One reason or another

I was in a panic when I made that UFO list... but now I have listed 8 finished items for 2008 (with more already finished items to add), I can see a pattern emerging.

Six of my eight finished items were started and finished this year. Why haven't I finished the old ones?

I lost momentum for one reason or another... I tried not to go onto another new project until I finished one - that has really helped me not to add to the list. It gives me incentives to finish something so that I can start my hot new project.

It is important for me to discuss what the "reasons or another" are that have built up my UFO list - I hope that you will modify your behaviour if you recognise these "symptoms"....

• Run out of or can't find fabric for the task (hell-ooo! that happened with the 2007 mystery quilt! I needed fabric for 2 leaves and couldn't find it anywhere despite asking all over the internet. Five months later I found my piece... where it wasn't supposed to be!
  
• Start stitchery block per month and get sidetracked when waiting for blocks (if I had them all it would only have taken me about 2 months to do them all) - know what I mean?
  
• Need to buy fabrics to suit e.g. initial swap blocks, 1930s baskets, wedding blocks from friends - while trying not to purchase fabrics.. therefore, need to get into a lot of temptation by taking blocks along to match for sashings (going on a hunt for fabric allows too many opportunities to regress into fabric collecting)... it's so scary!


• Had to stop the quilt while collecting co-ordinating fabrics - mind you, that was a long time ago. I do not need to collect fabrics anymore, I am trying to use them up. But, when I started the Jane Stickle quilt in 2001 I had to stop several times to collect more black reproduction fabric, then more brown, more purple etc.


• Won blocks in lucky block draw and therefore did not fit into the urgent, mad rush that comes with deciding on a new project (Christmas redwork, old chooks blocks).


• I stuffed up and it needs unpicking and a clear head to suss out what I did wrong.
  
• I don't like it anymore - either the fabric choices, or my skills have improved so much over the last 7 years that I can't bear to look at that atrocity let alone finish it! But, I can't throw it out either (I have given one UFO away to a good cause).


• Another deadline took over - e.g. a wedding quilt had to be finished so I put that one away for a little while.


• It's a project to pick up when I am between projects (e.g. civil war hexagons)
  

I would love to hear your excuses... or is it "recognised reasons" for building up a list of UFOs. Please post a comment.
I must add one more thing before I add a picture - I make quilts because I find it relaxing and soothing. Why should I work on something if I don't feel like it? This is why I have limited myself to working on four at the moment...

Maybe civil war hexagons will be removed from my list of four before it's finished because I will tire of it, but that is my perogative.