Are there ANY finishes in sight?

Ok. I'm really frustrated with my pile of WIPs.

Over the past few weeks, I've been stumbling back and forth between Celebration Santa, Hannah Thornbush, and Potpourri.

On top of that, I've just received the instructions for the EGA correspondence course Cleopatra's Cat and the kit for the first project in Tricia Wilson Nguyen's Gold Master Class.

Aaaaacccckkkkk!

I need to get a few things finished and out of the seemingly bottomless pile of projects in progress. I'm deliberately choosing a few pieces that haven't seen the light of day in a while, in hopes that they'll each inspire me to stick with them long enough to finish them!

Here's the list:

• Plum Blossoms by Margaret Kinsey
• My Way by Carolyn Mitchell (to get this done before my next class with her!)
• Blackwork Band Sampler by Rae Iverson of Moss Creek Designs
• my Pastel Hardanger
• Overture II by Kay Stanis

Anyone want to join me in finishing a few projects from their own WIP piles?

Happy New Year 2010!

This year has flown! Here's what I finished in 2009:


A larger view of the slideshow can be seen here.

On January 1, 2009, I wrote some stitching & blogging goals for the year:

1. Enjoy my stitching. Done!
   
2. Keep blogging. Done!
   
3. Try to finish a few WIPs, and end the year with fewer than I have now. (Unfortunately, I can't get an accurate count now, so I'll just have to count finishes vs. starts for the year!) Well, I finished 5 started in previous years, and only have 2 started and not finished for this year, so I guess that's progress!
   
4. Start the whitework Frances Cheyney sampler from The Essamplaire. (This will be stitched as a SAL with a friend, and I had hoped to start it today, but it can wait.) Ummm.... No.
   

I'm hoping to get a bit more stitching done this upcoming year. My goals for 2010 (continuing a few from this past year) are:

1. Enjoy my stitching.
2. Keep blogging. (Actually, I have a few plans for the blog, but I'll go over these in a separate post in the next week or so.)
3. Continue decreasing the WIP count! 
4. Stitch Erin's First Christmas ornament and get it finished. (And maybe do one for the second year, too!)
5. Finish my master craftsman piece on time.
6. Start something by Jean Hilton.
7. Start something by Gay Ann Rogers.
   

I'll stop now before I get myself into trouble. Enjoy 2010, everyone!

Happy New Year!

It's amazing how quickly time flies! Here's what I managed to finish in 2008.

Here's a larger version of the slideshow. Canvas pieces definitely dominated this year!

I had set a few goals for 2008. Here's a recap of how I did:

1. Enjoy my stitching. Yes, of course!
   
2. Keep blogging. Some months better than others, but I didn't miss too many weeks.
   
3. Continue keeping up with the Jim Wurth ornaments. Yes, and they're all done now!
   
4. More WIP reduction! I'd really like to finish at least 4 of my large WIPs and several small pieces. After this round of my challenge, though, I'll probably switch to finish 3, start 1 (instead of finish 10!). Well, let's see: I finished only 3 large WIPs: Treasured Snowflakes and Trees, ScottLee, and Winds of Color. However, I only completed two small WIPs from the beginning of the year: the Quaker bag and White-throated Hummingbird, and I started many more new projects than I finished for the rest of the year! I think this combination helped me meet my goal of enjoying my stitching, though!
   
5. Complete my new crop of GCC's on time (which means I really have to start one, since the first one is due in April!) I didn't come close to meeting this goal. I only finished one of the three GCCs due over the summer (To The Acorn).
   
6. Start one of the "Seasonal Girls" from Gay Ann Rogers. Yes, started and finished - and enjoyed every stitch!
   

With BJ on the way this year, I have no idea how much time I'll actually have for stitching, so I'm keeping my stitching goals for 2009 fairly simple, keeping a few goals from last year:

1. Enjoy my stitching.
2. Keep blogging.
3. Try to finish a few WIPs, and end the year with fewer than I have now. (Unfortunately, I can't get an accurate count now, so I'll just have to count finishes vs. starts for the year!)
4. Start the whitework Frances Cheyney sampler from The Essamplaire. (This will be stitched as a SAL with a friend, and I had hoped to start it today, but it can wait.)

Happy New Year, everyone!

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Pregnancy ticker: 30 weeks, 6 days.
Based on the ultrasound estimates, BJ is up one half pound in the last two weeks, now weighing in at 3 pounds, 2 ounces. We're still hoping to make it several more weeks!

November recap, December goals

December already! Here were my goals for November:

• Blog more. I managed 14 posts for the month, which ties for the most in a month this year! Not great, but better! I also kicked off a new "stitch study" series of posts.
• Enjoy the My Way class. Yes, very much, although I missed one day.
• Finish Jim Wurth's Peace Tree so I'll be ready to start the last ornament when it shows up this month. Yes! I finished it and the last ornament, Fabulous Finale.
• Continue working on Summer Dream. Yes, though I didn't get as much done as I wanted.
• Finish a few of the smaller WIPs kicking around here! Ummm... no.

I actually managed to get a bit of my excess stash up on eBay this month. I also started and almost finished Gay Ann Rogers's Challenge Ornament on Sunday, but I haven't had the chance to blog about that yet. Stay tuned!

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For December, here are my goals:

• Continue with regular blogging, including the stitch study series.
• Finish the Challenge Ornament.
• Continue working on Summer Dream.
• Finish a few of the smaller WIPs kicking around here.
• Sell enough stash to afford the Judy Souliotis class starting soon on SNS!
• Enjoy the holidays!

I'm looking forward to some extended time off from work at the end of the year to help with these goals.

October recap, November goals

Somehow I managed to miss posting a recap and goals for the last few months. Anyway, here's what I accomplished in October:

• Started and finished Cancer Awareness Heart.
• Started Carolyn Mitchell's My Way and finished enough for my class next weekend.
  
• Continued working on Chris Berry's Tudor Style Purse.
  
• Picked up Martha Wilkins after almost a year's hiatus, and finished another band.
• Took a class with a local teacher for a Bargello needlecase.
• Started EGA GCC Summer Dream by Luan Callery (pics later today or tomorrow).
• Purchased some sampler goodness from Gay Ann Rogers.
  

My WIP pile is growing again...

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For November, here are my goals:

• Blog more (in the spirit of National Blog Posting Month, though I'm not committing to a post every day).
  
• Enjoy the My Way class.
  
• Finish Jim Wurth's Peace Tree so I'll be ready to start the last ornament when it shows up this month.
  
• Continue working on Summer Dream.
• Finish a few of the smaller WIPs kicking around here!

I can foresee another round of my WIP-loss challenge starting fairly soon!

July recap & August goals

July didn't quite work out as I had planned, but I enjoyed my stitching anyway. My goals were:

• Keep blogging, aiming for 3-4 posts per week. This was my worst month of the year! Only 7 posts in July!
• Stick to my rotation. Ummm... No. The rotation went out the window!
  
• Finish Cinders. Another no, though I made progress.
  
• Finish Part 2 of Mystery in a Corner. Yes!
• Work on WIPs. Yes! Both ScottLee and Examplar IV saw a lot of progress.
  
• Start one of the GCC's (Victorian Bonnet) that will be due this fall. Nope. I really do want to finish Cinders first.
  
• Start Strawberry Girl by Gay Ann Rogers. I was going to start this when I finished the mystery, and I put the congress cloth on stretcher bars, but I was short two threads and had to special order them at the LNS. By the time they came in, I was engrossed in ScottLee, so I think I'll finish it first.
  

I've gone back to the "focus piece" method of stitching, in which I work on a single piece as long as it keeps my interest. This really seems to work for me.

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For August, here are my goals:

• Keep blogging.
• Enjoy my stitching!
  
• Work on WIPs, and finish something!
  
• Start Strawberry Girl by Gay Ann Rogers.
• Make it to Louisville (for the EGA seminar) safely, and prepare for a great time the first week of September!!!! I'll be taking Chris Berry's Tudor Style Purse.
  

Is anyone else headed to Louisville? Please leave a comment!

June recap & July goals

June was a fairly good stitching month for me. My goals were:

• Keep blogging, aiming for 3-4 posts per week. Same as last month! 11 posts / 30 days = average 2.5 / week.
  
• Finish Cinders. No, but I made good progress once I put her into the rotation.
  
• Finish Part I of Mystery in A Corner. Yes!
  
• Work on WIPs. I made good progress on ScottLee and Examplar IV.
  
• Maybe start one of the GCC's that will be due this fall. No. Stay tuned for next month!

Starting a rotation has been both satisfying (when I see progress on multiple pieces) and frustrating (when I want to keep working on one piece). I'm going to stick with it for a bit to see if I get used to it.

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For July, here are my goals:

• Keep blogging, aiming for 3-4 posts per week.
• Stick to my rotation.
• Finish Cinders.
• Finish Part 2 of Mystery in a Corner.
• Work on WIPs.
• Start one of the GCC's (Victorian Bonnet) that will be due this fall.
• Start Strawberry Girl by Gay Ann Rogers.

I'm looking forward to starting a few new things as I finish some pieces in the rotation!

May recap & June goals

May was a fairly productive month for me. My goals were:

• Keep blogging, aiming for 3-4 posts per week. 11 posts / 31 days = average 2.5 /week.
  
• Finish Cinders. Nope. I didn't even pick it up this month.
  
• Finish Winds of Color. Yes!
  
• Start Mystery in a Corner (especially since I have to lead the project at my ANG meeting on 5/14). Yes!
  
• Start the next Jim Wurth piece, if it arrives early enough in the month. I started and finished Old Country!

I also started and finished my exchange piece for the Quaker Quarterly Exhange on the Legacy board. I'm putting it in the mail tomorrow, and will share pictures as soon as it's been received!

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For June, here are my goals:

• Keep blogging, aiming for 3-4 posts per week.
• Finish Cinders.
• Finish Part 1 of Mystery in a Corner.
• Work on WIPs.
• Maybe start one of the GCC's that will be due this fall.
  

I've been feeling like I'm stitching for deadlines a lot recently. I want to slow down a bit, stitch on what I want to do, and enjoy it. That's why my goals are pretty vague this month.

April recap & May goals

Sometime in mid-April, I realized that I neglected to write any goals for the month! Here's a recap of April:

• Only 11 blog posts for the month. Pretty unimpressive!
• Attended two wonderful classes with Marion Scoular.
• Started and finished Marion's The Long and the Short Of It.
• Started and made good progress on Marion's Cinders.
• Made very good progress on Winds of Color.
• Picked out colors for Mystery in a Corner by Gay Ann Rogers.

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For May, here are my goals:

• Keep blogging, aiming for 3-4 posts per week.
• Finish Cinders.
• Finish Winds of Color.
• Start Mystery in a Corner (especially since I have to lead the project at my ANG meeting on 5/14)
• Start the next Jim Wurth piece, if it arrives early enough in the month.

I hope everybody has a good month!

February recap & March goals

As far as sticking to my goals, it's been a so-so month. Here were my goals for February:

• Keep blogging! Well, not as much as I'd like, but I managed a couple of posts a week.
  
• Start and finish the Jim Wurth ornament that's due out this month. Nope. I started Camelot, but set it aside after a few days in favor of my sampler!
• Stitch at least through "session 3" on To the Acorn. Session 3 and beyond! I finished all of 1, 2, 3, and 6, and only the cutwork sections of 4 & 5 remained by the end of the month. I've since finished 5!
• Make progress on several areas in Winds of Color. I made a tiny bit of progress on this, but I didn't post any photos.
• Finish one small WIP. Ummm ... no.
  

I really enjoyed making really good progress on one piece this month. Will I regularly start stitching only one at a time from beginning to end? That's unlikely, since I do sometimes go through phases of boredom on any given project. Even this month, I took a break on To the Acorn to start Camelot.

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For March, here are my goals:

• Keep blogging, aiming for 3-4 posts per week.
  
• Finish To the Acorn.
  
• Finish Camelot.
• Make good progress on Winds of Color.
• Stitch on at least one other WIP.
• Enjoy my first Blogoversary - coming up March 17!
  

Hope everybody has a good month!

January recap & February goals

I didn't set any goals for the month of January, but I did accomplish quite a bit:

• Finished and sent off a treat bag for the Quaker Quarterly Exchange
  
• Finished Treasured Snowflakes & Trees by Mill Hill
• Finished Crossed Wing's White-eared Hummingbird
• Finished the Strawberry Purse wool applique design from FingerWork
• Made progress on Winds of Color

All of these led to the completion of the first round of my WIP-loss challenge, so I was able to start To the Acorn!

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For February, here are my goals:

• Keep blogging!
  
• Start and finish the Jim Wurth ornament that's due out this month.
• Stitch at least through "session 3" on To the Acorn.
• Make progress on several areas in Winds of Color.
• Finish one small WIP.
  

I hope everybody has a great month!

Happy New Year!

Only about 6 hours left of 2007! It's time to recap all that I've stitched this year. That will be difficult for the first few months of the year, because I wasn't at all diligent about writing it down. Instead, I'll just list everything I've finished since I started blogging in March. Pictures for all of these can be seen here.

Monrovia (counted canvas - Jim Wurth)
Goldwork Heart I (goldwork GCC - Michele Roberts)
Tiramisu (blackwork GCC - Dakota Rogers)
Wedding Row (cross stitch - Bent Creek)
Hearts & Flowers (counted canvas - Jim Wurth)
Arcadia (counted canvas - Jim Wurth)
Goldwork Heart II (goldwork GCC - Michele Roberts)
Luck of the Irish (goldwork GCC - Michele Roberts)
The Baroness Edie (counted canvas - Jim Wurth)
Fantasy Remembered (stumpwork GCC - Luan Callery)
First Christmas Ornament (painted canvas - Kathy Schenkel)
Redwork Mystery Sampler (counted thread - Gay Ann Rogers)
Czarina (counted canvas - Jim Wurth)
Traditional Elegance (whitework sampler - Pat Taff)
Christmas Treat Bag (cross stitch - Shepherd's Bush)
Bead Blanket Sampler (counted thread - Indigo Rose)
Mimi's Tape Measure (counted thread - Olde Colonial)

It was definitely a year for GCC's - especially goldwork - and Jim Wurth's Dodecagon series!

So, what are my goals for 2008? Let's see:

1. Enjoy my stitching.
   
2. Keep blogging.
3. Continue keeping up with the Jim Wurth ornaments.
4. More WIP reduction! I'd really like to finish at least 4 of my large WIPs and several small pieces. After this round of my challenge, though, I'll probably switch to finish 3, start 1 (instead of finish 10!).
   
5. Complete my new crop of GCC's on time (which means I really have to start one, since the first one is due in April!)
6. Start one of the "Seasonal Girls" from Gay Ann Rogers.

This is pretty ambitious, but it's good to set stretch goals, right?

Before I forget, I'd like to thank all of you for visiting and commenting on my posts this year. I've enjoyed getting to know my fellow stitching bloggers!

November Recap & December goals

Despite a few changes in plan (like posting every day and a change in the UFO strategy), I did fairly well this past month. Here were my goals for November:

• Keep blogging! Certainly done, especially after I joined NaBloPoMo!
  
• Finish the GAR mystery sampler. Done! (And framed.)
  
• Start and finish the Jim Wurth ornament that's due out this month. Done!
  
• Complete the border on Examplar IV. Nope. I finished half of it, and then decided to concentrate on a UFO instead.
  
• Work on some of the other pieces in my challenge list (or other WIPs/UFOs). I worked on Scottlee a bit, but then picked up Traditional Elegance.

I also went though my baskets, boxes, closets, and drawers to find and list all of my WIPs & UFOs. I found forty-two pieces that had some amount of stitching done. Several of these are very small pieces, like ornaments or scissors fobs, and others are medium to large pieces. I can't see why those shouldn't count on my WIP-loss challenge, so I'm going to concentrate on getting some of these done in the near future.

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For December, here are my goals:

• Keep blogging! (Though maybe not quite as frequently.)
  
• Finish Traditional Elegance.
  
• Finish at least 2 small UFOs.
• Finish at least 1 additional medium-sized UFO.
  

Here's hoping I work through my challenge soon so I can start one of my GCCs!

October recap & November goals

I did pretty well this past month. Here were my goals for October:

• Blog more! DONE! Well, 13 posts in October compared to 8 in September and 9 in August. That's certainly an improvement!!!
  
• Let's try this again: Catch up on the GAR mystery sampler. DONE! Hooray!!! I'm caught up except for the "accessorizing" of the kitchen.
  
• Complete Christmas ornament for my cousin's little girl, and turn it in to the finisher. DONE! I can't wait to see how it turns out!
  
• Since I started a tiny penny rug as an EGA program tonight, I have to turn it into a gift, since gift stitching is an exception to my WIP-loss challenge. Since it will match my sister's kitchen, it sounds like it's for her! I'd like to finish it this month. Um... this kinda got lost with everything else that was going on.
• Work on some of the other pieces in my challenge list (or other WIPs/UFOs). DONE! I worked on Examplar IV and Fantasy Remembered.
  

To top it off, I actually finished Fantasy Remembered! Two down on the WIP-loss challenge!!!

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For November, here are my goals:

• Keep blogging!
  
• Finish the GAR mystery sampler.
• Start and finish the Jim Wurth ornament that's due out this month.
• Complete the border on Examplar IV.
  
• Work on some of the other pieces in my challenge list (or other WIPs/UFOs).
  

It seems that my stitching momentum is picking up - or maybe I'm just setting more realistic goals!

Kitchen advice needed!

In trying to actually meet some of my goals for this month, I decided on Friday evening to spend a bit of time on the kitchen of my GAR redwork mystery. Since I thought the kitchen, as charted, was a bit too symmetrical, I wanted to "redecorate" it.

Here's what I came up with:What do you think? Can you tell what the piece of furniture on the left side is? This room doesn't scream "KITCHEN" at me, plus it has some large empty spots. What can I add? DH suggested I remove the window and add a pot rack. (And he hadn't seen the original design!) If I do that, how do I keep the pans from resembling tennis rackets? Plus, doesn't everybody need to have a window in the kitchen?

I do want this window to balance the rest of the piece, so here's an overall pic so far.

Please comment with your suggestions!

September recap & October goals

Don't look now - we're three-quarters through the year! Here were my goals for September. I actually accomplished some of them:

• Complete enough of Fantasy Remembered so I can send it in for evaluation. DONE! I finished all but the last big leaf. I'll stitch that and the attach the wired elements when it returns home
  
• Catch up on the GAR mystery sampler. Well, I worked a tiny bit on the borders, but I'm FAR from catching up!
  
• Start Christmas ornament for my cousin's little girl (remember, gift stitching is an exception to my WIP-loss challenge). DONE! It's almost finished, too. I just have to do the cuff on the back of the stocking.
• Work on some of the other pieces in my challenge list (or other WIPs/UFOs). Yes, I stitched a bit on Scottlee and the Ninja Squirrel Sampler.
  

I thought I kept the list pretty simple this month, but still didn't meet all my goals. Oh - but I had fun stitching what I did work on! I had some pretty good stash enhancement, too, with the Walmart DMC closeout and the Las Vegas trip.

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For October, here are my goals:

• Blog more!
  
• Let's try this again: Catch up on the GAR mystery sampler.
• Complete Christmas ornament for my cousin's little girl, and turn it in to the finisher.
  
• Since I started a tiny penny rug as an EGA program tonight, I have to turn it into a gift, since gift stitching is an exception to my WIP-loss challenge. Since it will match my sister's kitchen, it sounds like it's for her! I'd like to finish it this month.
• Work on some of the other pieces in my challenge list (or other WIPs/UFOs).
  

I feel like I'm getting nowhere on my challenge. I really need to get moving on some of these larger pieces!

August recap & September goals

It's September already! Where has the summer gone? Here were my goals for August, and I actually accomplished:

• Finish Luck of the Irish GCC. DONE! I sent it in to the coordinator, too.
  
• Continue working on the Fantasy Remembered GCC. Yes! I didn't get much done, but I did work on it.
  
• Send in the Goldwork Heart GCCs (I & II) for evaluation. DONE! (They've come back home already, and they're at the framer now!)
  
• Send in the Tiramisu GCC for evaluation. DONE!
• Start and finish window 5 on the GAR mystery sampler. Nope. Didn't even pick it up.
  
• Work on "redecorating" window 4 (the kitchen) on the GAR mystery sampler. See the previous line!
  
• Start and finish the next in the Jim Wurth series. DONE (sort of - does September 1st count?)
• Work on some of the other pieces in my challenge list. I picked up the Ninja Squirrel sampler and a long-standing UFO (though not on the list), Wheels of Color.

I didn't meet all of my goals, but it seemed like a productive month anyway!

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For September, I'm going to keep it simple:

• Complete enough of Fantasy Remembered so I can send it in for evaluation.
  
• Catch up on the GAR mystery sampler.
• Start Christmas ornament for my cousin's little girl (remember, gift stitching is an exception to my WIP-loss challenge).
• Work on some of the other pieces in my challenge list (or other WIPs/UFOs).
  

I'm going out of town for a few days later this week, and plan to take the Christmas ornament and the dragonfly wings from Fantasy Remembered to stitch on the plane.

July recap & August goals

Another month gone, and August is almost upon us. Here were my goals for July, along with what I actually accomplished:

• Finish the kimono - I barely touched this piece!
• Start Fantasy Remembered GCC, and get through "session 3" - DONE! I then started session 4 by putting in the spider web.
  
• Send in the Goldwork Heart GCCs (I & II) for evaluation - Wow, am I a slacker, or what? I picked up a priority mail box at the post office, but didn't send these in yet!
• Enjoy the class with Sharon G while starting the Tuscan Spring canvas - DONE! This was a wonderful class!
  
• Start and finish window 4 on the GAR mystery sampler - Well, I started the floorboards, but I think I want to remodel (i.e. redesign) the kitchen a bit before I stitch it.

I also started Hillside Samplings Be You to Others Sampler (a.k.a. the Ninja Squirrel sampler) and the next goldwork GCC, Luck of the Irish. And I started my WIP-loss challenge!

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For August, my goals are:

• Finish Luck of the Irish GCC (which is due at the end of the month, not in September as I stated last week!
  
• Continue working on the Fantasy Remembered GCC.
  
• Send in the Goldwork Heart GCCs (I & II) for evaluation
• Send in the Tiramisu GCC for evaluation (which I finished back in March!)
  
• Start and finish window 5 on the GAR mystery sampler
• Work on "redecorating" window 4 (the kitchen) on the GAR mystery sampler
• Start and finish the next in the Jim Wurth series (remember - this is one of my exceptions in the challenge)
• Work on some of the other pieces in my challenge list.
  

This is going to be a very hectic month for me at work, so we'll see if I can stick to these goals (not that I have in previous months!)

June recap & July goals

Wow, June flew by and it's July already! Here were my goals for June, along with what I actually accomplished:

• Complete Jim Wurth's Arcadia - DONE!
• Start and finish GAR mystery window 3 - DONE!
• Get the tree done on Picnic Hampered! - Not even close, due to a change in priorities (see this post)
  
• Work on Examplar IV - Unfortunately, not one stitch!
  
• Work on Goldwork Heart II - Not only worked on, but finished!

I also picked up my needlepoint kimono, and finished all but the blue flowers (although those were finished yesterday!) and the gold couching.

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For July, my goals are:

• Finish the kimono
  
• Start Fantasy Remembered GCC, and get through "session 3" (note - I actually started this yesterday!)
• Send in the Goldwork Heart GCCs (I & II) for evaluation
  
• Enjoy the class with Sharon G while starting the Tuscan Spring canvas
• Start and finish window 4 on the GAR mystery sampler

I'm looking forward to a productive month!

May recap & June goals

It's a new month! Here what I accomplished relative to my goals for May:

• Complete GAR mystery window 1 - DONE!
• Complete the background on the goldwork heart - DONE!
• Start GAR mystery window 2 - Started and finished!
• I probably won't get to start the next Jim Wurth installment that comes out the week of the 15th, but we'll see. - Nope. I didn't get the kit until yesterday!

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For June, I'd like to:

• Complete Jim Wurth's Arcadia (started yesterday)
• Start and finish GAR mystery window 3.
• Get the tree done on Picnic Hampered! (started at seminar)
• Work on Examplar IV
• Work on Goldwork Heart II

My stretch goal is to finish Picnic Hampered!