Every quilter’s New Year’s resolution is to finish UFOs. I’ve made that resolution more ways than anyone I know.

I resolve to finish one UFO every month.
I resolve to finish two UFOs before I start a new project.
I resolve to spend ten minutes a day working on UFOs.
I resolve to spend one day doing nothing but binding all my quilted quilts.
I resolve to stitch bindings down when I watch television at night. (I even bought a new lamp for that one.)

It went on for years, different shades of the same resolution. When 2018 rolled around, I was down to:

26 unfinished projects (not counting fabric I bought for projects that I haven’t started
Eight pieced but unquilted tops
Three partially quilted tops
And, nine quilted quilts with no bindings

Apparently, I’m not alone in falling short of my goals.

Statisticbrain.com says that fewer than ten percent of us are successful in keeping our resolutions. That made me feel better. But, not enough better to give up the resolution.

This year I kept it simple: “I resolve to finish.” And, I’m off to a good start. I completed four UFO quilt tops in January, and I’m loading a pieced top on the longarm later today.

How did I do it? I turned off the phone, the tablet and the computer, and I turned my back on the cleaning. I turned on some interesting friends who don’t require me to talk back….Mark Harmon and Tom Selleck, (that is, I found NCIS and Blue Bloods marathons.) And I sewed. And I learned.

When I simply did it- finished a quilt top, I went on to finish another quilt top. Then, I finished another and another. And, voila, I learned that Habit trumps motivation.

I learned that a New Year motivates me, but only for ten minutes. Motivation is fleeting.

I learned that Habit is reliable; and, if we choose our habits well, Habit is productive.

I also learned that “no” isn’t a bad word, and, at most, “no” requires only a “thank you” to accompany it. Excuses are not necessary.

Most importantly, I learned that it’s ok to be honest. Some “UFOs” are finished.

Live Well. Quilt Well.