We all have them… those projects that we can’t seem to finish… the dreaded “UnFinished Object” or UFO!  I recently finished beading Melanie Potter’s Etruscan Cuff bracelet from the FALL 2018 Heart of Texas Bead Retreat – only about 7 months after beginning it!!!  It’s a beautiful piece and I always get a lot of compliments when I wear it.

Thankfully, I wrote some good notes in the class handout, so I could go back and work on it when I had time.  But, finishing it reminded me of other projects that I’ve never completed, and I began questioning why I hadn’t.  I found I had at least three categories:

1.   I didn’t really like the project after I started it
2.   I wasn’t happy with my color selections
3.   Loved the project, but I wasn’t sure where I left off

Items #1 and #2 require some decision making on my part…  Most likely, for #1, I’ll gift my project to a beading friend who loves it.  #2 might get some attention when I find time since it probably means that I have to start over.  #3 will take some investigation to start again, but I love the project and really want to finish it.  So, I’ll take the time to retrace my steps, and usually can get back on track.

Most of the projects from classes I teach will NOT be completed in a class session.  But the handouts give good details about how to complete.  The most common communication I get is a photo of a project with the question like “Can you tell me where I am on this?” or “Can you tell me what I did wrong?”   Sometimes, it’s easy  for me to see, but most often, it’s easier to meet in person.  That’s one of the reasons I began having my UFO Day workshops!   They are open to students who have taken classes from me in the past year.  And, the only requirement is that they work on my class projects, and bring their instructions and beads.  It’s not meant to be an open beading session or a time to ask questions about other designers’ patterns.  

The next UFO Day is a full day workshop at Sea of Beads on Memorial Day (May 27).  I’ll be there all day to answer your questions and get you back on track, so those UFOs can become BFOs – Beautiful Finished Objects!  Hope to see you there!