Declutter Challenge 2026 - Day 16 - UNFINISHED PROJECTS

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Today, our challenge is to find all the projects that you have started. It doesn’t matter if you call them WIP’s (Works In Progress) or UFO’s (UnFinished Objects) or WOMBAT's (Waste of Money, Batting And Time), let's get them all out in the light of day. And when I say started, that means that there is some cut fabric or half sewn blocks, or partially constructed rows.

STEP 1

Set your timer. You use the interval that works best for you.

STEP 2

Define your capacity. How much space you want those projects taking up. For some of you, you only work on one quilt at a time. So this is going to be an easy day. For others, you sew in a tiny space and you just do not have the room for extra UFO’s. Personally, I am giving myself three shelves.

STEP 3

Declutter. We stop projects for many reasons.

• work commitments

• family issues

• sickness

• distraction

• mistakes

• difficulty

• and more

And like all marathons, once you stop it’s really mentally challenging to get back back on track. But here is today’s question:

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Do you WANT to finish it?

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If you had a day of uninterrupted sewing, is this a project that you would grab off the shelf? 

So often we ask ourselves CAN we make it. This is one reason why decluttering a craft or sewing space is so hard. But there is a big difference between "Can" and "Want". So, it’s worth writing or printing this question out and having it front and centre. And there is a link to today’s handout in the video notes and the blog

What happens when the answer is sort of? We kind of do, we kind of don’t. But If you can’t see yourself making it today, when will you want to make it? 

If in doubt, put on your timer for 30 minutes and make a block or two and see how you feel afterwards. You will be surprised at what works and what doesn’t.  

I now try hard not to carry too much over into the next year as they represent old decisions and personally dislike revisiting them. But last year I didn’t feel I managed my time well, so I have several that I did not finish. Hopefully this year, with the planning I have now put in place. I will be able to widdle that number down

STEP 4

Get those items out of your space.

And surprisingly, there is a whole subset of quilters out there that like nothing better than finishing off other people’s UFO’s. Or you can donate them. 

I know that many of you are getting antsy about organizing. Once we are done with the declutter challenge, we will go back and take a look at what we need to do to get these UFO’s back on track.

STEP 5

Now it’s your turn to share. How big is your UFO pile?  How old is your oldest UFO. Share your finds in the comments, or post a picture in the Facebook group with this years hashtag #declutterchallenge2026. And check out my UFO playlist for some more tips. 

Here are videos that I recommend for today:

Take care and you tomorrow for day 17.