WIPocalypse, December 2015 - the Cold Full Moon (and Christmas Day, 2015!)

The final WIPocalypse post of the year has the theme "Recap your accomplishments for the year! "

This will be easy because this is one of the least productive stitchery years I have had in ages. Travel, a series of nasty respiratory infections and just general malaise pretty much dominated...

At the end of 2014, I set the following goal: "I hope to make 2015 a year of catching up and maybe even re-organizing my crafting space (which is currently a hot mess!). So my stitching goals are to finish what I call the "makable WIPs": the "Roll Your Own" mandalas and the blackwork sampler;  and keep up with Take a Stitch Tuesday and Crazy Quilt Journal Project. If I feel motivated, Bead Journal Project will also take it's place in this list. I will limit my goals to these, and if anything else inserts itself into my schedule, I should have the time to work on it..."

Well, I didn't do so awfully well. Let's go over this goal, point by point:

1.The "Roll Your Own Mandalas": "Bride" (the third of nine mandalas) had five colors' done and a sixth 25% complete P1010004.jpg and since January 5, I have completed "Bride" and three more mandalas ("Spawn" which consisted of "Jan", "Cindy " and "Marcia") and nearly finished the seventh, "Revenge", and the piece now looks like this:

Two to go. Not even close to a finish so that is a NOT DONE.

 2. The "Save The Stitches" blackwork sampler: On January 5, I had the outline of the sampler complete and 9 of the "blocks" "filled" Completed Outline.jpg and since that date, I have completed three more blocks Blocks 1 - 13.jpg. Not touched since April 9, 2015! Again, a NOT DONE 

3. Take a Stitch Tuesday: I didn't stitch TAST in 2015 --- it started over from the beginning and I stopped at that point. NOT ATTEMPTED

4. Crazy Quilt Journal Project: I merged this with the Bead Journal Project and completed all 12 beaded crazy blocks CQJP2015: COMPLETED (but some assembly required)

Other projects stitched on during the year were: 

• Two Habitat for Humanity blocks for a friend's EGA charitable drive (April 16): COMPLETED

• An embroidered quilt block for a memorial quilt for a dear friend (May 15): COMPLETED

• A plastic Canvas butterfly ornament for a swap, started in September (September 17)  and mailed September 22. COMPLETED 

• Three placemats for the quilt guild Meals on Wheels holiday drive, started in August (August 17) and handed in November 5, 2015: COMPLETED

I also did some border stitching on my "traveling" needlepoint project "Palm Tree Elegance", starting in mid June (June 18) and continuing, off and on, through October (October 15): NOT COMPLETE (by a long shot!)

Dare I even set goals for 2016? I know of at least one three-week road trip in the coming year (although the exact dates aren't set) so that means I may get in more stitching on the traveling needlepoint. Otherwise, it seems that there are those two massive WIPS staring me in the face: "Roll Your Own" and "Save the Stitches". Should I continue plodding along on "Roll Your Own" in hopes of having it ready for the county fair mid-summer 2016, knowing that a single mandala has been taking me, on the average, four months to complete? Or should I take a break  set up a rotation with "Save the Stitches", aiming for both to be ready for the 2017 fair? Or maybe start something else altogether and let these two BAPS go the way of UFO-dom? 

Week Fifty-One, December 24, 2015

Only two stitching days since reporting in for International Hermit and Stitch Weekend, but I am on the last color *number 12!) for “Revenge”! 

So it’s looking good for having this part of “Roll Your Own” completed in 2015. Only two more mandalas to go! 

Now the question is, in 2016, do I try to finish “Roll Your Own”  or do I switch back to “Save the Stitches” and try to make some progress on that one. I do know for certain I will not be joining either the Crazy Quilt Journaling Project or the Bead Journaling Project Challenges. They just take up so much time and effort with little to show for it any more… While International Hermit and Stitch and WIPocalypse  don’t take away from stitchery, per se, they don’t really seem to be benefiting me any more. True, I get a few visitors to my blog as a result of them, but I don’t really like how much time it takes ME to blog the results for them and the time it takes to surf others’ blogs is time I COULD spend stitching *or* paper crafting! 

We shall see if these become New Year’s resolutions or just random firings of a holiday-exhausted brain!

International Hermit and Stitch Weekend December 18 - 20, 2015

Happy first day of winter!

I finally got back to stitching on "Revenge" after completing my last block for the 2015 combined Crazy Quilt Journal and Bead Journal Projects! I finished color #10 (of 12) and started #11!

Christmas holidays will be getting in the way of completing this mandala, I'm afraid, (although it does look like it would be doable otherwise): Christmas dinner and gift exchange at one brother-in-law's on Friday (which means cooking Wednesday night and shopping for food before that --- once husband has determined what we are supposed to bring!) and another brother-in-law and family coming up for Sunday evening/Monday morning (beds to make up! AAACK!). Still awaiting call from yet another in-law as to whether they will be able to come this weekend or not. And then there is the big bowl game for our alma mater on Wednesday night... I know I won't be able to resist watching it on the telly, and it's hard (nay, impossible) to stitch when football is on! SO it may be the New Year before I get any significant stitching done. 

Week Fifty, December 17, 2015

This week was pretty much dominated by gatherings (meet the new coach, quilt guild holiday brunch, University President's holiday reception, lunch with my two best friends) and decorating the tree. No pictures for the gatherings but here is the tree, before and after ornaments: 

Our first ever purpose-build artificial tree (we've made do the past decade with a tree meant for outside decor).

The only stitching I did was on my Crazy Quilt/Bead Journal block. I finally finished it last night. A little Christmas greenery (is it a branch of a tree with leaves or flowers? Maybe a blooming Christmas cactus? Or maybe a deconstructed holly branch?  Who knows --- it evolved) and some snow (which we haven't gotten yet in this unseasonably warm December): 

That completes both challenges for 2015, and all I need do now is assemble the quilt/wall hanging... Right --- ALL! Considering that I have two previous years' wall hangings in various stages of assembly, finishing is easier said than done! LOL

I hope you all have a happy holiday, whichever one you celebrate, and that all your days will be merry and bright!

Week Forty-Nine, December 10, 2015

I decided this week to try to get my December Crazy Quilt/Bead Journal block finished. I was slowed down by holiday prep and gatherings but I did manage to get all (or most of --- I haven't decided yet) the seam treatments done. Here it is, hooped and ready for beads and buttons:

Week Forty-Eight, December 3, 2015

While I kitted up my December Crazy Quilt/Bead Journal Project block, I didn't actually do any stitching on it. 

I did, however, finish a few fill colors on "Revenge", the seventh of the "Roll Your Own Mandalas". I now have a small amount (maybe 25%) of color nine (of twelve) stitched...

What else was accomplished? Well, Thanksgiving dinner as at brother-in-laws. I was sou-chef to husbands chef as he made four pumpkin pies and two casseroles of oyster dressing to contribute to the meal. 

Then it was rivalry weekend for college football and both our master's and doctorate alma maters were playing big games. One lost, one won, both will be in their conference championship games (as will our bachelor's alma mater, which clinched the right to play weeks ago).

 In between watching football games  I put my Christmas mailing list in order (it seemed to have lost it's formatting over the years) and, together with husband, printed out mailing labels and signed, addressed, stamped and mailed 128 cards! 

Husband had never removed the lights from the tree in the front garden or the railing on the dock, so they are now lighted up at night. Next up,  interior decorating (while I love the result, I hate the work involved... so I tend to put it off but this year...).

Add to all this, prepping for the 2015 tax returns and this is a busy month --- hardly conducive to stitching. But I will try...