2013: End of Year Wrap-up

Like in 2012, I'm not that happy with my completion rate for 2013. Finishes were (not necessarily in order of finish):

• An Elizabeth Arnold blackwork design "Red Thai Mandala", the only hold-over from 2012, as it was started on December 30, 2012 )won a blue ribbon at the Wood County Fair in 2013)
• An Elizabeth Arnold blackwork design "Midnight Garden"
• A Casey Buonaugurio design, "The Taco Sampler" (won a third-place ribbon at the Wood County Fair)
• An Ajisai blackwork design "Puppy Dog"
• Janet Perry's "Color Through the Ages" online needlepoint class (one piece) and "Mittens & Mini-Socks" online needlepoint class (3 pieces)
• A Laura J Perrin needlepoint design "Purple Daisy" which was an online class featuring "Messy beading"
• Sharon B's "Encrusted Crazy Quilting" online class (one piece - won a blue ribbon for beading on fabric at the Wood County Fair in 2013) and "Sumptuous Surfaces Embroidery" online class (two pieces, one of which won a blue ribbon at the Wood County Fair in 2013)
• Sharon B's "Tale a Stitch Tuesday" online challenge ( 42 stitches and one multi-stitch "challenge")
• Bead Journal Project for 2013 (12 butterflies, one for each month)
• Wall hangings for Bead Journal Project (beaded in 2012) and Crazy Quilt Journal Projects (pieced in 2012)
• 12 crazy quilt blocks for the Crazy Quilt Journal Project - one a month every month
• A mug rug for a quilt guild challenge
• A "Bling It On!" crazy quilt block for a quilt guild retreat challenge (it won a prize for best use of embellishment at the retreat)
• A "Pink" crazy quilt block for the fair's special entry (won honorable mention)
• A biscornu for a secret Santa exchange that never took place 

Eight pieces were framed for fair submittals in 2013 (five first place ribbons, 2 second place ribbons, one third place ribbon and one honorable mention - not framed) three more framed: one for a gift and two for 2014 fair submittal  (IF I am in town for the fair that is --- there is a road trip in the offing for around submittal time and depending on husband's plans, we might not even be back in time for the fair itself).

As for accountability, in addition to my weekly wrap-ups (all including the words 2013- Reconnect to My Stitchery), I participated in the WIPocalypse 2012 Project and the International Hermit & Stitch Weekends, all three of not only which required regular accounting for my works-in-progress but encouraged me to work on pieces otherwise not calling me to the needle! I am still a full-fledged member of the local quilt guild (and their webmaster as well!) and I actually did some quilting this year! And I was the "detail angel" for the 2013 Bead Journal Project blog (an assignment which is no longer required with the BJP going on FaceBook for 2014)!

Long-standing UFOs from precious years weren't even taken out, let alone stitched on:

• "Angel of Love" - started before we moved to England in 1992!
• "Celestial Angel"  - started before we moved to England in 1992!
• "Map of England and Wales" - started in Saudi
• "Nature's Song" (excerpted from a larger chart) - started in Saudi

to say nothing of that ancient crewel-work pillow (I'm sure the moths have  done in the wool by now), all the top work on six or seven needlepoint pieces that all predate 1992, and a slew of piece-worked tops from quilting classes in Saudi...  And then there is my Round Robin piece from 2006 --- I still need to finish that off. (if the preceding words look familiar, they are almost verbatim my report from 2012!)

There are two years of BJP, one of Crazy Quilt Journal Project, and all the previous years of Janet Perry needlepoint exercises that need finish-finishing... I have made a small dent in the pile but it is by no means minuscule!

Started but unfinished needlework in 2013:

• A "Chinese Coins" quilt top (ready for sandwiching and quilting):

• A "Green Thumb" challenge quilt for quilt guild:

• and an Ajisai design "Ladybug & Daisy":

Waiting in the wings ( for which I have all the written material but haven't even started to think about) are:

• nine "Roll Your Own" mandalas from InkCircles
• Two Janet Perry classes (one a stitch guide practicum and the other a background stitch notebook)
• A selection of Craftsy courses, paid for and even read through but not started

I have two BJP years (2010 and 2013) and one Crazy Quilt Jorunal project (2013) to finish-finish. In addition, in 2014, there will be the Take a Stitch Tuesday stitches (which will likely be a monthly rather than a weekly deadline in 2014), the 2014 series of Crazy Quit Journal blocks (I have ordered inspiration fabrics) and the 2014 Bead Journal Project pieces (I have ordered inspiration fabrics) on my schedule. Coming up mid-January is a finishing stitchinar (Called "Finish It! The Skinny on Embroidery Finishing) being offered by Jen Funk Weber, for which I have registered (anything to encourage me to finish my stitchery!) Also, I have a book on order which is the basis for a Mary Corbett SAL later in the year and I'm sure that other things will pop up in my radar as the year passes.

I want to do a few more Christmas ornaments (this year, I used two trees to display my stitched ornaments because there were too many for the one, but there aren't enough to fill two so I need 50 or so more!), so I need to go through my set-aside patterns that I didn't stitch this year as well as back issues of the JCS Christmas Ornament issue.

In addition to my regular weekly progress reports (theme TBA) on my blog, there will be specific WIPocalypse postings on the full moon of every month, postings for the International Hemirt and Stitch Weekends (third weekend of every month),  and special postings for TAST 2013 (as assigned), CQJP 2013 (monthly), and BJP 2013 (monthly). Blogging will be keeping me as busy as stitching, I fear!

2014 looks to be another busy year. Here's hoping it's productive!