I saved some of my vacation time until the end of the year and I made it! I had been looking forward to using this time to do some research on some recent UFO sightings…in my closet. Yes, in my closet; I have a bin full of UnFinished Objects.

Like your conventional Unidentified Flying Objects, many sewists start projects and for whatever reason, we are no longer able to identify the object we had once envisioned. I wanted to use some of my vacation time to remove some of those UFOs out of my closet hangar. (I love puns)! This was no easy task, being that my 4 year old mini me was also home from Pre-K for Winter Break (which was my real reason for saving my PTO for the end on the year). I’ll post more about that another time. #schoolwinterbreakisnotavacation

Outside of our quality time, I did have a couple of productive moments. I was able to finish several projects, including some UFOs I’ve actually been wearing for the past year! There were some minor things that no one would notice unless I pointed them out, like waiting a year to hem a couple of tunics. Finishing the hem sometimes makes a difference in appearance like buying your garments from Old Navy versus Rainbow.

McCall’s Patterns M6121

Isn’t that what we do anyway? We go out as our unfinished selves for the world to see, except the world doesn’t notice (because nobody cares unless you point it out). So in honor of the new year and the motivation for self improvement that it inspires, I’ve compiled my Top 5 Reasons why UFOs exist:

1. Something about the project didn’t go as expected (i.e., fabric didn’t work well, wrong fit, human error, etc.)
2. Ran out of time
3. Overlooked Details (I had a tweed cape I couldn’t finish because my machine couldn’t handle making buttonholes with that fabric. Buttonholes are usually the last detail on a buttoned garment. Just horrible!)
4. Lost interest (Sometimes you weren’t that interested to start in the first place.)
5. External Events (better known as LIFE!!) (Things that had nothing to do with the project itself, but rather affected time dedicated to complete the project.)

These reasons aren’t just specific to sewing; they’re transferable to whatever your unfinished object is. (Well the buttonhole example is pretty specific lol. ) Sometimes you need a pair of fresh eyes like when Monica, The Sewing Jurist suggested I use sew-in snaps after I vented about it on our sew date. It worked like gang busters! Thanks Monica! My UFOs have taught me to expect the unexpected, use time management and planning strategies as I discussed in a previous post, and last but not least, really taking the time to consider your motivation for starting a project or endeavor. Knowing that helps to stay the course when life happens. What are some of your UFOs and how do you plan to finish them?

Happy New Year!