music) Hi, I'm Karen Brown of
"Just Get It Done Quilts". I give you tips, tricks and strategies to help you make the quilt
that you want to make. And if you like what you see, please hit that Subscribe button. I remember when I started quilting thinking I would finish everything. There would be no UFOs for me. But all too soon, they began to accumulate in my sewing room. First, it was simply that I had started way too many projects. Then there were the workshops that I took that I didn't particularly like. And of course, there were
projects that needed skills that I hadn't yet acquired. I have already done a video on how to assess your UFOs. How to figure out what are the projects that you want to invest the
time and money to finish, and the ones you can let go of. And I'll leave a link to that
video in the notes below. Today's video is about
dealing with the yes list, the ones we want to complete as intended or with modifications. Opening up that bag or
container sounds very simple. All we need to do is grab
that box and open it up. But for some projects, this
can be the hardest part, as it involves dragging
up all sorts of emotions. Regret for the money that
you splurged on the fabric only to have it sitting
in a box somewhere, embarrassment at a wedding
gift that you promised, but never completed, and shame for all the
mistakes that you made just because you didn't have the skill. And it's amazing how long
we can postpone this step just to avoid those feelings. Just know that it has
happened to all of us. Talk to any quilter and we
have at least one project where we overspent, over
promised, or overreached. So take a deep breath, grab
that project and lay it all out. Now you want to read through the pattern and any notes that you've made just to refamiliarize yourself
with what you've done. Then divide your fabric into piles based on how completed it is. More than likely you have
some completed blocks, some half completed blocks, cut pieces, and some uncut fabric. To move forward, you need to know where you are. And the funny thing is as the UFO has sat in the closet gathering dust, our grasp of the situation
has drifted away. It's amazing how wrong we can be about the status of a project. You might find that you're
farther along than you think. Oh my god, look at this. I have almost a finished quilt. Why in the world have I not sewn this? But many times, it's gone the other way. When I unboxed my 4th of July, I thought I was halfway done
and I was barely even started. Were the mistakes as bad as you thought? With the space of time, you can look at your mistakes
with a less judgmental eye. Are they honestly as bad
as you thought they were? Or maybe they're worse. What is the condition of the blocks? Are they ready to sew? Are they stained? Are they musty? Are they distorted? And remember the context in
which you started this project. Were you a new quilter and
signed up for everything? Was it fabric you loved
or fabric you settled for? Was this intended for someone special and will they still appreciate it? And lastly, now that you
are handling the fabric and the pattern again, can
you remember why you stopped? Was it the colours? The size of the quilt? The shape of the block? And is the reason still an issue? And normally at this point
with the facts all before you and your emotions on the table, you might reevaluate this project. You might have renewed energy because your skills have improved and this is now a project that
you can tackle more easily. Or realising that you've
matured as a quilter and now you know what type
of quilts you like to make, you might decide to
forget about the pattern and lay out the blocks a whole
new way, the way you want to. Or weighing all the issues, you might decide to stop where you are, not invest any more time and just use what you've
completed to make a smaller quilt or one with a lot of negative space. Do you have everything
you need to continue? Thread, fabric, batting, backing? How much money do you need to invest to finish this quilt off? Then budget and make those purchases. Of course, after seeing how much money you need to invest to finish this quilt, you may choose to stop and not continue. If it's not worth the
expense, send the project off to a charity group or sell
it or give it to a friend. Now you know what you have and
what you want to do with it. You also know if you need
anything more to complete it. Next, you need to break it
down into manageable steps. Start with where it's going to
reside in your sewing space. You may want to divide it into
sections or groups or rows. Don't overthink it,
but you want to be able to pick it up quickly
and put it away quickly. Next is how are you
going to work through it? You want to feel some momentum. So instead of planning a
pile of 100 blocks to trim, have 10 piles of 10 blocks. Checklists, colouring
sheets, or countdown sheets can help visualise the
project moving forward. You also want your sewing
room set up for success. I have started a series on
organising your sewing space. Not only do you need a
good sewing triangle, you also need your good tools close. I'll leave a link to that
series in the notes below. And recognise that we
often need to go backwards before we go forwards. Fix the mistakes first while you have that first burst of adrenalin and get them out of the way. So before I get to the last point, let me tell you about Skillshare. You might be like me and going stir crazy while the country waits to be vaccinated, so often, I turn to Skillshare
to keep myself learning and trying new things. Skillshare is an online learning community where millions come together
to take their next step on their creative journey. In the past year, I have
dug into their library for so many ideas. I've done Premiere Pro training, water colour, graphic design, surface design, and puppy training. But there's so much more. Take a look at their class list. What you see might just
surprise and inspire you. Skillshare classes are
designed to fit into your life. You can learn and grow
with short classes that fit into the short blocks of
time in your busy day. I watch in the morning. While the puppy sleeps, I can fit in a class
with my morning coffee. You might prefer on your lunch
break or in between errands. Skillshare is also affordable,
especially when compared to in-person classes and workshops. An annual subscription
is less than $10 a month. Turn this time into an
opportunity to explore new skills or deepen an existing passion. The first 1000 of my subscribers to click on the link
below in the description will get a free trial
of premium membership so that you can explore your creativity. Give yourself a start date. You might be thinking, hold on, Karen, don't you mean a complete date? You might be able to throw
some adrenaline at it and race to the finish
line, but more than likely, this project gave you grief
before and likely will again. Maybe it was too repetitious, maybe the colours are
out of your colour zone, or it was fussy, or you
found the directions hard to work through. So I advise that your
plan includes some pacing. These old projects will
work best slow and steady and not with a ticking time bomb. You know that I love my
timer and I can't tell you how many projects it
has helped me complete 30 minutes at a time. We all have different
ways we like to work. Some of you will prefer to
work on one project at a time. Some of you like to work
on many projects at once. But regardless, incorporating pacing that is regular stopping to
stretch, get a glass of water, have a rest, or do something different will help you get to the finish line. I am just finishing off an old UFO. I am joining GnomeAngel for this year's #100Days100Blocks again. But I thought it was best to finish off my first #100Days100Blocks
before I started this one. And as I was working
through the review phase, I realised that instead of making a quilt with all the blocks, I was
going to make a quilt coat. So stay tuned as I
figure out how to do it. Last week, I had Valerie
Goodwin on Karen's Quilt Circle. It was one of my favourite
interviews so far as we were talking about
her amazing map quilts. Next week on the show, I have Ursula McClintock of LDH Scissors and we are talking about,
surprisingly, scissors. What makes a good one,
what we need to look for, and how to care for them. You don't want to miss
either of these interviews, so I'll leave a link down in the notes. If you liked this video,
please give it a thumbs up. Don't forget to subscribe
and hit that bell beside the Subscribe button
so that YouTube notifies you when I make new videos. You can also follow me
on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest @justgetitdonequilts, and my website, sign up for my newsletter, at JustGetItDoneQuilts.com. So take care and I'll see you next time.
