Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Are you a piecer or a quilter?


See the date on this picture ... 2005!! and it is still not finished .. it sits in the cabinet waiting to be finished. I often wonder if I have turned into a piecer and I am not a true quilter. When I first started quilting I started and finished a project before even thinking of doing another one. Now I think I have Quilter's ADHD. I have gotten into the habit of starting a project ... piecing the blocks and maybe getting them into a top, if it is that lucky, then it sits and sits while I start another and yet another project. I have a wonderful friend Tirane who is a long arm quilter and does my quilting for me now that I turned into the piecer that I am. Yet I haven't been able to get myself into gear and get those UFOs/BOBs turned into real quilts. I am ashamed at the number of UFOs/BOBs I have in my sewing area. They are over running the place and yet I want to start new projects instead of finishing these. What is wrong with this picture? Am I just a piecer that is destined to have a ton of UFOs/BOBs forever haunting me? Is this a trait of a true quilter to have a large number of UFOs/BOBs sitting in their sewing rooms?
I have my 2010 goals listed and show only SIX little UFOs to finish of my upteen UFOs that I have in there. January is almost over and I have one UFO at Tirane's being quilted but haven't touched another one. I caved in and joined a couple swaps instead. I created a new UFO and added blocks to a couple old UFOs in the progress. Is it just me or do you feel guilty for not finishing your UFOs/BOBs and wanting to start a new project instead?
I was talking to a quilty friend last night and she does QOV quilts and will accept any tops I want to send her. I think this might be the answer to my prayers. Finishing tops and getting rid of UFOs/BOBs to free me from the guilt of starting new projects. This might be the way for me to get things thinned down in there. Part of the problem is that over time my taste in quilts has changed, my taste in fabrics has changed, my quilting skills have improved and my need to use what I have has taken over.
I hope someone else out there is in the same boat as me and can cheer me on and I them to make 2010 the year to finish those UFOs/BOBs and use up that stash too. Helping me to remove the guilt from my shoulders for wanting to start that cute paper piecing wall hanging instead of finishing my crumb top.
until next time ... happy quilting!!

2 comments:

Loves To Quilt said...

I have alot of UFO/BOB's too...last I counted I had 25 UFO's and 15 BOB's and still adding more. I have thought of giving them to others to have and finish but I had so much fun making them and I put a story behind each one and I just can't part with them so I guess my UFO's/BOB's will continue to grow. Do I consider myself a true quilter because of it...yes I sure do and you should too...we will get them all finished someday and then we will just continue to make more.

country mouse said...

I think we all go through stages of being a "peicer" then a "quilter" (or maybe that should say "finisher", because whatever stage you are working on you are always a quilter) I have had times where I just wanted to peice away...I love seeing a new project come together. Right now I am on a finishing spree...and never cease to be amazed by the fact that once I get started on the quilting process, I love it. Don't feel bad about having a lot of UFOs. You (and I) are far from the only quilters that have them. Just continue to enjoy the process and be happy with your creations. Hugs!!