Tuesday, December 11, 2012

UFOs to the Rescue!



I'm talking about Unfinished Objects, readers. You may not know this, but I'm just as guilty of having UFOs as any other lady who likes to sew. I organize all my "in progress" projects into these cool huge Ziploc bags, and keep all their notions and the pattern together.


When my mother-in-law saw my (admittedly large) collection of these bags, she asked: "Are you going to live long enough to finish all these projects?"

Fair question! Probably not.

But! Sometimes the UFO comes in handy. Like now! Right around this time of year, I always have the urge to sew a holiday season frock--forgetting that I don't have the time and there's a million other things I should be focusing on (millinery class finals, anyone?).

But HA! I've outsmarted myself. I have the party frock I started last year, almost complete! It's this vintage pattern, done up in this cool peacock blue cotton brocade. It's like Gretchen Of Christmas Past knew that Gretchen of Christmas Future would have pink hair and that peacock blue would be the color for her this year!



I put the gussets in and everything.

And past Gretchen was so clever that she put the whole thing in a handy bag, complete with matching thread and a zipper for future Gretchen to find this year.

So, just saying, don't knock the UFO. Who knows what you could be starting for your future self!

Anyone else with me in attacking some UFOs?

52 comments:

  1. Love that colour:) I found an un-finished cerise pink skirt and bodice the other day - I was going to wear it to a wedding 6 years ago....! So it might be time to finish it, as I've four wedding to attend this year.

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  2. Haha, I love your way of looking at this! How cool to open that ziplock bag and find that you have a beautiful dress well under progress. Can't wait to see it with your new hair!!!

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  3. I've got a stack of UFOs, some I'm more content with staying put and others not. I'm loaning my machine for a neighbor to finish some Christmas gifts (poor girl's suitcase of bought gifts got "lost" by some south American airline) so I have to restrain myself and/or handsew. I've got some knitting UFOs that probably need more attention anyhow :)

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  4. Guilty as charged! I have numerous abandoned sewing projects lurking on my shelves, and in my cupboards! Every once in a while I'll pull something out and force myself to finish it, then donate it to a friend. This makes my friends happy, as well as myself!

    Jamine

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  5. I have a UFO dress I actually pulled out to finish, since I got some more appropriate fabric to line it with than I used originally. I just need to find the time between christmassy activities.

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  6. Lol, I actually cut out all the fabric for your Draped-Wiggle Dress back in September and now I'm finally working on putting it together. I have no clue where I'll wear it, but I'm applying for art school (fiber arts, specifically) in the spring and I need to assemble a portfolio. A fancy dress that shows I can do couture-ish stuff sounds like a good addition to it.

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  7. By far the biggest number of UFOs are my hand knits.I have a pair and a half of mittens, a shawl about 70 percent done, a pair of thigh high stockings and a pair of gloves technically in progress. My sewing stuff isn't so bad. I have a few little things to make for Christmas, and my pattern revision for some Clovers.

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  8. I'm more of a knitter than a sewer (but I'm trying!), and I used to loathe UFOs. Couldn't stand the idea of having more than one project going. Recently I've come to look at them more as you do - that it might be something that I just need to work on later. I have a shawl that's ridiculously boring to knit that's been sitting in my bag for months. Turns out, I'll be in the car a lot in the next month or so, and that type of knitting is perfect!

    Oh, and I can't wait to see a peacock blue dress + pink hair. It's going to look amazing.

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  9. I pinned, cut and marked a flutter sleeved blouse with tie-backs in 1973(ish). I finished it this summer and entered it in the local Agricultural Fair and it came first place. Good thing I was able to get the rust marks out of the (70s orange) fabric with good old Don Maximo soap! It is interesting to see how tiny I was when I was 13. This blouse is TINY!

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  10. I think the pink hair and blue cotton brocade will look awesome!

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  11. Oooh, that dress is going to be gorgeous with your pink hair!

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  12. this Halloween I finshed a UFO of vintage pattern I had made in a purple spiderweb fabric,never finished because it was going to be to small for me,so it was put away for future me to try on and gasp in disbelief as it was a little big.So it was finshed and worn several times.(and yes past me must have known that future me's hair would not be bright red,which generally stop me from wearing purple.

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  13. You've inspired me! I need to go through my UFOs :D

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  14. I have over 50 UFO's myself, mine are all quilts though. I don't sew clothes anymore now that the kids are grown. 2013 I am knocking all those UFO's out of the ballpark, I am tired of them hanging around.

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  15. I love the ziploc bag idea. I think I might steal it. I have a combination of UFOs and what I call NSOs - non started objects. I have a habit of acquiring fabric and notions for an project idea and then just letting it sit for ages.

    I can't wait to see this dress. It sounds awesome.

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  16. Like Ann Marie, I have a quilt on the go... however most of my projects are PSPs - partially started, as in I have the pattern and the fabric and all the plans in the world, but that's as far as they've got. Dream garments.

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  17. I'm guilty of having six UFO's in my basement right now. To be fair, four of them were meant for Halloween and now I've got a jump start on next year's Sherlock Holmes and Watson get ups.

    but there's also that pile of pants from various people. they hear i sew, and just start giving me pants to hem like it's a thing i enjoy. i hate hemming, soon all those around me will be pantsless.

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    1. got a giggle out of that... surely everyone who sews, loves it so much that trouser hems are just so much extra fun!...lol ! my trick is to either charge, or ask for a return favour straight away... along the lines of "I'll hem this while you iron those clothes/feed children/wash dishes etc :)

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    2. Jen, I offer a sweater finishing/repair service as a part of my fledgling business, and I charge $50 for a 4 hour finishing class, or $50/hr. to put their projects together. I am continually surprised by how many people pay me to assemble their knitting. By charging a fee you make it clear that you value your time and skills, and they should, too! Give a man a fish, he eats for a day. Teach a man to fish, he'll pay you for the next one...

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  18. I went through a phase of finishing some UFO's. But I still have many and many burning holes in my brain asking to be let out.
    I did just finish a knitted Father Christmas for my boys which has a really odd beard courtesy of Womens Weekly knitting patterns that hubby bought me. But mine are in no way as organised as yours.
    :o)

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  19. My new bike-commuting rain jacket (with pit zippers and all) is waiting for me in a similar but smaller bag right now. It's time to do it! I like those big bags a lot; time for a trip to Target? Your frock will be lovely!

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  20. I am now resolved to finish at least 3 UFOs before I start another project! You are just what I needed today.

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  21. Uff! Different personality here. I couldn't stand UFOs all around! NO way! I have this mania, I have to completely finish one project before getting into another. I do the same with everything: books, films, magazines. I love the feeling when I am finishing a project, and you know those last finishing touches that take ages to do, and I am already dreaming about my next project and playing with all the different options it entangles with such anticipating joy!. But I have to finish. It's like "don't eat more than you can chew." I also try not to store lots of fabric, or other unnecessary parafernalia. I try to be sensible and ecofriendly. But of course, we are all different, and for that I'm glad!

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  22. Sometimes a UFO is forced on us. I bought and started a vintage re-issue dress and half way through I realised it looked really horrible, and realised how much I needed to lose weight. Into a UFO bag it went. Two years i now am much happier, a 34" waist gone down to 28", I think that dress was life changing. Now I am changing it - into a halfcirlce skirt and matching halter top of my dreams (with embroidery and all).
    If i had finished this dress then, it would have been a waste of time. Now it's going be a great garment that will actually get worn and loved, and for that a two year gap is fine.

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  23. Peacock blue! M-mmm! I want it on my walls, too.

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  24. Gertie, my entire life is a UFO.

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  25. The problem with UFOs when you sew for kiddos is that they grow. And so if I managed to finish my UFOs, they wouldn't fit anybody. I started coats and dresses for the girls last year that I never managed to finish, and they sit, in my sewing closet, waiting for someone to grow into them before I sew another stitch. Good news is that last year's crinolines still fit (with a couple small alterations) so I don't yet have to make new ones, which is good since I doubt I'd have the time. I'm a couple hours away from having really fancy pinafores done to go over their fancy Christmas dresses, and our appointment to get pictures taken is Friday. I just have to manage to make time to make the bows for their hair! Sooo thankful that unlike last year, this year's Christmas dresses aren't UFOs.

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  26. Yes! I have recently picked up a UFO and now have almost finished it (just the zipper and hem to go!). It started out life as a navy blue long sleeve dress, but not being very good at sleeves, and too impatient to work them out at the time, the project fell by the wayside...
    Enter a small swatch of navy and white polka dot chiffon picked up recently at a thrift shop. A perfect colour match! I decided to use the polkadots for the midriff, and to add little cap sleeves (still not a fan of long sleeves in non-stratch cottons), and voila, a gorgeous navy dress! Well almost, once the zip and hem are finished :-)

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  27. I have just had a major run at my UFOs, I pledged to myself to not do anything else for November and I managed to do most of them (I don't have nearly as many as anyone else though)

    Good luck with yours ... now onwards to the Christmas Dress :-)

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  28. Gertie, is there any chance you could recreate this pattern for us? I'd love to make this dress, but I don't want to pay £30+ for a pattern that needs to be completely resized! I'm succh a cheapskate! hehe xxx

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  29. Oh, my goodness. My UFOs are all quilt-related, and I've got plenty! I found your blog because I have been wanting to get back into sewing clothing, which I haven't done in years and was never very good at. Love the blog and your wonderful sense of humour. Lovely Christmas Dress! Nita @ www.nitadances.com

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  30. Oh I'm hearing you Gretchen, I finally finished a child's dress I started for my daughter 10 years ago for her baby cousin!!
    The problem was a mental block over zipper and lining. But 10 years later I have it licked and the dress is gorgeous - YAY. There's a great feeling of satisfaction having completed a UFO but I have to admit to binning quite a few things that just aren't going to work. Most often I send them to St V de P and hope to goodness someone else wants to finish it. Maybe there is a need for a UFO swap site - you know, one man's trash is another's treasure and all that?!!

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  31. I desperately need to work on y UFOs. I don't have a lot, but I have enough, and a few that should probably just be ripped apart and refashioned into something else entirely.

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  32. I've got lots of UFOs. Like you, I've stored a few in ziplocs, which does feel like a cool gift/ kit that is already ready to go, when the time is right. They're great for periods of "sewing block", when I want to skip cutting out a pattern, etc., and get right to sewing!

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  33. All my UFOs are knitting; since I only have one sewing machine, I can more easily fully commit, but I have about a bajillion sets of knitting needles, and something on about half of them. I have found single mittens, socks, and sleeves, though. Really cuts the holiday pressure.

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  34. No UFOs AT THE MOMENT for me, but that is only because I'm sewing for the grandkinders for the holidays and, ahem, I have a deadline for that.But your UFO is almost like going shopping and finding the absolutely perfect thing - and on sale!!

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  35. I have what my sister called "Artistic Attention Deficit Disorder" So yeah, my life is full of UFO's. But I'm working on stuff. Big plans for the 11 day holiday we get over the Christmas Break. In reference to your mother-in-law, a former boss of mine and I were always in the same boat with our love of planning ahead for crafting. She always said that it makes it so you live longer, because you have so much stuff to do still. I think that theory. But I've been good this year - finished five quilt tops and three of them are completely done. I'd better get cracking on the one, I was going to give it to my hubby's bachelor uncle for his birthday next week. I guess I know what I'm doing tonight!

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  36. Lol I wish I could put aspects of my life in those bags!

    But seriously, those ziploc bags are awesome. At school I had ones for every class: patternmaking, construction, etc with notes and supplies, thread, etc in each bag. And it felt really nerdy to be the girl with all the plastic bags but it helped me maintain sanity. Glad to see someone else use these bags too!

    Dunno why I never used the bags for all my UFOs...but now I will :)

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  37. Thats so crazy, I just moved across country in Australia and before I did I put all my UFO's into bags exactly like yours with everything in it. They are all still in a box unpacked but I'm so glad I did it, so when I'm ready, so will they be! Whats crazy about most of them is that all they need are some buttons or a zip or hemming! Why do we do that? Is it just me? Constantly super distracted!

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  38. Oh Gretchen, that zip lock bag is such a great idea for UFO's. I'm going to use that one. I've been putting everything in a clear plastic shoe box, but they are not big enough for every project. The zip locks are much smarter. Thanks!
    SheriNJ

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  39. My friend who teaches sewing and fashion at a local college says that you will wear and love only about a third of what you sew. The rest is part of the artistic process. This always makes me feel better about my UFOs and near misses.

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  40. I have knitting UFOs. A few months ago, I went through and pulled apart the ones I knew had fatal flaws that I wouldn't ever finish. That felt good.
    I've always ziplocked the knitting and quilting projects but, very strangely, not done that with the sewing ones.That will solve the "what was that thread I was using" dilemma.

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  41. "Are you going to live long enough to finish all these projects?" HA_HA!!!!
    Yes, I want to attack some of my UFOs!

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  42. I have a few UFO's on the, ummm, go, or no-go, I suppose. A shirt and a simple jacket. But, it's mostly because I have come to a standstill as to why they are not working out. I'm hoping to find some info from all these wonderful bloggers to find out how to fix the problems. Love your blog, and your pink hair, by the way.

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  43. I have a sewing rom FULL of UFO's. In fact, I've just created my first blog in hopes that blogging about my sewing progress will force me to finally complete these abandoned projects. It's already helping, I just finished my first of 8 UFO's last night. I desperately need to get some organization going with them though, and I love your ziploc idea! Thanks for sharing!

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  44. Hahahaha, I just pulled out my unfinished Christmas dress from last year, too! Thanks, 2011 Sonja! :)

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  45. I Can't believe how organised you are :O I never get things finished because I lose everything, really need to try something like this :)

    ~ Jamie-Leigh
    http://jjswayoflife.blogspot.co.uk/

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  46. You sound like me. I would have thought that past Mackenzie wrote that, if I didn't know that I have never sounded quite so clever.

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  47. Awesome idea! \( ^ O^)/ I will have to try this. I had heard of those bags, but they looked so awkwardly huge, I didn't know what on earth I'd do with them. I've heard other people organizing their sewing projects like this, but it never dawned on me to actually do this. Instead, I just keep all projects in plastic "Jo-Ann Fabrics" bag and trip over them every now and then to remind myself why I should find a better place for them. I'll definitely try this--if not a space saver bag to decrease some of that storage bulk! xD Best wishes to you in the new year and your projects. ^^

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Thanks for your comments; I read each and every one! xo Gertie

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